Excerpt: The Sunshine Girl

Eliza opened her eyes slowly, the light streaming in. Her head errupted into pain, and she must have winced, because Lucy put a blunt up to her mouth. "Smoke, it'll help with the hangover." She took a few hits and then Lucy took it away, presumably to smoke the rest of it herself. It hung out of her mouth like a cigar while she continued wiping puke off the couch and Eliza's face.

"Where's Jodphur?" She croaked, the throat raw.

"He went out early, remember?"

Eliza made an, "Oh," with her mouth silently. She attempted to sit up, gasping. Her head hurt so badly. Lucy sat next to her on the couch. Eliza was cold, very cold. They wrapped up close to each other. It was nearly July, but they were freezing, in an apartment without air conditioning. Within the hour, Eliza had started trembling, her body illing to get a fix. Lucy wasn't even reacting this badly--she had tried to quit before, she was conditioned at least a little bit to the withdraws.

By the time Jodphur got home at sunset, Eliza was curled up in the bottom of the bathtub, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Jodphur came to her side and knelt, looking her in the eyes with fear. "Please don't be like this..." He mumbled, leaning in and kissing her forehead.

"Jodphur, please!" She said, her voice strained and teeth chattering. She felt her stomach take a twist and dry heaved in front of her into the tub, coughing up nothing but stomach acid. He stared at her for a moment.

"Alright." He said, quietly, turning towards the door. "I'll be back."

He came back an hour later with the goods. Eliza's eyes lit up and she managed to drag herself out of the bathtub to Jodphur's bed, which had been pulled out, as he was lounging on it. He was heating the goods for her. She climbed up onto the bed with him, Lucy sitting on the floor next to it, and quickly wrapped her arm. That shoot up was incredible, the best she'd ever had, especially after not having it for an entire day...

She was flying, flying...and it felt wonderful. She felt herself raise up on her knees and lean in to kiss Jodphur, so happy that she finally got her fix, she forgave him for even mentioning attempting to give it up. She could never give up her heroin, not now, not in this place. Asking her to give it up was like asking her to give up Jodphur--neither thing she thought she could live without. She kissed him slow and deep. He paused enough to shoot up himself, seeming resigned to it for the moment. The emotions and sensations collided with each other and things got tangled up.