A couple blocks past the bandstand, the crowd thinned, and they made a right onto Brooklyn avenue. Dimly lit, there were smells of beer, cigarette smoke, and occasionally weed, as they passed a few bars, where motorcycles lined up diagonally and close together. It reminded Megan of the Pioneer House, just outside of Bloody Run, where her mom picked up a few bikers when she was drunk. She pulled him close.

" It's ok, they don't bother anyone.." Abel reassured her, enjoying the soft warmth against him. "Here it is..."

They stopped in front of a small window that blinked " ragon Zink " , the letter D completely dark.

Inside the small shop was a single chair, and the artist paused working on his client.

" Yo, Teller, sup ?"

"Hey, Walter..."

Megan nodded to the artist, as he paused , the client, glancing up briefly, then returning attention to his phone.

" You here to collect your pay?"

" Yea, I think I know what I want, but I'm gonna look around some...can you do it , like this Saturday? Late ? "

" Anytime you want , I'll work you in..."

" Why's he paying you? " Megan whispered , a little confused.

" The man saved my ass last summer, and a fair amount of cash too!" Walter looked up with a grin. He must be close to a hundred years old, she thought, his gray hair in a huge braid down his back. Posters advertising The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix caught her attention, along with a few others, and some poster prints outlined in pink and orange dayglow paint.

Abel's face turned red. " I got his mini van running, and did some other things to it...it's a piece of crap like my mom's...!" , he answered under his breath. " How's it running?"

" Great, my friend..I'd be obliged if you gave it a once over before you go back to Pennsylvania.."

"Sure, I can check it out anytime before Saturday..."

They both leafed thru a sample book, and were checking out some of Walters more intricate work on the walls when Abel found what he wanted.

" That's pretty, I like that.." she admitted, visions of Abel sailing over trac jumps during gymclass. Sinewy and lith , it reminded her of his graceful strength. The Cheetah fit him perfectly.

" Is this a stencil, or can you do it freehand?" He asked, holding it up.

" Either way is good, but one is quicker to do.." the artist replied , finishing up his customer.

He quickly looked questioningly at her, and Megan nodded a quick yes.

" Awesome, I'll check back in later this week- where's the van? "

" It's outback, lemme know when you wanna work on it- you want to do it here?"

" Wherever, dude-" they were headed out the door already.

Back on the boardwalk, hands in his pockets, Abel walked close to her, looking towards the water. " Let's walk on the beach.." he suggested, but she was concentrating on her phone.

" I'm going for a run tomorrow morning, n watch the sunrise.. what's that?"

" I gotta sit for a little bit" she replied, just short of laughter. "You gotta hear some a this shit!"

she grinned, pointing towards one of those large white benches that faced the ocean.

They listened intensely, one bud in Abel's ear, the other in Megan's...

Googling some of the bands advertising in Walters shop, Megan sampled some You-Tube clips.

" In a godda da vida honey

Don't you know that I'm loving you

In a godda da vida baby

Don't you know that always be true..."

The video , colorful and flowing , was too small to garner any appreciation , from neither one.

" What the fuk is that?" Abel watched a bubble of green spread out into yellow and orange.

" Be quiet, I wanna hear the rest.." she shushed him, as a drum solo ended.

" Sounds like a funeral...on acid.." Abel said.

" I kinda like it, I wonder if Danny knows about this one" she wondered. Her ex boyfriend/ drummer was a nerd when it came to metal- ..."maybe this representation was the beginning of Metal..?"

" Meh... I'll listen to Slipknot, or Five Finger Death punch...or Cactus Vag , or Skidmark..."

he replied. This Iron Butterfly sounded ...well, kinda silly. Listening to Death Punch felt like someone pulling something from the deepest part of his gut...he liked that rush of energy..

They tried Jimmy Hendrix , but Megan found it too noisy.

Abel failed to understand Janis Joplin, as " ...she fukin yells everything..!"

The Doors caught Megan's attention, as some modern poetry did, but the music seemed kinda childish.

Both enjoyed the Grateful Dead though...

"I remember something Opie said about Deadheads, I think he n Dad listen to these guys." He grinned at her . " Remy would like that.. deadheads.." he laughed.

" You know Remy? " Megan was surprised.

" The gay dude ? Yea he's ok, he tried to get me into that play last year, a knight of some shit. Then he hit on me" he grinned , noticing a couple of young women looking their way.

She leaned closer. " He's probably the only friend I trust, what did he do?" She giggled.

" He was showing me some stuff behind the stage an he ..." Abel was feeling uncomfortable, but what the fuk, " he kissed me...right on the lips !"

"Oh my God, did he -"

" Yea , he did...and all I could think of to say was- DUDE, I'm not wired that way...n his eyes kinda turned to water.." Abel paused. "...I guess he thought I was gonna kick his ass, cause he ran off like he was scared shitless. And after the play later that month, I finally caught up with him...n said we could be friends n shit, but I wasn't down with the gay stuff.. I haven't seen him much this year tho..."

Her expression puzzled him. "What...?"

" I'm not supposed to say anything, so promise me...?"

" Yea, fine, I promise..." He was getting impatient. " Is he ok?"

" He's found someone...at our school..and no one else knows...I don't think he could even come out too, it would really fuk some shit up!"

Abel was completely lost. Remy was pretty obvious, so ..." Who ?"

" John Dixon."

" Holy shit, the Lacrosse team Captain?"

She nodded, and he was dumbfounded.

" Damn that's...that's..." he couldn't find anything to say. John was such a fuking jock...

" Well, they got each other... they're pretty lucky then, cause no one knows."

" Yea , Remy's really happy. I met em both at the Boo Boo Burger in Potlicker Flats. I don't think John's ready to come out till after graduation tho." She looked at the girls eating cotton candy close by, then leaned forward, and gently kissed Abel on the lips.

" Was it like that?" She asked.

If he was startled, it didn't show.

" Naw...he kisses like a dude...like this..." His smile was nothing like she'd ever seen, and they kissed again, hesitant at first, and then softly tasting each other for the first time.

Pulling back, she couldn't stop the hammering inside her chest.

Abel couldn't stop looking at her.

" And I'm not wired that way..." He laughed softly, gently touching her neck. I'm so fuked he thought...