"Oh, come on. I can't go to the party alone."
It was the third time Sweet Pea had brought up the topic within an hour. In a usual case, the tousled haired boy would've asked Fangs, his roommate. But for once in his typically boring life, the boy had a date, one that he had no intention of cancelling just to earn a little cash. So that left Toni.
The last party Toni had attended had been a party at Donna's - one that she was no doubt coerced into having. Donna wasn't exactly a 'party girl' nor was she one to drink vigorously, but Toni knew she was susceptible to peer pressure. As most rich girls were.
"You know I don't flock with that scene anymore," Toni argued, falling back into the wrong crowd wouldn't fit into her life right now. "Are you sure Fangs can't join you? He's been out with like, a million guys before, how come this ones different?"
Sweet Pea gave her a knowing look, before his usual drawn expression morphed into a grin.
"He's happier than I've seen him in years," The happiness that radiated from the boy brought a smile to Toni's face. "You should be glad you haven't had to watch him change suits for the fiftieth time. For a guy with limited cash, he's got more suits than a rich man."
"Well, I'm sad to have missed it. I'd love to have teased him." The brunette chuckled in amusement, Fangs had made note to never ask Toni's advice on a date. It usually involved the two bickering over an outfit Toni thought was ridiculous.
"Hm. I'm sure he'd have loved that, the comment that his hair is too high, was truly missed." Sweet Pea retorted with a smirk, missing the pair's banter.
He looked forward to winter nights when Toni would stay in the trailer with them, the late night talks, binge eating and not having a care in the world how loud their music was. That was one good thing about having no neighbours. Sweet Pea had tried his best to be the perfect friend, he'd offered to buy a trailer for Toni on more than one occasion.
It was no secret to the two men that she was staying in an abandoned factory. But Toni being the stubborn woman she was, refused any help the two threw her way. Sweet Pea pushed aside his glass of golden ale, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the edge of the table. The action making sure Toni's attention remained set on him.
"Come on, we can split the profits. That's a fair deal, you know how much we make at these things."
Toni's mind wandered to the dust that was collecting in the wallet that was never full. In the past two weeks, her money had come close to nothing and if it weren't for the dollar store down the street, she was sure she'd pass out from lack of nutrition. She found herself in a situation where she had no choice but to say yes.
"Fine. But there's no way I'm hauling you out there if you're too drunk to string a sentence." Toni huffed, glancing up at her best friend as she snatched up an onion ring from his plate.
They both knew her words were a lie, they looked after one another, no matter the state they were in. It was sort of an unspoken rule. Sweet Pea tried to hide the victorious grin that worked its way along his face.
"Great. I'll pick you up at eleven - Fangs is cool with you selling his half, seem as he won't be there to do it himself."
The pink haired girl nodded along, already knowing the deal with these things. Keep your head down, hands stuffed in your pockets at all times and if they tried to lower the amount, move onto someone else. And if police show up, run as though your life depended on it.
Part of Toni hoped Sweet Pea would let her snag whatever remained at the end of the night, but if tonight was a success, she knew nothing would be left over. By the time she'd finished the rest of the onion rings - wiping the grease from her fingers with a napkin - Sweet Pea had risen from his seat.
"I'd best head back, you coming?" It was a welcoming question that he never left out. His dark eyes glimmered with hope as he watched his friend hesitate, it was rare she actually tagged along.
An inner battle fought within the petite girl, she was exhausted and she knew heading back to the factory there'd be no chance of getting in a good nap. Not with the constant daylight. It also saved Sweet Pea a trip, so she found herself nodding.
"As long as I get to drive."
Sweet Pea rolled his eyes but nonetheless handed over his classic matte helmet as the pair headed out. The action earned himself a playful nudge from Toni, the girl rushing over to clamber onto the bike ten times her size. Sweet Pea not far behind, feeling a slight pinch of embarrassment having to sit on the back.
"If we crash, you owe me whatever money we make tonight." He muttered warily as he placed his hands in a respectable position around her waist. He felt the brunette laugh heavily at his words.
