Billy cursed at his so-called reliable... people; they didn't even begin to qualify as friends. Well, some of them anyway. They completely ignored his calls from the jail house, so now he had no choice but to walk the entire damn three and a half miles back to his shitty apartment here in Boston.

He had been arrested for two weeks, sleeping at the jail house, because someone fucking snitched to the police about his corner. So, naturally because of Billy's widely-known... reputation, they drove over. Inevitably, he'd been selling his share of dope for the night. Considering Billy was 17 when they took him in, and therefore charged as a minor, Bones, his horrible excuse for a father, sent over money for bail with a comforting letter containing five words; You're a dead man, Billy-boy. Idiots didn't even realize he was turning 18 the day he was to be 'released'. The officer said he'd let Billy off easy ("As a warning, youngster") probably because he was new.

His presents for the guys? This. This 'walk 5,000 miles' shit.

But it didn't even matter; Billy did not want pity. Whatever, they would pay-

Damn... Seems a lot can happen in two weeks, Billy thought. How had he not seen the signs? Something...

It turns out, the people living across from him had moved. A girl that looked about 19, with a golden-blond hair color, average height, and really thin body emerged from the house across the street. She was lugging behind her two excruciatingly heavy-looking garbage bags in her hands. The girl (more like woman)'s body looked too thin to be doing it on her own, and from the shadows Billy involuntarily flinched.

She shoved the full garbage can to the end of the driveway and briefly, in the silence, Billy heard humming and muffled words. It was a fast, up-beat rhythm. The mysterious 'woman', or more like older girl, walked up to her front porch steps and was about to open the door when it opened for her. In the doorway stood a tall, fat man that looked at her angrily.

"What the hell is taking you so long?"

"N-nothing," she stuttered in return. "I just-"

"Billy, man! You're out! Already?" Someone interrupted Billy's eavesdropping and he turned around, only to meet the eyes of his gang members. Instantly, the fury returned and, not caring about the girl's conversation, boomed, "Yeah, I'm out? So what? Had to walk back, 'cause all you guys were all too busy getting drunk and high over here! What? Too lazy to answer your phones? Chrissake, Bodie!" Billy snapped at the only black person in the gang as he huffed and snatched a lighter and cigarette from Heco's hand, needing his fix badly. He had hardly been allowed to smoke in jail.

"Listen, I'm sorry, man. We was doing the shifts-"

"Like hell you were! I-"

"We were, Billy. Just got back about... a half hour ago? Maybe." Billy stared at Dog, but then let it go upon his back-up.

"So, Joe was just taking a piss, but-" Bodie began, scratching the tribal tattoo on his chin.

"Hey, Billy!" Joe called out from down the street. Billy turned to look down the road and watched as his younger brother Joe pushed the trash cans the girl had brought out only minutes before onto the ground so its contents spilled everywhere. No-one commented; it was something they just did to piss people off. As Joe reached them, he and Billy embraced in a quick "man-hug" before Joe said they should head out to go celebrate.

"Celebrate what?" Billy decided to play his game. Joe wouldn't say it. If he did, he would have a serious ass beating coming his way.

"Your 18th birth-" He said it. Or started to, anyway, but couldn't finish because Billy sent a distinct slap against the back of his head.

"Okay. Let's just go," Billy nodded his head towards his second in command, Bodie, and he tossed Billy the keys to the black Mustang while Baggy took the red one. With that, they all sped off towards Four Roses.

Billy was in a loose mood at only his third shot, and therefore let Joe have something to drink, as well... it would be his first hardcore shot. Ignoring what everyone (including Sammy the bartender, who gave all the underage guys associated with Billy drinks because he was deathly afraid of them and Bones), knew what the outcome would be, Billy's gang and Sammy watched Joe, barely holding back their bubbling laughter.

Joe aggressively snatched the shot glass and downed it in one gulp.

He almost immediately started coughing, his face turning redder by the second and water springing into his eyes as the hard liquor hit his throat full blast. Undettered, he surprisingly took another and didn't react so strongly. He was already starting to feel a change in his thought process.

