Read Online Crackhead II: A Novel by Lisa Lennox - Free Book Online Page A

looked up at him.
    “I’m sorry, baby,” she apologized. “I can’t believe I’m still having these flashbacks and nightmares.” She broke down again. “There must be something wrong with me.”
    “It’s okay, baby, let it out. Let it all out.” Dink sat down on the couch next to her, pulled her into his arms, and caressed her hair while he held her. “And there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve gone through a lot in the last six weeks, more than the average person goes through in their life. It’s gonna take some time, Laci.”
    Laci wiped her wet face with the back of her hand and looked at Dink.
    “Thank you.” She hugged him tightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “This is where my heart is baby, with you, and I’m not going anywhere.” Dink lay back on the couch and pulled her gently against him. He rubbed her back until he dozed off, but Laci thought back to her thirty days in rehab, and the memories of the past summer.
    AFTER A DAY of chillin’ with her girls, Laci realized it was getting late and it was time for her to jet. Each of her friends turned on her, expressing how they felt about her.
    “While we’re passing blunts and bottles, you’re on some chill shit. Like you’re propped up on a pedestal. You even act like being around weed smoke is gonna kill you,” Tonette spoke.
    “But you know I don’t do drugs,” Laci explained.
    “That’s some sad shit,” Shaunna said. “Weed ain’t even a fuckin’ drug. It’s a natural herb from the ground, baby—like fuckin’ goldenseal or some shit.”
    “If anything, I would say alcohol is more of a drug than weed,” Crystal added. “Who you know smokes a joint, jumps in a car, and takes out a family of five on the expressway?”
    “You know?” Shaunna said, giving Crystal some dap.
    “I know you don’t drink, Laci,” Tonette said. “And I can totally dig that. But why you frontin’ on the weed? A lil’ smoke ain’t gon’ hurt you.”
    After more ridicule from her friends, Laci thought about it. One pull couldn’t hurt. It was just marijuana. Maybe this would stop the girls from always riding her. If one puff of the magic dragon was all it was going to take to show the girls she could get down, it was worth it.
    “You got some?” Laci asked Crystal.
    “Some what?” Crystal asked.
    “Some weed, a joint,” Laci said. “I was thinking that I might need a little something to make my rest just that much better.”
    Laci smiled a mischievous smile and the girls returned one.
    “As a matter of fact, I just happen to have some,” Tonette said. “It’s in my purse in the living room. Hold on. I’ll go get it.”
    Once Tonette had returned with the blunt, Laci examined it with curiosity.
    “What are you waiting for?” Crystal asked. “Spark up.”
    “Why don’t one of you guys light it and then pass it to me?” Laci said nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was burn off her bangs trying to light a joint on the stove. “Shaunna, you’re good at this, here.” Laci stuck the joint in Shaunna’s face.
    “Now you know I got a Wave Nouveau. If my hair catches fire, we’re all blowin’ up.”
    After laughter, Monique egged Laci on. “Come on, Laci, quit playing with the weed. Either light the shit or pass it off. See, Crystal, I told you.”
    Seeing the smug look on Monique’s face made Laci angry. Laci was sick of all of them doubting her and was now more determined than ever to show them that she could hang. Cautiously, she leaned over the flames and lit the blunt.
    “That’s a girl,” Crystal said with a smile. “Now come on in the living room.”
    Once they’d followed Crystal into the living room, Laci looked at the girls, who were now staring at her, and without hesitation, she took two baby pulls.
    “Give me a fuckin’ break,” Crystal laughed. The other girls stood watching in amazement. They were impressed. They didn’t thinkLaci had the balls. “Did you see those sucker-ass pulls? Look,