"Let me show you my new toy. I'm Price. Chloe Price. Bang!"
"Jesus, put that thing down! Stop waving it around! Cut it out Chloe!"
"Chillax sista. It's not even loaded...yet." said Chloe, producing a box of ammunition and dangling it from her fingers, an impish twinkle in her eyes.
"I thought you believed in gun control."
"Yes, I believe I should control the gun. It's the men who need to be checked. Except you, Frank. You're sorta cool, I suppose."
"Why thank you. But I'm good with just my blade."
"Where'd you even get that anyways?"
"I know a man who knows how to get things."
"You? You got her that?" asked Laura, a stern look on her face.
"Yeah, I did. It's no biggy. What's the problem? She's a big girl now. She can handle it."
"No biggy? Are you fucking serious? What about me? Did you even stop to think about me? Whether I could handle it? You know damn well I hate guns."
"Relax. She's not going to shoot you with it, is she?"
"You can't possibly know that. Accidents happen. I mean - beer, dope and guns. Nice combo."
"We're only gonna knock off a few bottles. Christ Laura. Everything will be okay. Sit the fuck down, chill out, and stop worrying. For fuck's sake girl – you're stressing me out."
"Am I? Am I indeed? Well you know something jackass? I'm pretty fucking stressed-out too, if you hadn't noticed. Not that you give a damn. Screw you asshole!"
"Laura, wait..."
"Don't. Just don't. Leave me alone."
"Let her go Frank. I'll catch up with her in a bit and have a word with her...when she's calmed down. I'll sort her out." said Rachel.
"Cool. Thanks. I don't know what's got into her recently. I like her and all, but her mood swings are starting to get out of hand. Sometimes she's a little bit...scary."
"Scary? In what way?"
"Er...never mind. Forget I said anything."
"Now I'm hella intrigued. Do you mean like...in bed? Is she a monster between the sheets?" asked Rachel suggestively.
"I said forget it, alright. I don't wanna talk about it."
"Calm the fuck down Franky boy. I was just teasing. Dude, we so need to get you blazed. Roll a fat one Chloe."
"I did the last one. It's your turn."
"Do as I tell you, or I'll put you over my knee young lady."
"Mmmmm. Can you do that to me anyway?"
"Jesus you two – get a room."
"Why? You wanna watch?"
"Bulldog?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Can you hear him Rach? Are you going to let him talk to me like that?"
"I'm not putting him over my knee, if that's what you mean. Frank, you're great and all, but I only dig girls. Bad luck for you." said Rachel with a coy wink.
"You two are as bad as each other. Just wait until I see your mothers."
"Our moms too? Take it easy there tiger." said Chloe with a smirk.
"I'm just gonna shut up now." Frank pulled his phone from his back pocket and fiddled with it. "I swear they design these fucking things just for brats and their tiny fingers! Yeah, anyway, I have to shoot. Gotta see a man about a dog. Laters ladies."
"Take care dude."
"See ya."
"So, are we gonna do this or what? I'm itching to get my finger on the trigger."
"I'm itching to get my finger on something else. You. In there. Now." said Rachel, gesturing toward the junkyard hut.
"Mmmmm. I like it when you get bossy." trilled Chloe as Rachel took her by the hand and led her into their sanctuary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What's this about? I'm just sticking to pot. Like I said last time. I don't deal in the hard stuff. That's not my thing. You know that."
"That's not what this is about. Frank, I have a proposition for you. I understand you're a man who knows how to get things."
"I ain't working for the cops. That wasn't part of our deal. That's going too far. No fucking way!"
"Frank, listen to me. I'm not here as a cop. I'm not in uniform. I'm off duty. This is a private matter, just between us."
"Okay, fine. But I'm not agreeing to anything – not until I know the score."
"That's perfectly reasonable. Meet me at the lighthouse tonight at midnight – alone. We'll be there waiting for you."
"We?"
"A few of my...associates will be there as well. But there's absolutely nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about? Really? You'll have me in a remote spot in the middle of the night. And you'll be gang-handed? I wasn't born yesterday. Go take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut!"
"Look Frank, you know me. You know I'm not an evil man. I'm fair and honest. I'm not trying to deceive you in any way. This isn't about me. It isn't about you. It's about our home. It's about Arcadia Bay. This is your town. You were born here. You are a child of Arcadia Bay. We look after our own here - and you're one of us. There is only one condition about tonight, though – whatever you decide, the meeting didn't happen. You were never there. Understand?"
Frank pondered for a while. "Sure. Deal. But I ain't committing myself to anything - if I don't like what I hear, I can just walk away, right? No strings?"
"Of course. I am a man of my word. I promise you no harm will come to you." said Anderson Berry. "I hope to see you later Frank."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here you go Angel. Shall I park up and meet you at your room?"
"I'd love to, but I'm bushed. And I have an assignment I need to finish before the morning."
"Since when did you start handing in assignments?"
"I do one every now and again just to keep 'em off my back. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye."
"Hey! No goodbye kiss?"
"If you insist."
"That's better. I love you Rach."
"Cool. I really need the bathroom. Gotta run."
Chloe watched as her girlfriend ran off towards the female dorm. ''Cool'? I just told you that I loved you and all I get is a 'cool'? That's it? What the fuck? Thanks a lot Rach...relax Chloe, she just needed to piss. Yeah, that'll be all it was. I'm worrying about nothing.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Laura?"
"Who is it?"
"Rachel, who do you think?"
"One sec."
"What do you want?"
"Er, I'd rather not do this out here. Can I come in?"
"Sure."
Rachel dived onto Laura's bed and started idly flicking through her magazines. "So, are you feeling any better now?"
"Not really. Frank's an insensitive asshole. I'm beginning to think that I could do so much better than him."
"You're not wrong there. Perhaps you do need someone different...like me, for example."
"What? You? What the fuck are you talking about? Are you high?"
"Spare me the bullshit. I've seen the way you've been checking me out when you think no one is looking. Go on, look me in the eye and tell me you're not even a little curious."
Laura stared at her fingers and fidgeted with them nervously.
"I fucking knew it! Well, what are you waiting for? I'm right here. On your bed. Take me."
"But you and Chloe? I thought you were..."
"In love? Pffft! Chloe might be in love with me, but it's not mutual, I assure you. She's nothing to me – a toy. A mere play-thing. And frankly, I'm getting a little bored with her. I think it's time for something new – a new toy. Something like you."
"You're using her?"
"Yeah, sure. Why the fuck not?"
"How do I know you're not going to do exactly the same thing to me?"
"You don't. Exciting, isn't it? Now are you going to fuck me or not? I don't have all day. I do have other places to go and other people to do, you know."
"Fuck it. What the hell. Just...don't let Frank know, okay?" said Laura as she locked the door.