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Dallas stood at the end of the driveway. The scraping of our feet was the only noise besides the crickets and the faint sirens echoing through the streets. We waited a few moments in the dark before I headed to my front door. I flipped my hair over my shoulder and glanced once more at Dallas, who might have been squinting, but I couldn't be sure. The door was unlocked and Steve was lounging in the kitchen.
"You're home late." Steve's hair kinked in every direction and dark bags sat under his eyes. "Thought you was workin'."
"I stopped by at Hanson's store," I replied, kicking my shoes on the rug. Steve munched on a bag of plain chips as he listened to the static of the radio.
"Alright." He tilted his head up and crumbled a few into his mouth. I scrunched my nose and slugged over, sitting parallel.
"No lecture?"
"Why? You want one?"
"I'll pass. Gimme some of those." I reached out and snatched the bag from his grip. He frowned and hopped off the chair, trudging to the living room.
"Dallas is out, y'know."
I tentatively peeked over my shoulder. "Is that so?"
"Came over lookin' for you earlier, I told him to get lost." He swung his legs over the back of the couch and flicked on the television.
"Well that's not very nice, is it?"
"What's not nice is landin' my baby sister in a holdin' cell." He flicked through the channels with slitted eyes.
"I'm out, aren't I?" I spun off the chair and walked to the bottom of the stairwell. "Besides, I got revenge on James, aren't you proud of me for that?"
"'Course I am, if you told me what that son of a bitch did to ya, I would have decked 'em myself." He glanced over and shot me a white grin.
"That's the thing, I wanted to do it myself."
Steve sat up. "Word of advice, kid, when someone crosses you, you hand 'em a black eye. Then they gotta walk around lookin' like a loser."
"Oh and I guess a messed up nose would be the same kinda deal?" I shot back, flashing a smile.
He pulled his brows together and pointed. "You're a funny kid, huh?"
"I am, aren't I?" Swinging my body with the support of the rail, I skipped up the steps and entered my room. I turned by back to close it, and when I spun, I wasn't expecting to see what I did.
Dallas sat at the end of the bed with the lighter chain lit near his lips. He shook it, dropped it to his chest, and looked up with a wide grin. He took the weed between his two fingers and jerked his hand toward me. "You got uh, anything to eat? Man, I'm starving."