"If we crash, it'll be because you barely fit on the back of this thing. Who knew you were such a giraffe."
"You're the one who stole my seat, it should be your tiny ass sitting back here." The boy protested, his brown eyes glancing around cautiously. "Now drive, I can't have hot girls seeing me sitting on the back like this. It's not good for my bad boy rep."
"Bad boy? You sleep with a stuffed animal." The brunette mocked, lurching forward as Sweet Pea shoved her; without having to look she knew there was an embarrassing blush across his cheeks. "Okay, okay. I'm leaving, keep your pants on."
[x]
It was the cluster of drunken young adults, loud crappy music and the sight of scattered red cups that were certainly not good for the environment, that made Toni groan in regret. Her head falling back on her seat, lolling her head to the side to see Sweet Pea watching her with a raised brow. The two had borrowed Fang's truck for the night, knowing travelling home on a motorbike at who knows what hour might not be such a good idea. It wasn't like he was using it anyway.
"Just think of it as a...business meeting. We're here for clients, not fun." The dark haired boy tried to offer her, but it didn't make her feel any better.
The pair filed out of the truck, Sweet Pea straightening his leather jacket, wearing his gang symbol with pride. Toni had stuck with whatever had been least filthy at that moment, thankfully she had clothes she kept at Fangs place. A loose band tee beneath her own Southside Serpents jacket paired with a pair of ripped black jeans and a beanie - to hide the fact that she was too lazy to do her hair.
The music seemed to escape from every open window or door, the beat felt so strong it made her skin tingle. The floor thumping beneath her feet, how no-one called the cops on these things, Toni would never know. As she looked to her side, she saw Sweet Pea send her a curt nod before heading up stairs that she'd hear creak if the music wasn't filling her ears from all angles.
The state of the house made Toni feel sorry for whoever was left to clean it all up. Her mind fell upon the times when she'd be one of the girls lounging on a couch, flirting with every girl that looked in her direction, too fucked up to even fathom what she was saying or doing. The thought made her take in a breath, gathering herself as she made her way into the kitchen.
Toni felt a wave of relief when she noticed the lack of people, just a huddle of seemingly sober enough boys, and two women chatting away against the counter. Neither looked in her direction, not that she expected them to. The brunette forced her feet towards the beer cooler, snatching up a red cup and pouring the bitter contents in.
She couldn't help but wonder how Sweet Pea was getting along, without question she knew he'd have scored at least two deals by now. A sigh passed her lips as she lifted the cup and took a mouthful. It took her a second to get used to the taste, as rotten as it always was. With a confident stride, she made her way towards the men.
"Any of you smoke?"
The sound of her voice caught most of their attention, their gazes falling from one another to Toni. One with hair that looked oddly similar to Owen Wilson's offered a nod, giving her a once-over that made her more uncomfortable than she'd admit.
"What you sellin'?" The man slurred, his focus unfortunately trained on her.
Toni realised she was wrong to assume they weren't drunk merely because they were quiet. She cleared her throat, pulling out one of the sealed bags from her pocket.
"If you're looking to blow off some stress, this will definitely hit the spot." The brunette presented, extending an arm for the boy to have a feel. By the look on his face, he seemed satisfied enough. "It'll be thirty five, fifty for two."
The best thing about it was they were clearly rich. To them money was a thing to toss away so no matter how high the price, Toni ended up with almost two hundred dollars by the end of the deal. She'd forgotten how simple it was, she just had to convince one friend and the rest followed.
With a pocket full of cash, and an empty red cup in her hand she could feel the warm feeling settle in her stomach. They'd been there for over two hours now, yet more people poured in.
As she headed into the living room, a body managed to collide with her. Whomever had bumped into her fell into a fit of laughter, one that was a little too high pitched for Toni's liking. But the brunette still managed to steady the woman, not wanting to be the cause of someone breaking an arm.
"Woah there," Toni said as the woman finally looked up, her laughter dying down. "Better watch where you're going, you don't want to go stumbling into the wrong person."
