Garden of Sins

Naturally, the neighbors hate us because the music echoes down the street when the garage door is open, but nobody dares to ring the bell to complain, if only because of Dad. Three years ago, Mr. Bruce complained to Dad. He’s a crazy bastard. After that, no one ever complained again.

The way Caden is, especially when Alayna isn’t here, I expect him to show up at any moment so he can continue being paranoid that I want more from her. Me. Sure.

So, I lie here and wait. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my cell phone vibrating on the table. It’s probably Melissa again, but my arms are too heavy so I can’t answer right now. Melissa has really taken a fancy to me. She has minor psychopathic tendencies. Maybe that’s Caden’s fault. I certainly don’t want to draw her in any further. She should probably stay away.

I remember exactly how damaged she was after the two of us and how Caden finished her off. Although I saw it, I was too selfish to let Melissa go back then, to the point where she almost killed herself. Then I wanted to run away with her, but the thought of Caden wouldn’t let me. I’m glad I didn’t because she wasn’t the one, the one I would run away with and leave my family behind. I am wondering what has to happen for me to pull such a shitty stunt. Caden probably just needs to piss me off, then again, I couldn’t stand it without him either.

As I predicted, my door swings open. Clear the stage for Psycho-Caden. Yay. I could have counted on my fingers how many seconds it took for him to get here. Alayna is now half an hour away, that little pussy-whipped psycho. Who knew he’d get stuck with the one first?

“What’s up, bro?” I ask without looking. Instead, I stare at the joint between my fingers and exhale the smoke against it so that the cherry flickers.

Caden pushes my legs off the seat and sits next to me. Not cool. A

Caden doesn’t seem happy, but he never does. Neither do I, I know. We’re merely two unhappy bastards who can’t be happy even though we actually have almost everything.

With two fingers, I offer him the joint. “Do you want?” I ask, interested. I am so friendly.

Caden squints and pulls it out of my hand before taking a hit. Oh, dear. It must be tragic not being able to have your chick with you. Poor little Caden.

My eyes grow increasingly wider because he hits it, and hits it, and hits it, and hits it, and hits it...and hits it again. In a moment, he flies away.

“Fuck, bro, slow down. This is high-end shit and you’re smoking it in one go,” I exclaim, a

Caden slowly exhales the smoke so that it wafts around us so thick that I can’t see him for a moment. The smell burns my nose. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a human hit a joint so many times, bro. It is burning hot so I take it back quickly and a little reproachfully before it is all gone. He can be as selfish as Ava.

“Dude,” I say indignantly. Such a selfish, egotistical Caden.

“What did Alayna want from you on the porch yesterday?” he tries to ask seriously in his Caden way, but his eyelids are already heavy and his pronunciation is sluggish. I like it when he is stoned, then he doesn’t think so much and above all, he doesn’t analyze and manipulate so much and is just Caden. Simply Caden, not Psycho-Caden. But how interesting that he still ca

“Oh, the usual Alayna shit,” I say dismissively and try to remember. My mind is a bit too fried for that.

“What did she say, Carter?” he persists, of course, because he is fucking Caden and I groan, a

“The usual, you know her. ‘What about Caden? What about Melissa? Why is Caden like that? Why is Caden doing this? Why does Caden do that? Caden, Caden, Caden’. So much shit, I was totally fucked up, came from a fuck night with Melissa, so I have no idea, bro.”

“What’d you say?” He leans his head back and turns it towards me. A sign he’s slowly going into stoned mode. Oh, thank God. Then he doesn’t talk so much. Alayna, Alayna, Alayna. I can’t hear it anymore. I hit the joint once and give him the joint so that he can get even higher because I’m not so into it.

“Carter!” he urges, accepting the joint. “Stop getting me high like your little sluts,” he growls and hits the joint with a gloomy expression on his face.

“Well, I said the usual. So, nothing at all!” What else can I say? What the fuck do I care?

“Really?” Caden asks and raises his eyebrows. I laugh and he joins in because it is hilarious that he can’t open his eyes.

“Yeah, bro. Really. I swear. But you have to get Alayna  under control, she’s...” I wag my finger in front of his face and he follows the movement with an aggravated expression.

“I know!” he shouts and widens his eyes as if he has had an epiphany. “She’s smart, isn’t she?”

I nod slowly as if I realized it too and together, we stare at a blank space on the wall. “We have to be careful if we don’t want this to come out, bro! Cause it’s really sooooo awesome!”

“I know!” he replies slowly. “But I love her, that’s the problem! So she can’t find out!”

“That’s only a problem if you make it a problem, man.” I’m so profound again today.

Meditative, Caden glances up at the ceiling as if enlightenment is there. I thought it was on the wall. You thought wrong, Carter.

“I don’t want to fuck her up like that pretty little black-haired doll you have. Or Daniiieeeelllleee!” He pronounces her name like it’s a contagious disease and, Caden treated Danielle as if she was a contagious disease he couldn’t get rid of. God, it was so bad. I don’t want to think about that now.

“But?” I ask with interest and uneasily clear my throat.

“But I can’t change the way I am. And sometimes, I can’t hold it back.” By that, he means Psycho-Caden, who is not as fun as my Caden.

“Oh, you know, I once heard that if a woman really loves you, she can handle anything,” I respond profoundly again.

We don’t speak further about it and instead, I light another joint and hand it to him. The more we smoke, the more irrelevant everything is.

* * *

One hour later, we are both so fried we don’t even remember who Alayna is anymore. Caden is hanging with his ass so far off the edge of my couch, he might fall off. One arm is above the backrest. I threw myself onto my beanbag and sank so deep I’ll probably never get out again. I’ll have to roll over the side if I have to pee or something. Fuck.

“Wait!” Caden yells, but he doesn’t move. “Imagine if we stole mail from all the people in the neighborhood and read it. Then we could blackmail them all! Or we could hack their e-mail accounts, though...” Now he is frowning. “Right now, I can’t even remember my computer password, bro.” That comes across a little stiff and alarmed.

“Wow, you’re crazy,” I mumble. “I’m not getting up right now, are you crazy?” Is he crazy or what?