Okay . . . this story has taken over. But not to worry. Coffee is coming . . .
Boosted Frustrations
Ripley was content as she watched Sway work, her hands moving smoothly and confidently over the Ferrari motor. She unplugged the engine wires, quickly hooking them into the small piece they'd brought along. In a matter of seconds, the engine was primed and ready to turn, the integrated failsafe having been by-passed. Sway smirked, looking back up at Ripley as she twirled the shining set of the jimmies around her fingers idly. To any possible passerby, they looked like they were checking the oil or messing with some loose wire . . . and with the way they were dressed no one would think twice about there being two of them under the hood.
Sway in her black leathers and dark tank top, hair falling wildly around her face-escaping from the loose knot she'd thrown it in at her apartment- as she moved . . . and her in the bootleg jeans and the fitted black rodeo styled shirt with grey piping. Her own hair was free for once, styled similarly to the way she'd worn it to lunch with Atley. The new haircut was making it easier to manage . . . but she was still fighting the urge to hack it all off.
She turned, scanning the lot again discretely before turning back to Sway. So far they'd lucked out . . . no one had happened upon them in the back of the parking complex. Yet . . .
"Think you can handle it from here, chickadee?"
Ripley smirked, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she tossed the set up and caught it, going towards the driver's side. She glanced around again, checking their surroundings one last time before she winked at Sway. It wouldn't do for her to get caught . . . especially with the firm warning she'd received from Otto about waiting until he was sure she was ready. She knew she was going against that-and that despite how fun this was, she really wasn't too thrilled with the whole jail consequence- but Sway had needed the activity to keep her sanity.
"I think I can manage, Sensei. I mean, I can only do it my sleep . . ."
They shared a grin before Ripley disappeared into the car. Four seconds later, the cherry red Ferrari roared to life. Sway smiled, shaking her head as she collected the tools and closed the hood. She quickly went around the front of the car and slid into the passenger seat, closing her eyes as she obviously reveled in the sound and feel of the car as Ripley revved the engine. She turned to her and grinned darkly, winking at the blonde-boost-to-be.
"Hit it, sweetie pie. Let's see what this girl can really do . . ."
And with that, the Ferrari F355 F1 took off out of the lot, leaving nothing but an empty space as a testament that- 29 seconds earlier- a very attractive Italian redhead had been there.
Sway laughed, enjoying the ride as Ripley drove fast but legal; weaving in and around traffic as she blew kisses to shocked or angry drivers as she passed them. Here in this moment, it was almost too easy to forget the whole reason for this little excursion in the first place. Ripley had called her-after Memphis had blown into Otto's a frantic mess- to check on how she was handling the bombshell that had been dropped on her.
She sighed, looking out the window as they made their way to Manday's. She was still so mad . . . she shook her head. Memphis had shown up at her place in a near frenzy earlier in the day, ranting and raving about how unbelievable his mother was. She'd known he'd gone to eat lunch with Helen and Kip . . . and that there was bound to be an argument with the way that the woman always seemed to have something negative to say about his-their-lifestyle.
"You okay . . . I mean, did this-getting out and being able to just be free of all of the shit for a while- help you feel any better?"
Sway shrugged before nodding halfheartedly. She had never expected the kid to pop up at her place after she called, armed with a pint of ice cream and a pound of Whoppers . . . or to offer to go with her when she'd finally snapped and screamed she needed to just go and ride. So they'd piled in Ripley's newly completed 67 Aston Martin DDB Vantage and headed off in search of something to quench her thirst for speed and break some of the chains she felt holding her back.
The kid had dropped her car at a gas station near the ritzy apartment complex and they'd walked the four blocks to the parking, knowing that there would be something to fit their standards hidden within. And Ripley had used their walk in the brisk air to get her to talk about the fight that had happened between her and Memphis. She still couldn't believe that when she'd gone to defend him, to take up for the way they lived their lives and what made him happy-and kept Helen more than comfortable with what she made from the diner-, that he'd turned on her. They'd argued for over an hour before he finally left . . . and told her that he wasn't coming back.
