Kay knocked urgently on the door of the house that was playing the
Elvis music. No answer. She rapped at the door again. She winced her
eyes shut as the porchlight was flipped on, used to the dark now. The door
swung open a boy with bloodshot eyes and a beer in one hand stood there,
looking down at her.
"Uh, yeah?" he said breathily.
Kay cleared her throat and coughed, thinking of what she could possibly say that would get her into a complete stranger's house. There was a moment's silence.
"Hey, one of my friends told me there was a party here, so I decided to stop by. Mind if I come in?" she said, a little awkwardly.
If he was sober enough to realize he'd never seen her before, he didn't let that stop him from letting her in and walking back to the party. Kay carefully stepped inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. Not that anyone could hear even if she had slammed the door; the music was blaring. She went to the corner of the room, scanning the room for anyone she recognized from school. Her eyes stopped on a shirtless loiterer talking the guy that let her in.
"Hey, Buck, who's the dude?" he said, scratching his chest.
"Naw, it's a chick. Said a friend told her about the party. Thought maybe you knew her, Dallas."
"Nup. Hey, is it okay if I crash in the back room? Tim Shepard and me got into a brawl and I got me some cracked ribs, I need a place to lie low for a while."
"Sure thing, Dally."
Dally. Kay recognized the name from someone talking about him at school. They said he had a record with the fuzz a mile long. To Kay, he sounded like a good person to talk to. She followed him to the back room, or wherever he said he was going. Maybe she could forget all about whatever she just saw in the park…
"Hey, ain't you Dallas Winsor?"
"Winston. Who're you?" he replied, trying not to look surprised at how much she looked like a guy. "Ain't you that kid that just moved in down on Rawles? I met your brother."
Kay cocked her head. 'My my, isn't Carver just famous,' she thought. She took a minute before saying anything else.
"Yeah? You know Carver?" she said, lacking anything better to say.
Dallas just nodded and ran a hand through his greasy blonde hair.
"How come you're here? Why ain't you home, or somethin'? You don't seem to know no one."
Kay grew a few shades whiter before stuttering an answer. "I, uh, I needed to unwind a bit, so I was out for a walk and I, uh, I saw somethin' I wish I hadn't. Huh, I remember back in my old town, Windrixville, whenever I needed to unwind I'd walk up to this old abandoned church on a hill… excellent place to hide out."
Dallas didn't get a chance to ask what she saw before the blood-shot eyed man named Buck came in the room and told Dallas that two people wanted to see him and they were at the front door. Said they were Pony and Johnny 'or something like that.' Dally jogged to the door with out so much as a word to Kay. Kay, not liking the way Buck stared at her, followed him.
Over Dallas' shoulder, she saw what she thought were the two kids from the park. However pale she was before, she was now twice as pale and shaking. She didn't hear the conversation, but she jumped aside as Dallas passed her on his way to the back room. In a second, he came back with a white T-shirt and handed it to the blonde boy, who had stepped inside. Kay sized him up, now that she could see him in full light, and recognized him from school. Kay watched him pull the white T-shirt over his head, and stiffled a nauseating giggle; the shirt was practically to his knees. He left the soaked sweatshirt he was wearing on the floor. Kay moved her glance to the darker-haired boy. She had heard Dally call him Johnny. 'He looks like a puppy that's been kicked too many times,' thought Kay.
Johnny was nervously looking around. He was shivering (Like a lost puppy, thought Kay) and only steadied when Dally came back. They exchanged a few words, and Dally handed the two boys some money - Kay couldn't see how much - and a… gun? That confirmed it; they were the boys from the park. She'd have to ask Dallas excaclty what went on.
The boys dissapeared back out the door, and Kay waited for Dallas to come back so she could talk with him again.
The night rolled on, and after a lengthy conversation, Kay knew who- killed-who-why and Dallas invited a much-shaken Kay to meet his buddies the next day. Kay spent the night at Buck's, passed out after a few too many beers.
"Uh, yeah?" he said breathily.
Kay cleared her throat and coughed, thinking of what she could possibly say that would get her into a complete stranger's house. There was a moment's silence.
"Hey, one of my friends told me there was a party here, so I decided to stop by. Mind if I come in?" she said, a little awkwardly.
If he was sober enough to realize he'd never seen her before, he didn't let that stop him from letting her in and walking back to the party. Kay carefully stepped inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. Not that anyone could hear even if she had slammed the door; the music was blaring. She went to the corner of the room, scanning the room for anyone she recognized from school. Her eyes stopped on a shirtless loiterer talking the guy that let her in.
"Hey, Buck, who's the dude?" he said, scratching his chest.
"Naw, it's a chick. Said a friend told her about the party. Thought maybe you knew her, Dallas."
"Nup. Hey, is it okay if I crash in the back room? Tim Shepard and me got into a brawl and I got me some cracked ribs, I need a place to lie low for a while."
"Sure thing, Dally."
Dally. Kay recognized the name from someone talking about him at school. They said he had a record with the fuzz a mile long. To Kay, he sounded like a good person to talk to. She followed him to the back room, or wherever he said he was going. Maybe she could forget all about whatever she just saw in the park…
"Hey, ain't you Dallas Winsor?"
"Winston. Who're you?" he replied, trying not to look surprised at how much she looked like a guy. "Ain't you that kid that just moved in down on Rawles? I met your brother."
Kay cocked her head. 'My my, isn't Carver just famous,' she thought. She took a minute before saying anything else.
"Yeah? You know Carver?" she said, lacking anything better to say.
Dallas just nodded and ran a hand through his greasy blonde hair.
"How come you're here? Why ain't you home, or somethin'? You don't seem to know no one."
Kay grew a few shades whiter before stuttering an answer. "I, uh, I needed to unwind a bit, so I was out for a walk and I, uh, I saw somethin' I wish I hadn't. Huh, I remember back in my old town, Windrixville, whenever I needed to unwind I'd walk up to this old abandoned church on a hill… excellent place to hide out."
Dallas didn't get a chance to ask what she saw before the blood-shot eyed man named Buck came in the room and told Dallas that two people wanted to see him and they were at the front door. Said they were Pony and Johnny 'or something like that.' Dally jogged to the door with out so much as a word to Kay. Kay, not liking the way Buck stared at her, followed him.
Over Dallas' shoulder, she saw what she thought were the two kids from the park. However pale she was before, she was now twice as pale and shaking. She didn't hear the conversation, but she jumped aside as Dallas passed her on his way to the back room. In a second, he came back with a white T-shirt and handed it to the blonde boy, who had stepped inside. Kay sized him up, now that she could see him in full light, and recognized him from school. Kay watched him pull the white T-shirt over his head, and stiffled a nauseating giggle; the shirt was practically to his knees. He left the soaked sweatshirt he was wearing on the floor. Kay moved her glance to the darker-haired boy. She had heard Dally call him Johnny. 'He looks like a puppy that's been kicked too many times,' thought Kay.
Johnny was nervously looking around. He was shivering (Like a lost puppy, thought Kay) and only steadied when Dally came back. They exchanged a few words, and Dally handed the two boys some money - Kay couldn't see how much - and a… gun? That confirmed it; they were the boys from the park. She'd have to ask Dallas excaclty what went on.
The boys dissapeared back out the door, and Kay waited for Dallas to come back so she could talk with him again.
The night rolled on, and after a lengthy conversation, Kay knew who- killed-who-why and Dallas invited a much-shaken Kay to meet his buddies the next day. Kay spent the night at Buck's, passed out after a few too many beers.