Page 96 of Prince of Pain

I showered, paced my bedroom, and tried hard to calm myself down from the fit of rage I was trying not to let out. I had it handled, just a few lines and pills to take the edge off, so they didn’t need to railroad me into this interrogation.

I was fine.

They acted like they didn’t smoke weed or snort a line when they felt like it.

The annoyance and irritation didn’t ease after an hour of being alone. If anything, it only got worse. I needed a joint or something.

I started rummaging through my drawers, hoping to find something I’d stashed and forgotten about, hesitating when I found a baggie wedged in the back behind my socks. I pulled it out, sighing when I noticed it was crystal.

How long had that been in there for?

I put it back, not wanting to get that kind of high, but when my search for weed was unlucky, I found myself pulling the crystal back out. It wasn’t a lot, and I still had an ice pipe stashed in the closet.

I could smoke it in here and no one would know since it didn’t have a smell.

“Fuck it,” I muttered, turning to my closet to find the pipe, deciding to lock myself in the bathroom so I at least had warning if someone managed to get into my room.

Injecting gave me a better high, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave obvious marks on my arms right now.

I dropped the little crystals into the rounded end of the pipe, digging my lighter from my pocket and starting to heat it. After a moment, they started liquifying and vaporizing, and I brought the pipe to my mouth and drew it into my lungs.

The instant wave of calmness was a relief, my mind finally going silent, and I continued to smoke until it had all disappeared, catching my reflection in the mirror.

I looked brighter, the stress gone from my face as the irritation vanished, and I felt like I could breathe again.

There was a knock on my bedroom door and I paused before opening the bathroom door. “Yeah?”

“I need to drop off some supplies at a few houses. Stay home,” Mom said sternly, making me roll my eyes. We owned so many properties just to put other people’s kids in.

I was glad we didn’t need to talk right now, but it was typical of her to run off to help random kids when apparently her own were falling apart.

She didn’t give a fuck. It was all about appearances.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Ry—”

“Go. I’ll probably go for a swim or something,” I grunted, shutting the bathroom door so I couldn’t hear her response.

After a few minutes, I figured she’d left, so I headed back into my room to hide the pipe and empty baggie before grabbing my cigarettes and wandering downstairs.

Caden eyed me as I walked past him in the hallway, his sweat towel over his shoulder.

“Want to work out with me?” he called, but I kept walking.

“No, I’m going to sit outside.”

“Don’t leave.”

I didn't reply, deciding to sit in the backyard in one of the pool chairs to get comfortable, lighting a cigarette and closing my eyes. Not that I was alone for long.

“Hey.”

I cracked my eyes open, finding Noah in front of me. “What do you want?”

“I was just going to sit with you. Are you in the doghouse? Everyone's been stomping around since they dragged you home.”

“Shouldn’t you be at school?”

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