Sway sighed again, swiping at her eyes as the angry tears started pooling again. She hated it when he got like this . . . and he only ever got like this over Helen. Why couldn't she see that he just wanted to take care of her and Kip? That he was doing it the best way he could while trying to live his own life? And why did she always think it was so wrong that he was good at what he did? Weren't parents supposed to be proud?
"I guess . . . she just makes me so mad . . . And what pisses me off even more is that I don't even know what she said to set him off . . ."
Ripley nodded, taking a turn onto the next road before she shifted gears. As they slowed for the last light they would encounter before the service road, she turned to Sway and smiled sympathetically. She reached across, patting her ringed and tattooed hand before she turned her eyes back to the road and the light.
"I get it. I really do. My Dad's mom hated Mom . . . with a passion. And the only thing that could usually make them fight-before Gram passed away-was her. Men of any age always take whatever their mothers say to heart . . . even if they are shitty parents."
Sway nodded, glancing at the car that pulled up beside them. The dark burgundy Ford was pretty . . . but something about it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Like there was something wrong with it. But with the dark tint to the windows it was hard to tell anything about the passengers. She kept her eye on them as she talked.
"Truer words, baby. But Helen isn't all bad. I mean I know she loves Memphis . . . and they both adore Kip. But she wants him to be something he isn't . . . I mean I think he could be one day but he isn't ready . . . But he promised his Dad he would take care of them . . ."
Ripley nodded, looking ahead to the road with her back straight in the seat and nowhere near as relaxed as she had been a few seconds before. Sway raised a brow. The girl had yet to glance at the car beside them . . . but why?
"I get that too. But Memphis doesn't realize that was a big promise for a sixteen year old to keep . . . Hell, it's a big promise for a twenty-one year old . . . and his mom may have to get used to not getting everything she wants . . . Aww shit . . ."
Sway glanced from the girl to the car beside them . . . and felt her blood freeze as she saw the dark tinted window roll down to reveal two young uniforms. Christ. If they ran these plates then they were dead meat . . . Why did she want to grab a car for a joyride again? Oh yeah. Memphis and Helen. If they got out of this then she was going to kill both older members of the Raines family . . . and sell Kip to a traveling circus.
She glanced back to Ripley and had to swallow her heart as the girl rolled her window down, grinning coyly at the cops. She raised her hand from the wheel, wiggling her fingers at them lightly in a little wave as she giggled. And Sway knew-as soon as the other cop leaned as far out of his window as his seatbelt would allow, grinning like an idiot- that the girl beside her knew exactly what she was doing. Meaning that she had done this before . . . Christ on a cracker . . .
"Hello Officer . . . there a problem?"
He grinned lecherously at her, shaking his head slowly before nodding to the car. God when would this light ever turn green? Had it already changed and they hadn't noticed?
"None from where I'm sitting, Little Lady. Pretty car you got there . . . A Ferrari, right?"
Ripley tossed her curls over her shoulder, shrugging halfheartedly as she giggled again. She ran her eyes over the dash before looking back to the cop . . . and whatever look on she had on her face had the guy grinning even brighter at her. But her next words had even Sway choking . . . She was crazy . . . And despite how bad this could all go at a moment's notice, Sway hadn't felt this kind of rush just boosting ever. They were so close to getting caught . . . but it just made it more fun. God they were both crazy.
"I think so . . . I really don't know. I stole her from a friend of mine for the night."
The cop quirked a brow, grinning as he leaned a little further out of the car.
"Really? Then why shouldn't I take you in right now?"
Ripley giggled again before holding her fingers up in a scout's solute. And Sway knew they were headed for jail now . . . but the young uniform hung on the other girl's every word. And Ripley made sure to look as innocent and sweet as she could. Which-given how she normally looked- was damned near heart breaking.
"Because I swear to put her back as soon as I'm done . . . I couldn't ever hurt something this pretty . . ."
