Vein Fire Read Free

collapsed onto the mattress; his hand still loosely pinched his nose shut.
    Joel stood over him with his watch, carefully recording the time on the piece of cardboard. “Oh hey, Hannah,” he said without giving her as much as a second glance.
    Matt stood back and didn’t acknowledge Hannah. She could see his jaw moving under his cheeks—he looked angry. Brian woke up almost immediately. He gazed up at Hannah and smiled wonkily, “Wow. You look different.”
    Hannah smiled and blushed. “Thank you.”
    “Your time’s getting worse instead of better,” Joel said.
    “What are you doing here?” huffed Matt.
    “I just came to hang out,” Hannah said.
    “Well, why don’t you leave—we’re busy and no one wants you around. We only put up with you so Olivia will hang out with us.”
    “Matt, c’mon man, relax. Hannah’s cool,” said Joel.
    “No, it’s okay. He’s just pissed off because Olivia refused to go out with him,” Hannah retorted.
    Matt clenched his fists, rotating three different shades of red before settling on one moderately flushed color.
    Joel tried to change the subject. “Brian got the sheet music to Long Cold Winter. ”
    “That’s cool. I just bought the tape yesterday,” Hannah said happily.
    “Aww, man! I wanted to buy the tape, but I only had enough money to get the sheet music. I started to learn ‘Gypsy Road’ last night on the guitar, but I didn’t get too far before my dad yelled at me to stop playing.”
    “Yeah—well it’s not ‘cuz you’re a budding Ace fuckin’ Frehley,” Matt said.
    “Well what do you play besides your cock? ‘Oh Olivia! Olivia!’” Brian imitated Matt masturbating.
    “You’d better shut your mouth,” snapped Matt.
    “Why don’t you, dog shit breath?” Brian laughed. Matt’s veins surfaced his neck. He glared at Hannah.
    Hannah panicked and held her breath. Olivia must have told Brian. She worried Matt would think she had told the others.
    “Guys, let’s settle down,” Joel said.
    “Yeah, let’s settle down. If the cunt wants to play with us, let her play. You’re up, Hannah,” Matt said, nodding towards the mattress.
    Everyone was silent because of the word Matt had used. It wasn’t something any of them had ever said before. They watched as Hannah dismounted her bike and walked over to the mattress, readying her hand over her nose.
    “Will you catch me?” she asked Brian.
    He nodded and stood behind her, ready with both arms to ease her down.
    “Okay…” Joel posed with his watch, “On the count of three…one….two…three!”
    Hannah inhaled sharply, filling her lungs to capacity, over and over, determined she could hold her breath the longest this time. She exhaled and waited for the blackness.
    “Thirty seconds,” Joel yelled.
    She looked around; Matt was pacing back and forth in front of her.
    “Forty-five! You can do this Hannah, you’re going to break your record!” Joel squealed.
    “C’mon! Hang in there,” Brian whispered into her hair.
    “One minute! You broke a minute! Keep going Hannah! Keep going.”
    The sky faded to black static as she tipped back into Brian’s arms. He was partially beneath her, and broke her fall, allowing his body to fold as her weight transferred on top of him. He was staring at her parted lips and didn’t see Matt come around to the front of them with the cinder block in his hands. Hannah’s entire body convulsed after the first swing splintered the tibia bone out of her right leg. Her scream shattered through the cemetery when Matt brought the cinder block down on her left leg. He held the bloody block hovering over his head for the third strike when Joel yelled and dropped the watch. After the fourth swing, Joel tackled him to the ground.
    Joel was much smaller than Matt, and they quickly stood up, but Matt turned and ran when he saw Brian had jumped up from underneath Hannah and started chasing him.
    “Joel, we have to help her. Knock on the auto salvage door and see if