Marnie woke at 7:00 a.m. and grabbed a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. As she ate, a loud sniffling punctuated the tranquil morning. She went into the hall, following the sound to Danny's room.
Was he crying?
Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff.
She opened the door. His light on the nightstand cast a yellow glow. Four pill bottles stood in a line on the bed table. Three were empty and the fourth was half full. Danny lay across his bed, leaning against the edge of the nightstand.
“Danny.”
When he looked up, Marnie learned what the sound was. In his hand was a small white tube. He'd been using it to vacuum the line of white powder strewn across the nightstand. Marnie looked closer. Half of the mahogany table was covered in a white film.
“Heeeey.” He slowly stretched the word out. “What's up?” Danny wiped his nose against the back of his wrist and leaned across the headboard still sniffing. “This.” He waved a hand nonchalantly toward the bottles. “It's just vitamins.”
His bright, glossy eyes and constricted pupils told another story.
She arched a brow. “Vitamins, huh?” Reaching over, she picked up the fourth vial. The only one half full.
“Gimme that.” His voice was terse and his eyes darkened from smoky gray to charcoal.
Marnie gripped the bottle, making a beeline for Danny's bathroom. He grabbed her ponytail as she rounded the corner of his bed, yanking her backwards. She let her body slacken, falling to the floor like a sack of flour. Danny leaned forward, reaching a hand to pull her up on the bed, but she kicked forward, her foot connecting with his forehead, causing him to lose his grip on her. She rolled onto all fours, and with the bottle still in her hand, scurried into the bathroom. Danny let out an angry growl as he rammed against the door to stop her from closing it. She slammed it right before his foot touched the marble.
Fortunately the door still had a lock on it. When they returned from the hospital, Danny had removed all the locks on the doors, including his own. Marnie could only assume it was for her benefit.
“Don't you dare lock this door!” Danny howled. His body hit the door, making it shake on its hinges. “Marnie, please. You can't do this again. Let me in.” He banged against the door again.
Marnie shuddered at the sound of his cries and turned her attention to the bottle. She unscrewed the cap, wet her pinky and dipped her finger into the vial of powder.
“Mmm.” She moaned as the taste of the smack hit her tongue.
“China baby, I missed you,” she crooned. She dipped her finger in again. It was more than simply heroin in here. The bitter taste was like ice cream on her tongue. She sucked hard on her index.
This wasn't a vitamin, it was primo shit. Coke and heroine. What the hell was Danny doing? A beautiful image of doing lines on the bathroom floor enveloped her mind, but she forced herself to the toilet instead and flushed the contents of the bottle. The label said: Nia Waters, take twice daily. More like quadruple daily, Marnie mused. She stuffed the bottle in her pocket and unlocked the door.
Danny sat on the floor looking dejected. He stood as Marnie entered the room.
He grabbed her, shaking her hard before releasing her. “Please don't ever do that again.”
Marnie nodded.
“Did you save me anything?”
Marnie hesitated. “No.”
His face contorted and his hands slapped his forehead rapidly. Afraid of what might happen next, she slumped to the floor and shielded her face with her arms.
“Danny, please,” Marnie cried out.
His momentary pause gave her the window she needed to escape. She ran out of his room and down the hall to her own. Slamming the door shut, she grabbed the bookcase, pushing it with all her might. After two false starts, it fell on its side in front of her door, barricading her inside. She sat on the floor, huffing and puffing as she tried to catch her breath. Minutes crawled by without a sound. As the adrenaline began to leave her body, she cried.
A knock on the door sounded. Jackson asked her if she was all right, but she ignored him. He can't help me.
“Marnie.”
Fear struck her heart at the sound of Danny's voice. She glanced at the clock. It was one in the afternoon. Hours had passed since she barricaded herself. She was still huddled on the floor in a crouched position, ready to run if need be.
“I'm sorry, please forgive me. I'm not going to try to come in. I just need to know if you're all right.”
Marnie ignored Danny and walked over to the phone beside her bed. She clicked through the caller identification list, looking for the name. He had to have called him at some point. Where was he? A hundred calls later, Marnie was beginning to lose hope when she finally came upon the number.
She pressed dial and prayed he would answer. He was her last hope.
“Hi,” Marnie sighed inwardly. “It's Marnie. I'm calling because Danny's in trouble and he needs your help. I don't want to say it over the phone. How fast can you get out here?”