“As much smoke as melody”

Haillie didn’t like silence. Silence reminded her of everything she didn’t want to remember. That’s why she always had Billie Eilish in her ears. She knew the lyrics by heart, as if they were part of her own diary. She often sat on the roof of an old building in a crumpled tracksuit, a pack of thin cigarettes, her eyes fixed on the distance, as if there was something more than just another fucking disappointment beyond the horizon.

JJ saw her for the first time right there. By accident. Or maybe not by accident at all, because JJ had a nose for people like her – unglued, twisted, fucking authentic.

“Are you listening to Billie?” he asked from below.

Haillie slid the receiver off one ear.

“No. She’s listening to me.” She smiled as if she knew he wouldn’t understand anyway.

But he did. He was the only one.