JAWBREAKER ━ Peter Parker

TWO

Jerry walked into the room and halted when he saw Sloane on the floor. He stared blankly at her, his large belly practically sweeping the ground.

She tilted the Smirnoff in his direction and asked, "Can we trade places?"

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Bobby drove her to the bus station the next morning. "Least I can do," he said with a shit-eating grin. Sloane replied with an aggressive roll of her eyes, but her heart still softened when she handed Jerry's carrier to Bobby once they were parked. She gave Jerry a kiss through the bars, even though the cat hardly gave a shit that she was going away for a bit. She was going to miss his purrs in the morning.

"Tell me why you can't bring him again?" Bobby asked, placing the carrier in the backseat.

"My mom's allergic to cats," she said, adjusting the strap of her backpack. "I got Jerry to spite her."

Bobby laughed as the bus to New York slowly pulled up to the station. Sloane sighed and waved her ticket. "That's my ride."

They stared at each other for a minute, and then finally went in for a gut-wrenching hug. Sloane had never squeezed anyone that tightly before. She didn't hug him like a boss, or a friend. She hugged him like a dad, and it felt good. Mucus was already building up in her nose and she sniffled, attempting to hide the tears that threatened to well up in her eyes.

Sloane stepped back and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. "Bye, Bobby," she smiled genuinely.

"Make sure you let me know when you get there." He stuck his hands into his front pockets. "See you later, Bernstein."

She rubbed her eyes and headed towards the bus. She handed both her suitcase and ticket to the driver, who pointed in the direction of the doors. Sloane walked up the stairs, glanced back at Bobby, and waved one last time before disappearing inside the bus.

Leaning back in her seat, Sloane tucked herself into her parka and slipped the infamous flask out of her backpack. The vodka burned down her throat in a delightful way. All the chills dissipated from her body as the alcohol ran through her. She sighed and thought, Bobby is going to hell for this.

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It took ten hours, a bus, and a train to finally get to Queens. First, Sloane had to endure that almost eight-hour ride to Penn Station, which she spent most of the time either drinking or sleeping. She was thoroughly intoxicated by the time they arrived at Penn Station, and then she had to wait for the train to take her to Queens. Sloane's head was already pounding like the beat of a drum and her vision felt like it was spinning. So she went upstairs to get a water out of the vending machine, and then had to fight with the machine because it ate her money. She chugged the water as soon as she got it and headed downstairs, just narrowly missing her train. Of course, it had arrived as soon as she walked away. Another hour later, she was stepping out of the station and inhaling the scent of burnt street food and piss.

"Home sweet home," she muttered to herself.

Her mother now lived in Long Island City, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Queens. It was such an extreme contrast compared to Middle Village, where Sloane grew up in an old triple-decker house. Now, her mother lived in a newly renovated building, right on the water, with direct access to Manhattan. And it was all thanks to her new husband, Francis Harper, heir to the Harper Watch dynasty. Sloane was pretty sure just about everyone she walked by in Long Island City was wearing a Harper watch. If you were wealthy, you owned at least three.