He grinned, leaning back in his car as his partner pulled on him. He turned back, talking a few moments before looking back to their car. And Sway made a mental note to write a nasty letter to the Transportation Department about unreasonably long red lights as he winked at them. This was ridiculous.
"Well, you can steal mine anytime you want, Sweetheart. You girls be safe . . ."
She nodded, turning to grin at Sway as they spotted the other light finally turn yellow. Only a few more seconds and they might get out of this alive . . . Ripley looked back, winking again as she blew the cop a little kiss.
"Maybe I will . . . Catch you next time, Officer."
And as soon as the light turned green, she pulled off and took the next right. After a few feet, she took another quick right and then another left, making sure that it would be hard for anyone to follow a few car lengths behind. Finally, when she was sure they weren't being followed, she slowed and started to go back towards Manday's . . . Sway however, couldn't stand it anymore.
"Oh My God! What the hell were you thinking? We were so almost caught!"
Ripley however just shrugged, navigating the roads to their destination without responding to her outburst. But as soon as the car touched the gravel lot of the other shop, the girl pulled to where she was directed and parked, laying her head on the steering wheel and took a few long deep breaths. Sway looked her over and noticed she was shaking. She sighed. She knew the adrenaline and the reality of what had almost happened were catching up with the kid . . .
She reached out, rubbing the other girl's shoulder reassuringly. And after a few tense moments, Ripley's shoulders started shaking again. At first Sway thought she was crying but as the small sounds got louder, she realized that the younger girl was actually laughing. Sway blinked until it hit her . . . and soon she was a crying, laughing mess right beside her friend.
They had literally just stolen a Ferrari right under the cops' noses . . . She leaned forward, laying her head on the dash as she tried to calm herself down. She knew the workers here thought they were insane . . . sitting in a stolen car laughing and crying like school girls.
Ripley sobered, sitting up and reaching back to fix her hair into a low ponytail before getting out. Sway grabbed the girl's bag before she stepped out as well, allowing the obviously aggravated worker to get the car and take it back into the yard to be either stripped or stored for sale.
Sway pulled her leather coat closer and glanced at her watch, nodding her head to the main building. They needed to go collect for this and get out of here . . . fast. Because no matter how mad she was at Memphis for freaking on her, she wasn't going to miss their meet tonight. Even if this little side excursion would net more. She had a reputation and lifestyle to protect . . . and no one-not even Memphis Raines-was going to keep her from it.
Ripley and Sway waved to Doug as he pulled away, the man honking the tow truck's horn once before blending back into traffic. She turned, grinning to the dark haired girl before pulling the keys to her Aston out of her coat pocket and twirling them lazily around her finger. Sway had-after their near brush with the law and their nervous breakdown in the parking lot- relaxed enough that she wasn't afraid to put her with Memphis now.
The crew leader had stormed into the office, passing her and Atley to go and talk with Otto . . . and a few moments later her godfather had come back out and told her to check on Sway while he and Atley dealt with Raines. She'd had no clue what was going on, just that apparently it was bad and between the happy-but-volatile couple . . . . and that she could hear the sheer wrath in Sway's voice when she'd called her.
So she'd told Otto she was taking the rest of the day, grabbed the keys to the Aston from Atley and made her way to Sway's apartment. She'd tried to get the other girl to open up-to talk about some of the things that were wrong and try to calm her down- but it hadn't gone well. Actually, she'd been about to break under the uncomfortable tension hanging in the room when Sway had finally snapped. All Ripley knew is she had never been so happy to offer to drive someone to commit a felony . . .
She sighed, crossing to her car and unlocking the door; leaning across to unlock the passenger side for Sway. The older girl crawled in, sinking into the plush leather seats before leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She knew that the cash filled envelopes stuffed in her purse had made both of them feel better about the whole cop shit earlier . . . but as she started the engine, she knew they needed to discuss a few things before she dropped her back at the garage.
