Rent

Last Night

1987

'How do you measure a year in the life?'


Harry followed her up the stairs to her apartment. He felt dizzy and needed to sit down. The music of another wild night was flowing through his head. Cho opened the door, and Harry stumbled in after her.
“Just this one more time, Cho! Please,” he begged as he collapsed onto the sofa. Cho, who was standing at the door with her back turned to him, turned around. She was much different then how Harry remembered her being a year ago when they met at one of his gigs. Cho was now very thin and her skin was sickly pale. Her brown eyes no longer sparkled and there were dark circles around them. Where her silky black hair had been long and shinny, it was now cut short and matted in places.
Cho’s hand shook as she closed the door. She could feel Harry’s eyes on her. But, he seemed so far away. The space between them had filled up with everything else, that now didn’t seem to matter, the clubs, the drugs, the…music. She loved Harry once, when it was all they had. Now, his face was everywhere. He was in her dreams. And, she new that his face would be the last face she saw. ‘Time flies…Time—dies’
“Harry,” her voice was broken. “I have something to tell you. She walked to the sofa and sat down by her boyfriend. Harry, who a moment ago, was tripped up on drugs, was slightly coming down from his high. He looked at her with a sloppy grin on his face. He placed a hand on her cheek which was cold, despite the sweat on her pale forehead.
“Baby, can’t we talk later.” He said softly as he kissed her on the lips. When she didn’t respond, Harry didn’t seem to notice.
“Harry…” Cho whined. The voice in her head told her to push him away, to save him. But there was no saving Harry. It was too late.
“Cho,” Harry started. “We haven’t had sex in a while…” Cho rolled her eyes.
“We had sex last night, in the back room at the bar…” Harry laughed, his hands moved up her skirt to grab her back side as he pulled her panties down. “You were too high to remember…” Cho sighed as Harry moved in to kiss her.
Harry had been shooting up more often these days. For Harry, the days all ran together, connected by a song with a long chorus that went something like. Time flies, I can’t endure anymore… For Cho, the days were sloth-like, and spinning a web of pain as Harry’s songs echoed through her head. ‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’ A voice inside her head said. ‘Nothing matters anymore.’ Harry’s voice snapped her out of it.
“Um, you got it on you, babe?” he asked as he dipped his hand into her coat poocket. Cho shook her head, moving away form him, with worry in her eyes.
“Harry, we used the last bit before we came here…” Harry nodded and kissed her again. It was like his mind couldn’t decide whether he wanted to draw up again or have sex with her. “Cho,” he canted over and over again as he slid into her wet heat.
Cho tried to stop the tears as she held onto Harry. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of coldness that washed over her when her body gave way to pleasure as he rocked into her. 'I should tell you.'

Find one song
A song about love
Glory
From the soul of a young man
A young man

The next morning Harry woke up with his usual headache. Unsurprisingly, he still lay on the sofa fully clothed, except for his pants, which were unbuttoned in the front. He tried the stand up and found it was quite difficult, but he managed. His face was sweaty and he smelled like a dumpster. So, he made his way to Cho’s bathroom, when he remembered the night before. He and Cho had come home after a wild night at ‘The Rave.’ Cho had been quite a lot recently, but last night she was even more so, and he had been too tripped up to notice. Arg! He’d messed up again, Cho was going to be really mad at him.
“Cho?” He called from outside the bathroom. “Hey, babe I gotta use the toilet.” Then he smelled himself again. “Ug! And the shower…” There was no answer. She was taking her time as usual, and Harry was getting impatient. He decided to be bold and try to open the door, which at any other time would have been futile. However, this time the door was not only unlocked, but slightly ajar. “Cho?” Harry peeped into the door where his girlfriend lay in a puddle of her own blood. And, beside her lay a note, splattered with blood, that read: We got ADIS.

Find one song
Before the virus takes hold
Glory
Like a sunset
One song to redeem this empty life

TBC

Note: I know I said Ginny would be in this one but I got a little behind. She will be in the next one though.