Author's Note: Well, well. It has been a very long time! But, here I am, back on the horse. This time, I'm back with a companion piece to "Don't Think Twice", my last story starring Two-Bit Mathews and my OC, Bridget Stevens. You might want to read that to get some context, but it isn't necessary. The two of them are just calling to me again, but it's Two-Bit who wants to fill in some holes this time around…

We'll start with the prologue. The chapters will get longer and more frequent, if you hit that review button…

Happy reading! J

XXXXX

What was it about Friday nights? Ah, yes. Sticky Friday nights in June; absolute bliss. It was hot as hell, if the sweat rolling down my neck was any indication, but who cares! It was the last damn thing on my mind, and I, without a care in the world, was sitting shotgun of one'a them VW Bugs, with a nice girl driving, chatting away about something or other.

I used to hate this girl, I thought to myself. What the hell, man? She's one of the good ones. She's one of the real good ones.

Would this last forever? I thought to myself next. God only knows. No one knows how long anything will last. That's sobering to think about, which I guess is something I need.

It was easy to just sit here like this and not have to worry too much. This last year was too hard, just too difficult in every single way. I'm not exactly a guy who always like a challenge, either, so let's just say that I'm glad things are finally looking up.

Well, maybe they are. Maybe they aren't. Like I said, who knows? I'm asking too many damn questions, I know it; Lord, do I know it, but it seems I can't stop myself from doing that these days. I have a lot of people to blame for that, but I'm starting to think maybe it ain't such a bad thing that I'm not jumping into things right away these days, without thinking about it all. Yeah, I think that's actually a real good thing!

Kathy and I were never really an item. Were we? Hell if I know! But Lordy, she was fun. A firecracker. We got along fine when we weren't on the outs, when the other didn't have eyes on someone else, when we weren't sleeping with some other filthy grease. Isn't that sweet? Oh, sure it is. We had a thing going between each other, and it worked. It was us. The way we were was the way we were, and that's the way we was.

I didn't like sticking to one girl, anyway. It was exhausting.

"Two-Bit, what is this shit? This is what you're bringing me? Buddy, this ain't near enough."

I crossed my arms across my chest and started laughing at Tim. "Hooboy, Shep. I ain't your buddy, for starters. Second, what'd you expect? I need more time, Timmy!"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I've given you time, Mathews. Plenty of time. I need this money! Why can't you just get a goddamn job like the rest of us?"

"Like you? Tim, this ain't a job! You call running a gang a job?"

"More of a job then whatever the hell it is you do. What is that again? Oh, yeah. Borrowing money from me, losing it, and then sitting around with your thumbs up your ass!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll get ya the fucking money, Shepard, if it's that important to ya."

"It is, dumbass!"

"Then you'll get it!" I grinned. "You trust me on this, now, you just give me a little more time, and you'll get it. More than that, even. Hell, Shep. I'll get ya a hundred more than yer asking for if you just give me what I'm asking for- and that's time."

"Time, time, time. Whatever, Mathews. Fine. If I don't get the dough in a month, you'll be wishing you were never born. And don't think you'll be able to talk yourself out of it, either."

I smirked. I would be able to. I'd buy myself as much time as I needed. I had a plan already, anyways. It was just a matter of a little persuasion, a little time, and a little bit of the good ol' Two-Bit Mathews charm. It's what kept Kathy coming back, and it's what was making Bee Stevens fall for me without her even knowing it yet.

Yeah, I'd get what we all wanted.

I feel guilty now about the whole thing, of course, but there's not much I can do now to fix it. It's not like she'll ever know what it was that I did. She'll never know what it was all for. And why does she need to? That's right- she don't. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, I don't think she could handle it. Not in the way the girls I know could handle it. They get how it is. They get that sometimes you gotta play dirty to get what you want, and they've known that for a long time. You gotta play the game. It seems like the less you care, the better you are at it. Sylvia's good at it. The Shepards are real good at it. The Brumly Boys and all those real tough gangs know how it is. Dallas was real good at it, too. And I guess I must not care a whole lot, like all them, 'cuz I know exactly how to play it. Ain't like it's hard. It ain't. It's a matter of whether or not you're willin' to go to crazy lengths to get what you want. And if you know me- hell, ask anyone who does, and they'll tell you right off that I'm willing to do just about anything. Just 'cuz someone smiles real easy and knows how to have a good time don't mean that they don't got a little bit of the Devil in 'em.

Ah, but ya pity them, don't ya? You pull for 'em. We all got our reasons. Don't we all got our reasons. I'mma tell you my reasons. I'm gonna spell them out for you, the best way I know how.

This girl I'm sitting next to right now? She's a real good one.

But we all do bad things. All the sinners are saints.

All us sinners are saints.

Nature of the game, am I right?

XXXXX

AN: And so we begin again. The prologue is supposed to be sorta vague, but we'll get more into the plot as we go on. I can't wait to start this crazy ride again! Lemme know what ya think. J