1
SNOW
“Caleb! Where are my keys?”
I’m late.
I’m so late that there’s no worthwhile excuse I can give that will save me from reprimand, and my absent car keys make the seconds tick by faster and faster.
After tearing apart my dresser where I’m sure I left them last night, I hurry through my tiny apartment and into the living room where Caleb relaxes on the couch tucked under numerous blankets.
“Caleb! Have you seen my keys?”
“Why thefuckare you yelling so fucking loud this early in the morning?” Caleb grumbles from under the pillow where he’s hidden his head.
“It’s not early,” I snap, rummaging through the old take-out containers, junk mail, empty cigarette packets and more left on the coffee table next to him. “It’s late. It’sreallylate, and I need my keys but I can’t find them. Where are they?”
Caleb doesn’t reply.
“Caleb! Have you seen them?”
“For fuck’s sake!” He thrusts his head out from under the pillow and glowers at me with puffy, sleep-addled eyes. “Why the fuck would I know where your keys are?”
“Because youconstantlyborrow my car without asking and oh, I don’t know, maybe for the same reason thatsomeoneturned off my alarm so I didn’t wake up.”
“You think I turned off your alarm? How childish do you think I am?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I mutter under my breath, stepping over discarded piles of clothing and walking to the unit against the wall. Amid old receipts, unfolded underwear, and magazines, the glint of my car keys continues to escape me. “I thought you said you were going to clean?”
“I cleaned.” Caleb sinks back down onto the couch and drapes one arm over his eyes. “Can you like, fuck off or something? I have a headache and it’s growing by the second.”
“You have a hangover.”
“Same damn thing.”
“Is it? Did you drink away your portion of the rent again?”
“What I do with my money is no one’s business, you hear me?”
“It is my business when I have to cover the whole rent again becauseyoudrink away every spare dollar you get. The money in our account isn’t enough to cover the whole rent, dumbass. It’s a backup.”
“Fuck’s sake, nag, nag, nag. Dumping you was supposed to save me from this fucking earache.”
“You know what would save you?” Starting an argument this early in the morning when I’m already late isn’t the wisest choice, but every nasally, aggravating word from him makes me angrier and angrier. “Getting a job and helping me with the bills, getting a job andmoving outso we don’t need to be near each other!”
“You move out.”
“I can’t! All my money goes to keeping a roof over your worthless ass. And mine.”
“How can I get a job when you’re ordering me around like a fucking maid all the damn time, huh? You whine like a fucking bitch, acting like you’re better than me because you have that fancy fucking job at the hospital, but you know what, Snow?”
His arm flings up and he points right at me. “You’re stuck living in the same shit I am, so knock off that fucking attitude.”
“Keys, Caleb!” I yell as my frustrations bubble over. “Where did you hide them?”
His dark, irritated look suddenly melts into the most childish, obnoxious grin and he wheezes out a laugh. “Think I tossed them in the trash.”
“You…” Anger rises inside me like a hot wave and for a second, I can’t even think, never mind yell the words resting on the back of my tongue.
