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2 years ago
Tori, Part I
Tori loved the crack on her table. Not that the table was broken; in fact, she was proud of the cedar wood desk that had lasted throughout her university years. The sheer sight of the drug was enough to set her into an addictive frenzy.
Crack cocaine was Tori’s “thing.” A summer of bad boyfriends and her parents’ recent divorce left the innocent literature student looking for whatever tempting pick-me-up would protect her from the pain of it all. In years past, Tori was content sipping ginger-ale in the late summer sun reading Pride and Prejudice whilst fantasizing about her very own Mr. Darcy. Now, she couldn’t make it three days without stealing her mama’s wallet for a taste of euphoria.
A pity. People used to say the girl was pretty. Tall and slim, though not exactly model material: her shy personality and conservative upbringing would never allow Tori to do such a thing. Her cheekbones were high like her mother’s, though she possessed her father’s straight nose. By far, her finest asset was her rich, luscious wavy hair. Every summer it would transform from a natural strawberry blond into streaks of gold, as if the sun itself possessed Midas’ magical touch. But amidst her recent troubles, Tori was a mess. Barely even troubled enough to put her hair up in a pony tail to hide its tangled knots. Oh, she could hide it when she wanted: enough eyeliner and hair spray could hide just about any problem. But with the nocturnal craving upon her, not even the Wolf Man would stop to gaze at this feline beast seeking her cocaine prey.
Reaching for the lighter and dirty glass pipe on the other side of the table, Tori contemplated what she was about to do for the third time this week.
Damn, it’s only Wednesday. Or is it Thursday? Fuck it, she thought.
Clearly she didn’t care. All that mattered was the white crystals in front of her. Placing them frantically in the filter of the vaporizer, Tori prepared to smoke up. She had always been a straight-shooter. Though her junkie ex-boyfriend snorted, Tori always felt there was something unmannerly about using the naval cavity. Perhaps deep down there was a bit of her old self still influencing her decisions. Now would have been a good time for it to come out again. Her desperation suddenly came over her as she flicked on the green Ninja Turtles lighter…
Tori inhaled deeply. Again. And again. She felt like a dragon, taking in fire a wisp at a time. That old good feeling returned, and slowly her eyelids relaxed as she lay against the cold tiled floor of her mama’s apartment.
“What the fuck, Tori?”
Notes
about me:
freelance writer and student at the university of western ontario.
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