"Good boy, Joey," Bodie slapped him on the back and reached over everybody to grab a beer. "Wash it down with this," he handed it to Joe, knowing beer wasn't knew for him... at all.

"Let's head to the back. Play a few," Tommy suggested and everyone soon piled into the back of the room to play some pool. Bodie, Joe and Spink were up.

"Sorry I'm late," someone loudly breathed from the entrance to the bar. "Some asshole knocked over my garbage cans and I had to pick all the spilled shit up." Billy paid the feminine voice no mind until Dog spoke.

"Ooooh, Joe. You taking her home tonight?"

Now Billy had no choice but to look up from the pool table. It was the slim chick from before.

"Nah; her bulimia or whatever'll kill her before I walk across the room," everyone snickered at Joe's comeback. The girl heard and then turned red as she realized how loud she'd spoken.

"I'll put her in her place," Billy stated just because he knew how much Joe hated it when he fought his battles for him. Billy slammed his glass on the table and walked over. His gang waited in sick anticipation.

The girl spun around to look at Billy from behind the bar and took in his appearance. She saw his absolutely hairless face except for his brown eyebrows and eyelashes. His tattooless body, from what she could see at least, but just enough scars on his neck, face and hands to make her flinch.

"Refill?" Surprisingly there was no stutter.

"Yeah," Billy's eyes bored into hers, on purpose to make her squirm. He failed.

There was a pause, then "Well, what did you have before?" she snapped. Billy was immediately taken aback. Who did she think she was?

"Watch your tone, bi-"

"Bud, I'm guessing," she said quickly in a sickly-sweet tone and filled his glass. She thrust it toward Billy, never once meeting his eyes.

"So, you think you got brains, blondie?" There was no way Billy was leaving yet! This was just too fun.

"What's the occasion...Bald-boy?" She sighed and finally looked him in his piercing green eyes.

Billy raised his eyebrows. "Bald-boy? Funny," then, leaned in, "Watch it."

She quickly took a step back and looked down. "Just go back to your friends."

Was this bitch bipolar?

Not knowing what else to say, Billy spun on his heels and left. Once in the back, he heavily sat down.

"Who's she? Name? Just moved in, I noticed. Fill me in, Bodie," he knew Bodie was the most trustworthy of the group.

"Honestly, man? No idea. The Jenemys still live there, though-I'm pretty sure they're fosterin' her. She works here 'cause it's the only place they'll allow her to work, I guess. And you know Sammy; he don't give a shit about the law."

"What does her working here have to do with the law? How old is she?"

"16. Joe says-"

"i haven't seen her b'fore in school, Billy. She, like, appeared outta no-where," Joe leaned in as he joined the conversation. "It's weird."

"So? Name?"

Silence.

"You're kidding me! What do you useless assholes do all day? Jesus!" Billy fumbled for a cigarrette as he raged on. "Let's go."

Billy sat on his couch, waiting for Bodie the next morning. As he brought the beer to his lips, the door finally swung open. Bodie stood there, leaning on the door frame.

"So?"

Bodie sauntered over. "16. Name's Thea, T-H-E-A," he spelled. "Anyway, parents are dead, uh...not sure why or how. The girl's a fucking genius, real smart, but hasn't skipped any grades...yet. And...the Jenemys are fostering her for now, too, f'now."

Billy nodded, pleased. "16, though? She looks so much older."

"I know. Anyway, who cares? I also have a client, or we have a client that hasn't been paying since you... well, since two weeks ago. Wanna hit 'em up?"

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bodie?"

"C'mon, man. The Jenemys owe us money. You know-"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Let's go," Billy hid his black handgun in the waistband of his jeans and changed into a tight black shirt whose sleeves he'd rolled up to his elbows. With his biker boots now on, Bodie and Billy left the apartment and strolled across the street and were soon standing on the porch steps. They paused suddenly, for they could clearly hear an argument going on inside. Billy and Bodie both listened in.