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- 00 | LIVE FAST

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"Have you got any extra batteries? My Walkman just ran out, and we're already late enough as it is." Eddie Kaspbrak jumped through the open window of the car, wiggling into the passenger seat beside his father. He righted himself and popped the latch on the glove compartment, sifting through the man's stash of junk. Empty candy wrappers, napkins, dirty magazines and expired coupons. Amongst other things.

"How many times have I got to tell you? Stop jumping through the window, your mother says that your shoes scuff the side of the car when you're pulling your legs through." Despite his scolding, Frank was grinning mischievously. "What do I look like, a hoarder? Get your nose out of my private stuff." He started to back out of the driveway, pushing the glove compartment closed with one hand. Eddie smacked his hand away and opened it again, digging deeper towards the bottom.

"Yes, you look like a hoarder. A porn hoarder!" Eddie accused, shoving one of the magazines in his backpack with a low chuckle. His father rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Mom doesn't get a say in what we do with this car, she probably doesn't even know what color it is. She never goes outside."

"Hey, be nice," Frank said firmly. "She's your mother. Are you done ruining my organization? I had those alphabetized!" He gestured offhandedly at the crumples stack of coupons Eddie was making in his lap as he searched for his own treasure.

"Oh, shove off, you did not. One of them was bookmarking one of your sleazy magazines and the others were all crumpled and scattered around the entire compartment!" Eddie finally found a few batteries with a triumphant laugh. He unhooked his Walkman from his waistband and shoved the batteries in place, snapping the lid over them. "Jesus Christ, you really are a hoarder."

"Watch yourself, Edward!" Frank said dramatically. "You wouldn't want to let your mother hear you using that language, not after last night." Eddie scoffed, shoving the coupons back into the compartment and slamming it shut.

"Yeah, she'd come up with some sort of lesson about how if I was going to defy the lord's wishes by being gay then the least I could do is use his name correctly." His father laughed at that. The car came to a slow stop in front of a seemingly priceless house, and a curly-haired boy was already halfway across his enormous yard, ignoring the shrill rebukes of his mother demanding that he use the walkway.

"The Man!" Frank greeted as Stanley Uris entered their vehicle, situating himself in the back seat. "Welcome aboard. This is a one-way trip to hell! I hope you enjoy your stay, because it's gonna he a long one." Eddie snorted with laughter, kicking his feet up on the dashboard and peering out the window as the car started to move once more.

"Ha ha," Stan said sarcastically, but he was smiling. "Did we loop Mike into public schools yet, or did he bail last minute like he did last year?"

"We're seniors this year," Eddie reminded Stan. "It's the first day of school, and I haven't heard a word about bailing, so unless we get there and he's still in bed, he's coming with us. School books or not." Eddie shrugged, pursing his lips. "I'll drag him if I have to."

"I don't doubt it," Stan replied very seriously. They made a sharp turn that had Eddie's shoulder cramming up against the side of the car. He shot a playful glare at his father, who held up his hands in surrender, leaving the wheel free.

"Hey!" Eddie barked sharply. "Hands on the wheel, eyes on the road. It's the first day of senior year, we're almost out of this prison. You can't kill me now!" Frank did as he was told and saluted, causing Eddie to make a face as he relaxed against his seat. They pulled up to a ranch-style house, and a darker boy dressed in nothing but a plain white shirt and a pair of jeans came running out with a biscuit in his mouth and a bag falling off of his shoulder.