"Look . . . I had no problem helping you out tonight . . . but could we kind of keep this between us? I'm not even supposed to think about boosting until after Sunday . . ."
Sway nodded, grinning as she reached out and patted her hand.
"Sure thing, kiddo. I get it. I won't mention anything to Otto . . ."
Ripley sighed, relaxing into her seat as she pulled out of the lot. She was thankful that Sway would help keep the others in the dark . . . and she knew from the numerous calls and customers she'd helped send Carter Manday's way over the past few months-because honestly there were some things that her Uncle's shop just wasn't ideal for and they all knew it- that none of his workers would rat her out. At least until well after she was able to ease Otto into the information anyway.
"Thanks . . . So, how are you going to handle this with Memphis? Or are the two of you going to be okay together? Because I can definitely stay and run interference until he goes out with another runner if you want me to . . ."
Sway grew quiet as they made their way back to the garage and Ripley knew that the girl was thinking over the question she'd asked. She groused to herself. She hadn't meant to undo all that she'd done . . . She had just wanted to know if she needed to hang around. She wasn't too thrilled at the possibility of having to deal with Frankie . . . but she would do it for Sway. The dark haired boost was her friend. And if her staying to help buffer some of the blowback from whatever was going on would help things with her-and in turn the crew and Otto- then she would do it . . .
Finally, Sway looked to her with uncertain eyes.
"Could you? Just until he goes out with whoever . . . "
"Sure . . . I'll stay until you come back if you want me to. It isn't any big deal . . . I've got a ton of paperwork from before to catch up on anyway, so it'll probably work in all of our favor. Especially since I'm not going to be there any this weekend."
Sway nodded, smiling gratefully as Ripley took the turn onto the back road to Otto's. It looked like she was staying at Otto's tonight . . .
As they pulled into the shop's lot, Sway turned to Ripley. She had something she wanted to ask the kid but she didn't know how to go about it . . . Finally, she just decided to speak and deal with the aftermath.
"Rip?"
The girl killed the engine and turned, brow raised as she slid the keys into her purse. She looked down-pulling out one of the twin envelopes-before extending it to her with a casual smile. Sway nodded, taking the envelope and sticking it in the inner pocket of her jacket. The take for the Ferrari had been pretty damned good. Normally, a single score would only net a few grand . . . but the car they'd dropped was on the wishlist Manday kept adding to for his numerous clients. Meaning it had brought them a nice round six grand to be split between them.
She pulled her jacket tighter around herself before glancing back at Ripley. The girl was obviously waiting for her to speak . . . She blushed, clearing her throat.
"Your Dad taught you about Brits and Krauts, right?"
She nodded, leaning back in her seat and staring out the windshield for a few long moments before shrugging. Sway knew-after tonight-she was never going to see this kid as a kid again. She'd managed to keep her cool when most people would've freaked . . . and had they had worked well together. Something that even she and Memphis didn't always accomplish.
"Yeah, why?"
Sway shifted, glancing back at the door before turning back to Ripley. Who was tracking the gleaming 69 Malibu pull into the lot with sharp eyes. Sway watched the girl relax as Atley piled out of the passenger seat before turning back to her with an apologetic smile as her cheeks flushed red.
"Sorry . . . I've just never seen that car before. With what usually goes on after dark around here . . ."
Sway nodded, turning to watch the Sphinx pour out of the driver's seat and crack his neck before falling into step beside Atley and going inside. And she was suddenly weary about putting Ripley inside tonight. Frankie would be there . . . and even with Memphis and San the guy still acted like an ass. But the girl had never met Sphinx . . . and while Atley had been cordial to her, she had no clue how he would react to her presence. She glanced back at her, chewing her lip.
"You don't have to stay . . . I'm just being stupid . . ."
Ripley quirked a brow, before shaking her head.
"Uh, no you're not. He was a jerk to get mad at you for taking up for him. About Mommy Dearest or not. And me walking in there with you isn't going to make you look like a punk or anything like that. I'm going to stand around and talk with Donnie and San, maybe aggravate At for a minute and then go upstairs after he heads out. I went to high school Sway, I know how to run interference and look like I'm just talking . . ."
