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“Happy birthday baby!” Linette said too loudly, peppering Laney’s cheeks and lips with kisses. “I brought you a cake!”

A half-melted ice cream cake was on the counter.

“It’s okay Ma, we already had some…”

“Okay, okay, okay!” She was talking too fast and jumping up and down in her stilettos, rubbing her nose repeatedly. “And Merry Christmas, Dusty!” She tried to kiss him, but he ducked and headed for his room. She frowned. “You’re not gonna kiss your momma?”

“Just leave him be, Ma,” Laney said.

Linette bounced into the kitchen, swiping her finger in the ice cream and licking it off. “Mm mm mm… you sure you don’t want some? No? Oh, good girl! Good girl!” She threw it in the sink, blue and white icing slopping down the sides.

“You’re sixteen, Laney!” she said, gripping Laney’s arm. “You’re a woman, now! You’re all grown up!”

“Thanks, Ma… Look, I need to call Shane…”

“Oh your boyfriend can wait, let me look at you! Let me look! Such a beautiful girl…”

Laney eyed the giant bag of cocaine sticking out of her mother’s purse.

“Why don’t you have a shower, Ma… You look a little sweaty…”

“Oh good idea, a shower would be lovely... It’s been a busy night you know!” she said with a wink. Laney suppressed a gag and Linette giggled, tottering off down the hall.

Laney sighed and swiped the coke, hurrying downstairs to her room to do a bump in private. No way I’m surviving Ma sober, tonight…

Laney had been rationing her supply since labour day weekend. All she had was what Nick had left behind that fall, and she’d been trying to make it last. She was pretty sure she could ask Cody, Shane’s friend, but she didn’t want Cody to tip Shane off.

Shane had never said anything to her about it, the few times she’d taken a hit around him, but she knew he didn’t like it. With the quarter-ounce of hash he consumed per day and the pills he popped like tic-tacs she knew he’d feel like a hypocrite if he told her not to. But he got this look on his face whenever she pulled it out, this sad, angry look that made her feel guilty and kind of killed her buzz. So she usually waited until she was alone, doing a bump or two to help her stay up so she could finish the homework she was always putting off between the work for Jerry and the copious amounts of orgasms Shane was regularly providing.

She smiled to herself, thinking of the feel of her hand wrapped around him. It was big, warm, smooth… she’d loved the feeling of his skin, the look of ecstasy on his face as he’d spilled all over her… It’s all she wanted to do until the end of time. Make him come.

She smirked a little at how pissed he’d been afterward. She’d surprised herself, touching him like that with Jerry maybe twelve feet away. But she hadn’t been able to help it; it was her birthday present to herself, torturing him. Payback for the months of him holding out on her. She’d wanted to shatter that iron will of his and see him finally let go.

It was beautiful.

She tapped a little powder out on the hardcover of the new Stephen King release, Bag of Bones, and rolled up a five-dollar bill from her pocket.

She felt another wave of guilt, knowing how strongly Shane would disapprove of her snorting a line alone in her bedroom.

But fuck it, she thought. It’s my birthday. So she bent her head and sniffed.