Hate

Huddled in the corner of the dark living room, Dylan feels the phone vibrate again and turns to hide the light as he reads the text message from Dan. 'Is everything alright?' He swallows hard and glances to his arm. His hoodie sleeve hid the day-old needle marks.

'You're never too far away.' He bites his lip. He was further away than anybody knew, but not just in miles. Continuing to read just made his gut churn even more. A great ranch... lonely young girl. Dylan kinda missed Ashlee too.

Leaning back into the wall, the darkness, like a blanket, wraps itself around him. He'd been gone from the ranch less than two weeks, and already found himself in this miserable place. A place he'd vowed to himself never to return. But at least no one was yelling at him. Accusing him of things he hadn't done. Staring at him with disdain and distrust.

He pulls his knees up to his chest, blocking out the sound of retching in the nearby bathroom. Apparently the bad booze hadn't mixed well with everything else. A woman's voice purred from down the hall. Dylan buries his head against the wall. A loud thud in the room behind him makes him jump and curl in even tighter. He didn't want to know.

Only when it's quiet again does he flip open the phone again and type with his thumbs...

Re: Text Message
To: Dan
From: Unknown 555-7295

Long story abt the phone. Dont worry abt me.
Im taking care of myself ok.
Thx for txting.

Dylan

Shutting the phone after pressing "send," Dylan returns to his curled-up position. This time, though, a fresh tear rolls down his cheek. He already wanted his next fix, and hated himself for it.


Even though the conversation doesn't continue, Eric's mind mulls over what Stacy had just said about Ashlee. Would the girl really care that much? He knew the answer. And he knew the answer to whether or not he'd miss her hanging around him too. For once... maybe there was a downside to being on the road. He'd think about it some more.

Seeing Stacy ready to leave, Eric was almost disappointed for a moment, though that alone was enough to confuse him. He stops the swing and looks over at her with a nod. "Okay. I was thinking about bed myself. I should probably head back that way now that-"

He bites his tongue and is thankful for the darkness to hide the crimson in his cheeks. "...now that it's getting late," he ends lamely.

Standing, he reaches up and tips his hat to her. "Goodnight, ma'am."


Justin grins. "B movies are never horrible. They're just.... B movies." Getting the last of his soup with the end of his sandwich, he finishes off his food and licks his fingers. "I don't know..." He shakes his head. "You're spoiling me awful bad with your cooking."

Taking a sip of water, his grin returns. "I can come back tonight if you want." He didn't want her to have to drive an hour late at night to come to his place, but he didn't mind it for himself. "But only if I can bring the munchies."