Sway laughed, shaking her head.
"Oh really? Did they teach you how to flirt with cops too? Because I definitely missed that class . . ."
Ripley grinned, winking even as she blushed again.
"Actually, that was all my Mom. She had a lead foot worse than my Dad-despite the fact she was always hounding him about his reckless driving habits. And when she finally got caught speeding with me one day, I got a crash course in how to charm your way out of trouble. By the end of the whole ordeal, she had the cop's number and his pager . . . and no ticket or written warning."
Sway blinked.
"How'd your Dad take that?"
She laughed, shaking her head as she reached for the door handle. And Sway had to marvel at the light in her eyes as she talked about her parents. No wonder Otto fretted over her so much. She seemed like a pretty happy and content person but to see her like this . . . She'd been affected deeply by the loss of her mother and father.
"He bitched for weeks about how unfair it was that he got pulled and had to pay the ticket and get griped at while she just smiled and charmed her way out of it. I've done it before with a few speeding tickets myself and while he always laughed it off; I know it made him mad that he couldn't get off that easy."
Sway shook her head, grinning as she went to open her door and stopped.
"Do you think you could show me some of what your old man taught you? I'm great with the Italians but there's something about the Krauts that always fucks me over . . . you know? And the Brits are almost as bad . . ."
Ripley nodded, laughing.
"Sure . . . Really, it's just that you've gotten used to the hardest of the three to snatch. And going back to something different is working against the knowledge and skills you're familiar with. My Dad did the same thing when he started messing with American Muscle . . . or so he claimed. But I kind of doubted Daddy ever had much trouble with anything after he got the knack of it."
Sway grinned, thankful she wasn't being laughed at or belittled for wanting to learn. She'd had to teach herself everything before she'd met Memphis. And while he was usually pretty patient, even his good graces had their limits. She opened the door, stretching before turning to Ripley as she practically skipped around the car. She shook her head. The kid was way too hyper sometimes . . .
Ripley walked into the garage, waiting until Sway was in to slide the door shut and start towards the steps. The dark haired boost was starting to tense again . . . so she looped her arm over her shoulders and gave her the biggest cheesiest grin she possibly could, waggling her eyebrows as they started climbing to the other offices.
"We can start practicing on Delilah out there next week if you want to . . . She's more than willing to bare her secrets to the world. Hell, half the garage has already seen her so what's a little fumbling under the hood between friends?"
Sway looked at her like she was crazy before shaking her head and laughing loud and hard. Actually, even as she pushed the door open to the 'Private' office, the girl was laughing so hard, her eyes were leaking and her cheeks were flushed. Memphis and the others all turned, eying them like they were insane before Sway sobered; shaking her head as Ripley just grinned. But she wasn't tense or clenching her fists . . . and when Memphis looked at her with warring emotions flickering behind his eyes, she just shrugged and turned; completely ignoring him in favor of talking with her.
Ripley nodded to herself before turning to wave to San. The man grinned, waving back before lighting his cigarette and going back to talking with Frankie. Who she refused to even look at as she felt his eyes traveled over her. She shuddered, suddenly wishing she'd brought a burlap sack to pull over her clothes . . . and a gallon of bleach to bathe in. She turned to Atley and Donnie, grinning as Don held out his arm to pull her into his side. She reached up, messing with his hat before shaking her head.
"That's a really bad hat, Harry."
Donnie laughed, smoothing the rim before tugging on her hair. Which had her rolling her eyes before glaring at him playfully.
"Don't care, its tradition. And good luck. What are you doing here, baby girl?"
She shrugged, turning to grin at Sway before looking back up to Donnie. He looked like he was feeling better . . . which meant that he probably hadn't talked with his future ex-wife today. She really was worried about all of the weight he'd dropped since they'd met but he kept telling her it was all part of the experience. She sighed, leaning into his side again as she hugged him.
