She slowly slinked her way into the alley, swiveling her head between the two walls and clutching her purse a little tighter to her body. And then she saw him.

Pop!

His head turned towards her quickly, pushing back his dark blue- no, green- hood to raise steely blue eyes that met her own. She hesitated, then moved quicker towards him, holding her gum tight between her back teeth.

"How much for a gram?"

"Why you assuming that's what I've got?"

"I…heard from a friend. How much?"

Pop!

He cringed.

"Fourty."

Reaching into her purse, she began digging around for her cash, absentmindedly chewing on her gum. Her hand brushed against her package.

After this, I'll need a new piece.

Pop!

His free hand went to hold his head, "Just how often do you do that anyway?"

'Why the hell does it matter to you of all people?'- such biting words. Her tongue pushed the gum wad into her cheek.

She shrugged.

He raised an eyebrow.

"For a popular girl, I'd think you'd talk more."

"I can talk, I just choose not to spill bullshit like everyone else I'm surrounded by."

"Hm. Tell me, princess, how much money does your Daddy make? Hundred thousand a year? No. Two hundred thousand a year sounds about right."

She stared at him hard, unwavering, grinding her teeth.

"That jacket you're wearing alone is well over three hundred- and you think you've got it rough. You talk about not 'spilling bullshit'…" With a chuckle, he shook his head and pushed himself up off the wall before turning to face her. "You know what. Go find yourself someone else. Uptown."

Shrugging up his hood, he began walking past her, flicking his burned-out cigarette at her feet.

"I can't."

He paused.

"They took him in. Trafficking."

"That's not my problem, sweetheart." He finally sauntered off, leaving her in the dark coolness of the alley. She stood there, unmoving, before turning back the way she came.

Fuck him. Fuck this bullshit. I'll fucking find someone else.

A/N: Long time no write! Sorry for those who saw the initial post-up, the formatting literally copy and pasted from Word. Ugh. Anyways...these past few years have, frankly, sucked. But I'm hoping to start myself on a new journey starting with this little fanfic. Which is, as per usual, still in progress. I hope you enjoy this journey along with me!