Ricky Noir
She was the wildest person I knew, and she just continued to prove it.
"You want to burn it?" I questioned her, Alice and I have done illegal things but never to this extent.
"Don't you?"
"I don't really see the point," I replied honestly.
Alice stepped out of the car and I joined her over on the drivers side. She held my hands in hers, I noticed she had still kept the ring on.
"This is a traumatic place for you. From what you've told me this place isn't filled with happy childhood memories, it holds nightmares, so why not kill it?"
I looked down to her with a calm smile on my face, "and what happens to you when we get caught?"
She dropped her hands and stepped back, stretching her arms out. "We're practically in the middle on nowhere and if the cops do get called we'll be long gone by then."
"You really wanna do this?"
Her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "This isn't about me, this is for you. Maybe it'll give you some sort of closure."
I never pictured my idea of closure, I didn't ever think I'd get it. Would burning down a building do anything? Or would it just be another adrenaline rush?
"Fuck it," I spoke. "Burn baby, burn."
Alice had a wild smile form on her face, her eyes lit up in excitement. She walked to the back of her car and popped the trunk open. It revealed a wool blanket, a few empty beer cans, and a gasoline jug.
"You just have that in your trunk?"
She scoffed. "Of course, you never know when you'll need to torch a dead body."
I began to laugh at the sarcasm but then again I wouldn't be surprised if it were the truth.
Alice pulled the jug out and set it on the ground. "Theo and I went on a road trip a few years ago, ran out of gas in the middle of some dessert. So now, I always come prepared."
"Mhmm," I hummed. "I liked the dead body explanation better."
"You're sick," she muttered in a laugh as she walked past me with the red jug in hand. We stood in front of the house once again. "Are we really gonna do this?" Alice questioned with a hint of fear and regret in her voice.
I looked to her, "you wanna back out?"
She then reached for my hand and laced it with hers as we walked towards the front doors. The house was almost ancient and had millions of construction issues, the wooden doors only had one left of the hygienes. The floor boards inside were split and torn off and old heroine needles were laid on the floor, along with remnants of other drugs my parents had indulged in. Although the places was empty for the most part. A few broken chairs laid around, some old stained bed sheets, an old mattress. It was all very peculiar, but that was what my childhood was like.
Alice pulled me out of my trance once she squeezed my hand, "you okay?"
"Just memories I wish I didn't remember."
"Well, after we burn those to a crisp, you'll make new memories and they'll be worth remembering."
"You're the greatest thing that ever happened to me, you know that?" I told her before leaning down and planting a soft kiss to her pink lips. "I'm fucking crazy about you."
She flashed a warm smile and wrapped her arms around me. She whispered, "I love you."
I pulled away from her, I could almost see the shock on my own face. I haven't heard those words in over a decade, they felt brand new. I consider those three simple words stupid, they have too much power. Words shouldn't be that powerful. Yet still those stupid words saved my life.