"Gonna catch up on some paperwork before I head home. I'm not going to be here this weekend so I'm going to try to get as much done as possible."
Atley raised a brow, looking to Sway who just shrugged before turning back to her.
"Where you going, Buttercup? Deserting us already?"
She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. She glanced over to Frank, making sure he was deep in his conversation before continuing her own. No need to have the guy show up on her mini-vacation and ruin everything . . . though her and Paul could probably dispose of his body pretty easily if they had to . . . Lots of sharks swimming around the area they would be surfing . . . She grinned darkly, saving that idea for desperate measures.
"Nah. Just heading down to Wake Beach for a few days. I've got a friend who has this little house on the beach so we're going to surf and bake ourselves in the sun for a few days. You know, generally be lazy."
Atley blinked, looking to Donnie before they both turned back to Ripley. She was going to be out of town the weekend of her birthday? That meant that he and Sphinx could definitely do what needed to be done if Frank kept up with his shit . . . Which, judging from the way he kept looking to her was going to be necessary.
He sighed, looking back to Sphinx as he leaned against the wall. And he knew that the man was keeping an eye on Frank while he listened to their conversation. He looked over, nodding once to Atley before turning his eyes back on Frank and San. Atley rolled his eyes before turning back to Ripley. Who was looking the stoic boost on the back wall over curiously before turning back to their group, cheeks flushing just enough to tell him she'd been caught.
He raised a brow. He knew that the two had met before . . . But he realized- as he watched Sphinx look over and quirk a brow at her before rolling his eyes- that while they'd seen each other, he'd never bothered to introduce them. She knew of him and he knew of her-courtesy of himself in both counts- but they were still practically strangers. Well that wouldn't do . . . He caught Sphinx's eye and motioned him over. And though he looked severely aggravated-what else was new? - He moved to comply. As he stopped right behind Sway, Sphinx raised a brow at him.
But Atley ignored it as he nudged Ripley, nodding back to their silent addition. When she turned and noticed him, he had to fight the chuckle at the uncertainty that flickered through her eyes before she turned back to him questioningly. He rolled his eyes again, shaking his head as he moved to pull Ripley out from under Donnie's arm and tug her closer to him. Putting her closer to Sphinx.
"Ripley this is Sphinx . . . I keep forgetting that the two of you haven't actually met yet. He's the last member of our little crew . . ."
She glanced up at him skeptically right as Sphinx looked to him incredulously. And Atley had to glare at Donnie and Sway as they both looked about ready to burst. Why were they making this so damned difficult?
Ripley had no idea why Atley seemed intent on forcing her to 'properly' meet the man he'd brought with him before . . . The man was huge, almost as tall as Donnie with broad shoulders and an overall intimidating presence. She was momentarily torn between stepping closer to see if he was as hard as he looked and retreating back into the relative safety Donnie had offered. But if doing this would make Atley happy-who was tied with Donnie for being her favorite of the men in her Uncle's crew- then she could suck it up and do so. Finally as he pushed her none to gently forward, she just shrugged and moved the rest of the way; trying not to fidget under his dark glare.
"Sphinx, this is Ripley. Otto's goddaughter."
She gathered her wits and extended her hand, making sure to smile at him as disarmingly as she could while she spoke. As the others stopped and watched their interaction, she grew bolder; refusing to embarrass herself in front of the people she had to deal with day-in-and-day-out.
"Its nice to meet you. Sorry its taken so long . . ."
The man just quirked a brow, before looking from her face to her hand like she was an imbecile. But she kept it extended, knowing from the multitude of etiquette lessons forced on her as a child to appease her grandmother that to drop it without him openly dismissing it would be rude and offensive. But as he kept glancing from her face to the outstretched hand she felt her temper start to boil. If he didn't want to shake her hand then he really needed to shake his head or turn away . . . do anything to let her drop her now heavy arm.
