Blood Stained Smile-


She strikes the match and it ignites. Cupping her hand around the flame, her vanilla clove bursts to life. The crackling of her clove dances in my ear and the dirty yet sweet smell burns my nostrils. I open the window and dry air pours in swallowing me in one gulp. The riff of the guitar violently pounds through the speakers and beats on my eardrums. Tires splash carelessly through the puddles of heat waves scattered on the pavement. I try to ignore the angry words the driver shares with her companion on the phone. The light turns a furious shade of red and the van in front of us slows to a stop. She doesn’t notice until I yell out, but it was a moment to late. Her front fender crushes like an aluminum can under pressure. My head rushes toward the windshield, there’s no stopping it. A second later I hear an earsplitting crack and I pray it is not my head. Thick salty fluid fills my mouth and drips from my nose. She pulls over and asks if I’m ok. I let out a brief quit giggle and I share with her a blood stained smile. After I assure her I’m ok she steps out into the blazing summer heat to inspect the damage.