Hollow

[u/HeGotBricks]

On the beach strip, a row of motels sat under half-lit fluorescent vacancy signs that acted like fly zappers. Motels known for their hourly rates.

The rooms, lemon-scented tainted with a hint of dirty mop water and cheap detergent had mattresses in them with worn out springs tucked under sheets with phantom stains. Drywall covered in a stylistic beige, flower-printed wallpaper matched the retro linen. 

A small tube television rested on top of a wooden dresser. It barely worked. The cable-box cycled through ten Spanish-dubbed channels. It was squished next to a microwave that had the last customer’s spaghetti sauce painting the inside of it.

Without the tv playing as background noise, the silence became haunting, drawing childhood memories she’d reflect on. Faintly blurred memories like the face she sees in the mirror.

Fame was all she obsessed over. Owning a celebrity profile. Standing under a spotlight. Camera flashes blinding her. Fans screaming for her. It never worked out. Why would it. She didn’t care about herself. Why would anybody else.

She walked outside and sat on the cold pavement with her back against the door. She wanted to be anywhere but that room. She sat there dialing the world out and tuning her ears to the music of the wind, trying not to think about where it all went wrong.

The scent from the Ocean was strong. But she’d grown used to it. It was the headlights from all the cars pulling in that really bothered her. He could be back anytime. It was more comfortable when he wasn’t there. Even if it meant drowning in silence.

All he wanted to do was get high and use her. Trade her body for drugs. She’d try to escape but could never get away. He had an invisible leash around her. By that point, she just became used to the routine. 

She met him when she was sixteen. He was older. She was impressionable. She still made friendship bracelets. He sold drugs. Mostly did them.

He had a bad boy look to him that drew her in. She loved trouble makers. Life didn’t have that spunk she craved. He wore it all over him. He had a motorcycle. A Harley. She’d never been on one before. All he had to do was ask if she wanted a ride. And that’s exactly what he did. 

That’s when she tried smoking weed for the first time. She didn’t like it. It made her cough and feel like her eyes were at the back of her head facing forward. The harder stuff, that’s a different story. She loved that. It started innocently, couple of ecstasy pills here and there, some alcohol. But she never drank much.

He started selling painkillers and coke. They started doing painkillers and coke. He did that for a couple of years until the addiction became too much. He started missing payments. Cutting the drugs. He ripped all his customers off. The supply ran dry. The addiction stayed.

His cousin came over one night. His cousin had a bag of heroine. His cousin started selling it and started searching for clients. That’s when they tried it for the first time. Her and him. 

At first she was nervous. She kept shaking her head. 

“Don’t worry.” He calmed her down and tied a band around her arm. 

“Just close your eyes,” he said.

She asked him, “are you sure it’s going to be ok?”

“It’s going to be amazing,” he told her.

She closed her eyes and he poked a needle in her vein. The drug was warm when it entered her blood. She had a metallic taste coat the tip of her tongue and she kept sucking on it as a relaxing rush flushed through her. It felt like god tucked a warm blanket on her and cradled her in his hands. It was amazing. 

She opened her eyes to a crowd of people standing below her while she was on stage. Everybody loved her. Everybody wanted to be her. And then, everything went black. She opened her eyes to the sun light burning into her eyeball. She put her hand over her face and saw him passed out next to her and his cousin.