After what seemed like an eternity, Atley cleared his throat. And when she glanced back he was glaring at his fellow runner darker than she'd ever seen him. But the man was nonplussed; glaring back just as intensely. Atley's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Sphinx here doesn't talk, Buttercup. Ever. So it's nothing personal-"
She crossed her arms, turning completely from the towering man to face Atley. And she knew her cheeks were flushing with anger and embarrassment. She took a deep breathe, trying to keep a tight reign on her temper as raised a brow to Atley. She wasn't expecting the man to speak or to become her new best friend . . . but he could've at least nodded or shaken her damn hand. And not left her hanging there like some little ponce.
"So? Is there something wrong that he won't shake hands or is that another thing he doesn't ever do?"
Sway stopped beside them, obviously shocked that she'd said anything at all while the others were giving her this slack jawed extremely shocked look. Even the man she'd just snubbed and insulted. Atley shook himself and scrambled into action as the man's face darkened dangerously as he took a step forward. Donnie just looked between the two of them before shaking his head and reaching out to pull her back into his side.
"Well, uh. No uh . . . its just . . ."
She leaned into Donnie's side as she glared at the Sphinx. And she knew from the way that Atley took a step back-and Donnie pulled her tighter against him, rubbing her forearm reassuringly- that it was darker than she intended it to be. But at the moment she was too pissed to actually care . . .
Memphis watched the scene unfold before them, shaking his head as the sweet girl they'd all gotten used to over the past few months literally transformed before their eyes. God she looked terrifying to normally be so relaxed and at ease . . . And he suddenly saw her father in her. He'd heard from Otto how cold and damn right lethal Ed Guadimus had been . . . and until now he'd doubted the kid took after him at all other than her blossoming aptitude for boosting. But damnation if she hadn't . . .
Sphinx continued to glower down at her as she pulled away from Donnie, stepping right up to him as she continued to match his glare. The tips of their shoes were almost touching as she stretched on her tip toes, poking him in the chest hard as she got as close to his face as their height difference would allow. And if he weren't so worried about trying to keep her from being dismembered he would've laughed at the sight of them.
Ripley barely came to his chest-even in her boots- and she was still right there and giving him hell. God, they were going to have to keep an eye on her. Her words, however, had him trying not to choke. Was she really?
"Talker or not, there is no need to be rude. Even boosts aren't exempt from manners."
He watched as she turned, her long hair actually swiping across Sphinx's face as she left the room and went into the other office, shutting the door behind her. He turned to Sway, noticing she was looking to the door with worried eyes before turning to all of them. She saw him looking and narrowed her own eyes before growling at all of them and going to the door behind the other girl.
"Way to handle that, Raines. You know, you guys are real fucking pieces of work. Do you pick on every kid that's just lost their parents or is it restricted to just Otto's family?"
Memphis blanched, looking from her to the door before he finally let his aggravation from earlier get the better of him.
"Me? What in the hell did I do?"
She rolled her eyes, hand going to the door knob before looking over every single one of them with the darkest look he'd ever seen. God, why had he thought it would be a good idea for them to get along?
"Nothing, Raines. Absolutely nothing. You stood there and let him make that kid-who has gone out of her way to be as nice to us as she possibly can even when we haven't been the best to her- pretty much feel like shit. You all seem to forget that she doesn't have to put up with this bullshit. When we go out tonight, I'm with Donnie. Since he's apparently the only one who knows how to treat someone with some damn respect."
And with that, she tore the door open and slammed it, rattling the glass as Otto stepped in through the other door; boost sheet in hand. He looked to the other door, perplexed at the music that suddenly blared to life. He turned to Memphis, brow raised.
"What is going on? Who's in the office? Ripley'll kill anyone who messes up what's taken her so damn long to accomplish."
Memphis shook his head as Atley turned and glared at Sphinx. Who was still glaring at the door. He sighed as Donnie reached up and rubbed his forehead while Frankie and San looked to each other perplexed.
"Otto, you wouldn't believe me if I said it . . ."
