Short chapter... Enjoy - Scitah

"So, you want a place, right? You can't paint the walls, no redone floors or carpets…" The owner said, leading Sally and Johnny up some stairs to the third floor. "Can't make too much noise."

"Don't worry about it!" Sally said.

Johnny frowned at the last bit, they argued and had loud sex... a lot... how weren't they supposed to make noise? But he tried to look friendly and supporting.

"I don't want no drug trafficking or parties happening. No-" the guy continued.

"Listen, guy." Sally began, "We'll be good, just give us the keys. We don't do drugs, nor do we sell em. We won't be loud. We have things to do… We'll pay the bills." she set her hand out for the keys and the guys frowned, but handed them to her.

"End of the week." he said before heading back downstairs.

Johnny rolled his eyes, "What a creep. How we gonna pay rent?" he asked her.

She showed him the money that Dillan had given her, equaling a sum she had yet to sit down and count past $5,000. "Dillan was a worry wart and never had kids and was raised on diamond spoons. He practically paid me to stay at his place…" she stated, opening the door.

Hardwood floors, white walls, good linoleum in the kitchen with matching counters. The apartment came with a couch, microwave, table and chairs, and an un covered bed with a mattress.

Johnny looked around, "Not too bad." he grinned.

Sally nodded, "Yeah. Not bad at all." she shut the door behind Johnny, locking it.

"...you mad 'bout me an' Dillan?" he asked her.

"A little, yeah. But it's more of a you and Dillan issue than mine." Sally muttered, practically throwing herself onto the couch after dropping her things by the door.

"...what pissed me off most.." he mumbled flopping down next to her, "Was how mama chose him."

"Why?" sally asked, propping her elbow on the arm of the couch, then resting her head on her hand. "Why don't you like Dillan?"

"It's not that I don't like him, he's just... the exact fuckin' opposite of me!" he huffed, "Such a rich-- a rich bastard!" he huffed then shook his head,

"No.. it's 'cause he started in on it. Lookin' at me like I was gonna rape you. Like I was fixin' for a pretty little house wife or somethin' dumb. Like I was less. I got pissed off..."

Sally smiled, "Honestly, Johnny… Dillan doesn't think any man is good enough for me. He really took to the fatherly role with me. If I were with, "She shuddered and gagged lightly before covering her mouth and clearing her throat, "Even if I were with Derby, or Ted, or some one else, he'd have given them the same looks and thought the same things." She reached over and touched his hand. "It isn't personal."

"It is when he's tryin' t'get with my mother!" he argued, "What a hypocrite!"

Sally shook her head with a smile, "And this is what you both need to chill out about. Mary and Dillan chose each other and you and I chose each other!"

"No" he said firmly, "No. No. No." he said shaking his head stubbornly, "She can't."

"Well, why not? Because she promised? Listen, Johnny… Would you prefer her to be alone and miserable, hire some freak to sleep with her, or be with some one who can return her feelings and buy her everything she had ever desired?" Sally opted.

Johnny groaned, "She hasn't dated anyone since forever!" he said, "Don't see why it matters now!"

"Well, do you think you could never have sex, EVER again because you promise your kid you wouldn't?" Sally asked, trying not to get frustrated or start yelling.

Johnny thought a moment, he bit his lip,"I would try!" he said honestly, "I would honest-to-God try!"

"And then you begin to like another person and all you want to do is be with that person, and you're kid is old enough to get serious with his or her own love life… And you were soooo tempted to just shag the person rotten because you really, really liked them… D'you still think you couldn't do it? Couldn't do them?"

Johnny sighed, "Porbably not.."

"Now, how do you expect Mary to do that. Especially so long after an abusive relationship with your father? And, Dillan is not the kind of guy to raise a hand to a woman. He may be rich and raised a snob, but he has more tact than that. I should know! I watched him with my mother, and boy, did she abuse him!" Sally smiled.

"....he's still a hypocrite." he mumbled.

"Never said he wasn't." Sally chuckled, shaking her head. She decided to play the lighter side of this so as not to turn it into a yelling match, for the sake of just about everything.

Johnny looked at her, "Okay.. so now what?" he mumbled.

"So, now we wait for Dillan and you to chill out on each other. Mary to probably chill out on me, and then we begin to focus on school and fixing it with the boys." she got up, "I'll call Eva, leave him a message or something."

Johnny nodded, "Okay.." he said.

Damn! He hated waiting!