An Angel Wears Hightops [A Sequel to The Devil Wears Girl Jeans]

An Angel Wears Hightops (Chapter 10)

“I wondered where you guys went, it's been hours. I didn't know if I should be worried, or like, eat all of your guys food instead.” Halden greeted us through a mouthful of chips as we entered the apartment, and Mickey rolled his eyes. It hadn't even been a week yet, but he was clearly starting to regret letting Halden move in already.

“Anyways,” he continued, “I was looking at some of the photos on your fireplace while you were out, and in the old pictures of you where you don't have glasses, you look exactly like this guy I used to know. It's ridiculous.”

Poe, Mickey and I somehow managed to exchange a three way look at each other, silently discussing whether or not to tell him about Dallas. It almost seemed like a private thing, that only the three of us shared, because we were all that was left. We were all that Dallas was going to have if he ever woke up, and telling Halden seemed wrong.

Mickey sighed, and scratched the back of his head. I hoped that Mickey was smart enough to leave out certain parts, namely the part where Dallas was in a coma, with little chance of recovery. I had a strong feeling that if Halden found out, he'd no doubt bring it up in a fight just to torture me. What a swell guy.

“Was that guys name Dallas?” he asked, and Halden's eyes widened excitedly.

“Yeah! You know him? That's crazy. Last time I saw him we were punching each other in the face. Good times, man.”

I thought back to that day, where Dallas had come bolting out of the shadows to help me when Halden and I had started fighting, and had punched him multiple times before telling him that if he even looked at me funny again, he'd be coming back for round two. Not only had Dallas saved my ass that day, but he'd also lied to the principal to make sure that my suspension was shorter than his. He was way more than a best friend, he was family. And I had been family to him too, the only family he'd had when he'd discovered he was adopted. If only he could wake up and see that he wasn't alone anymore, that he had Mickey and Poe, two of the best brothers you could ask for, even if Poe was kind of terrifying sometimes. Okay, more like all the time.

“Yeah, Dallas was my twin brother. Is, I mean. He is my twin brother. Present tense.” Mickey rambled. Halden shot him a weird look, but Mickey just kept talking, trying to cover up his mistake. “When we were babies, my dad was a stay-at-home dad while my mom kicked ass in the courtroom, and he would carry Dallas and me around with one baby on the front and one on his back in those carrier things. Women would come up and look at how cute I was, and coo over me, and my dad would be like, “YOU KNOW WHAT’S CUTER THAN ONE BABY?” and then he’d spin around and BAM, there was Dallas.”

“That's really cool, what's he up to these days?”

Mickey let out a sound under his breath that sounded a lot like a raptor giving birth, obviously wanting this conversation to be over already.

“Oh, you know... just chilling.” Mickey said uncertainly, looking to Poe for help. Poe just shrugged, looking slightly amused by how uncomfortable Mickey was.

“Hey, Halden. Why don't you make yourself useful and go unpack the groceries? You do live here now, after all.” I suggested, hoping it would end the conversation. Halden scowled at me, but got off the couch, muttering the entire way to the kitchen.

“I owe you.” Mickey muttered, flopping down in to the chair. I shrugged, and sat down beside him, motioning for Poe to take a seat beside me, but he shook his head.

“I left my pack of cigarettes in the car, I gotta go get 'em. I'll be back in a few.” he informed us with a half wave as he disappeared into the hall, closing the door behind him.

“So,” I started, turning to Mickey, “Was that story you told Halden actually true? Did Dallas actually live with you guys?”

“Apparently. That's what my mom told me after that night when you and I met in the ER. According to her, my aunt used to watch Poe sometimes, and one day she spotted some bruises on his back, and caught on that something was going on at home. She'd never liked our dad either, so I guess that made it worse. One day she just showed up, and my mom told all of us to hide. Dallas didn't hide in time, and our aunt just picked him up, and took him with her. She moved away not long after that, and I guess at some point something happened, and Dallas ended up being put up for adoption. He was hardly even two years old when all of this happened, so there was no way he'd even remember us, or even realize that he'd had a life before the one with his new family.”

“That is so ridiculously sad.” I murmured, trying to wrap my mind around what I'd just been told. Mickey shrugged, and looked away, obviously not wanting to think or talk about Dallas anymore.

“Wanna do me a favour and go get Poe for me? He's been gone way longer than a few minutes, and there's something I need to ask him.” Mickey said after a while, and I nodded, getting to my feet.

“Absolutely. Be back in a sec.” I told him, and he shot me a sad smile before turning to look out the window again, completely lost in thought. It made me so sad knowing that Mickey had never gotten to see what Dallas was like, had never gotten to joke around with him, never gotten to see him without tubes exploding out of his body. And now, he might never get the chance.

The elevator dropped me off in the lobby, and I pushed the doors open, scanning the parking lot for Poe. He'd said he was going back to the car for his cigarettes, so I hurried across the parking lot toward the large weeping willow that he always parked under.

I lurched to a stop a few steps away, my breath catching in my throat.

Poe's pick up was there, the door open, and the keys still in the ignition. A knot of dread twisted in my stomach as I approached it, hesitantly peering into the empty cabin of the truck. I immediately knew that something was very, very wrong.

On the drivers seat sat an unopened pack of cigarettes, accompanied by a scrap of paper that read:

Don't look for me.

-Poe

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Eyo. I know that its short, but I wanted to at least write something this weekend, so here you go. Try not to hate me too much :) Hope you guys liked it!