The woman was just an inch or two taller than her, she had eyes that reminded Toni of a storm cloud she'd seen once - hair that would match perfectly beside a chocolate bar, and a killer set of eyebrows. The grey eyed girl seemed to be drinking Toni's appearance, her gaze lingering a little too long for her to be straight.
"I think I've stumbled into just the right person."
Toni laughed in a friendly manner, "That's sweet of you, but uh, maybe you've had too much to drink?"
The girl's stare broke as she flickered her attention towards her cup, it was half empty probably because most of it had landed on the floor when the two collided. But still, Toni could tell it wasn't her first cup. The way she was leaning slightly into her as though she needed her to remain on her feet, said it all.
Yet the brunette still reached out, taking a handful of Toni's pink hair between her fingers and looking at it like it was gold.
"Your hair is so soft..." It was unmissable how the woman had shuffled forward into Toni's personal space. When Toni attempted to gain back her ground, she found her legs hit the back of the couch, forcing her to face the needy girl before her.
"Uh, yeah. It's the conditioner." Toni's brown eyes searched the room for a sign of anyone looking for a friend, only coming up empty handed.
"You're really hot, do you know that?" The words that slipped from the strangers pink lips, caught her attention. Brown eyes meeting a set of lust filled grey eyes, the sight making Toni ready to run. She knew exactly what those words lead to.
Toni watched in alarm as the brunette tried to seal the space that was left between them, her eyes fluttered shut and Toni's hands pushing her away lightly. But the woman didn't seem to take the hint, as she mentally prepared herself to feel a set of lips on hers, someone tugged her sleeve hard enough to pull her into them. When she looked up and saw a curious Sweet Pea she could've leapt into his arms.
"Thank god." Toni whispered to Sweet Pea before meeting the eyes of the clearly disappointed woman. She'd practically fallen on the couch at the sudden movement.
With an eye roll, the girl took a chug of her drink shooting them a glare before uttering, "Whatever." Then proceeding to saunter out of the room. Toni made a silent prayer that she never had to run into her again.
"The chicks at this party are crazy." Sweet Pea noted, the tall boy's eyes falling on his tiny friend. "Some girl said she'd climb me like a tree, I'm pretty sure she's never climbed a tree in her life."
Toni couldn't help but let out a hysterical laugh at his words, "Dude, that's gross."
"Tell me about it, she was far from my type." The man smirked, enjoying their amusement as they headed out the front door. Toni was glad to see Sweet Pea seemed to have a moderately good time, despite people trying to climb him. "How much did you make?"
Toni hadn't actually bothered to count the amount after she'd passed two hundred, knowing pulling out that type of money at a party was like yelling for someone to roofie you. As she slipped into the passenger side, she pulled out the rolled up cash in her pockets, counting each note as it passed.
"Exactly six hundred and fifty." The brunette announced, a proud grin danced across her face. The last time she'd done this, she'd merely earned three hundred, this was double.
Sweet Pea let out a whistle of approval, "Fangs might just regret not coming. I made close to eight hundred, it seems like people were feeling generous tonight."
Toni couldn't help but agree, maybe it was because of all the alcohol in their systems but people were splashing more cash than ever tonight. Sweet Pea reached into his back pocket, pulling something out and tossing it into Toni's lap.
The brunette grinned in excitement, causing the messy haired boy to chuckle, "Don't use it all at once."
"Thanks."
Sweet Pea waved her off, not needing a thank you. "Let's get back, I feel like after that I could sleep until next julember."
Toni's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion at his words, snorting as she thought about the funny word. In all her life, never once has she heard something so strange.
"What does that even mean?"
"Julember, you know, like July and September together. It doesn't exist so it means I won't be—" Sweet Pea paused when he heard a stifled laugh escape the girl beside him. "Nevermind. You suck all the fun out of it."
Toni playfully punched her best friend, letting him know she was just joking around. The two continued their journey home listening to corny glee music, laughing along to old memories and good times. Toni was almost heartbroken when the night had come to an end. It wasn't often she found herself laughing or smiling but when she did, she wished she could feel that sense of happiness forever.