A/N: A little bit of a history lesson in this chapter about the 80s in NYC, both good and bad. This chapter was a bit longer than usual. I'm aware that 42nd street is a street in NYC, but for the sake of it, there's one in the (later named) Go City, but more on that later. Song by Kim Wilde :)

Chapter 6- Fast Times at 42nd Street

or:

"Kids in America"

May 1986

Amber Carmichael's dad was a miracle worker. A week before Sheila turned twelve did the siblings realize they finally had enough money for the treehouse. She didn't care in the slightest that her birthday was being spent finally handing the money over to Amber's dad so he could build the tree house for the next month. Their father would have no choice but to be well-behaved, and the treehouse would lead to their future protection. When it came to their father occasionally drinking, he would do it at his bar.

Away from the house.

Sheila, Melvin, and Henry felt they could breathe easy.

It wouldn't be very big, but it was big enough for the five of them. Sheila was thankful for the fact that they didn't live in the center of the city, because then there would be no place for a tree house. They were lucky enough to have a large tree by their small home.

Though they didn't live in the center of the city, Sheila was still used to the sirens at night which were consistent and blaring. There were many people that were homeless. There were many people that were involved with stabbings and shootings. She was only twelve years old and knew about the drunks at two in the morning and the random needles scattered. She knew that there was a train close by that could take her to the middle of everything in a matter of minutes, but of course Henry wouldn't let her. He knew way more than she did, about how dangerous the subway was and the things that were shown on those streets.

This treehouse held so much hope.

"Happy birthday to me..." Sheila sang to herself with a little smile. "Happy birthday to me... Oh my god, Lizzie, get off of me!" She began to laugh as the family cat began to climb all over her while butting her head against hers. "Yes, thank you. It feels good to turn twelve. Yes, it does feel different. It's not like when Henry turned sixteen turned back in March though. I can't wait to turn sixteen. Felicity said that it's really important when a girl turns sixteen."

"Ugh do you have to talk to the cat? You sound like a crazy person," said Henry.

Sheila pretended not to be amused. "Hey, it's my birthday, let me be crazy and talk to Lizzie."

Henry smiled. He could let her be crazy on her birthday. "Fine. You're just going to have to come inside some time. Sitting out here and watching Mr. Carmichael put up the tree house isn't going to make him go faster."

"We can if we glare hard enough," said Sheila. However her smirk disappeared as the sight of Lindsay. Sheila didn't particularly care for Lindsay, and Henry knew that. Sheila called her a Madonna knockoff - but she tolerated her... barely. Lindsay wrapped her arms around Henry.

"We're all hitting the city tonight and you're coming with us," Lindsay said to Henry with a catlike grin. "It's going to be radical."

"But it's Sheila's birthday today," reminded Henry. "I can't just go..."

Sheila waved it off. "It's fine. I got my present. We're getting this tree house."

"Yeah, see!" Lindsay cheered, rushing over to hug Sheila as a way of thanking her. The younger girl stiffened from her touch. Lindsay let go and her eyes glimmered with hope in Henry's direction. "I'm surprised Nathan didn't even tell you anything about it." Henry looked over to Sheila, as if he were asking her with the look if he could go. Sheila seemed to read his mind.

"Yes Henry I'll be fine," Sheila chuckled. "Really honestly I don't care." It was true, to be honest. She was overjoyed by having a treehouse she didn't mind.

Henry pecked Lindsay on the cheek. "Guess we're going. What time?"

"You're picking me up at seven," replied Lindsay. "Bring at least two dollars for the train." Sheila frowned. Henry and his friends had gone out to the city before and had taken the train, much to his younger siblings' grief. For someone who preached about the subway being dangerous he sure would go out and into the city time to time. He didn't really start going into the city until he was about fourteen, to be fair, and he had the muscle to back it up in case he needed it.

"Hate that the price went up this year," said Henry. "Now it's a dollar a ride. They're trying to kill us, I swear."

"It went up ten cents," Lindsay said with a hint of amusement.

Deciding that she was tired of the conversation, Sheila took Henry's advice and headed inside the home with the cat following her. She saw her brother Melvin playing chess by himself while the twins ran around the living room. Melvin looked up briefly before going back to the game. "I really wish you wouldn't take Lizzie outside... she'll grab a bird or something and kill it like last time."

Sheila shrugged and sat across from him. "Not my fault if she follows me."

Melvin gave a grunt in response. "Did the Madonna whore leave yet?"

"Hey..." Sheila chided, though she couldn't help but smirk at the snarky comment. "You like Madonna."

"I do. But I just don't like Lindsay," Melvin admitted, with a scowl. "She just rubs me the wrong way."

Sheila raised a curious eyebrow. "Remember Bobby Moore who hated me back when I was little? Turns out he just liked me." She grinned a little. "I think maybe you like Lindsay."

Melvin wasn't even a little amused. "Not even a little," he says this with a deadpan expression that Sheila had never seen on his face. "She just really bothers me and I don't even know why."

"I hated her at first, now I just don't care for her," said Sheila. "But Henry likes her. He hasn't really forgotten about us since they started dating, so I'm fine with her if that continues."

Melvin appeared unhappy by his sister's opinion but didn't let it consume him. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

Sheila sat there awkwardly and watched as the twins began to push each other. She frowned at this, because it wasn't the playful kind of pushing. Wes had whined and aggressively shoved Wen to the ground who started to cry. She sighed in frustration and went over to Wes. "No. We don't push people here." She gently grabbed Wes' hand and brought him over to Wen. "Say you're sorry. No, no. Stop crying. Look at Wen and say you're sorry."

Wes' eyes were welled up with tears. "Sorry..."

"Now help your brother up and hug him," ordered Sheila. She watched in approval as Wes held his hand out for his twin brother and they both hugged it out. She ran a distressed hand through her hair. "Play nice. Both of you." It was like nothing had happened. The twins went back to playing their little game, whatever it was, neither of the siblings could figure out.

Melvin couldn't help but crack a grin. "Even on your birthday, your usual day off from helping the weasels, and you still do it."

"It's just second nature now," Sheila said with a careless shrug. She opted to change the subject. "What's seventh grade like?"

"Older, meaner, and it's no longer acceptable to play with a Cabbage Patch Kid," Melvin put in bluntly. "Not like any of us had one anyway."

"Amber told me that her mom got into a catfight with Sierra Dimino's mom at Christmas over those dolls," Sheila said.

Melvin snorted. "People are crazy," he said. "Well, it's not like you'll struggle in seventh grade anyway. Everyone loves you." The way that Melvin said the last sentence put Sheila off for a second. It was like he wasn't happy about it. Resentful, even.

"That's not true at all, those boys that pick on you hate me," Sheila said with a victorious grin.

"They don't hate you, they fear you. Big difference."

"Not really," Sheila disagreed. "I mean, it's not really different." A pause. She thought about the idea of bullies being afraid of her and nearly smiled. Good. Let them be afraid of her. Afraid of the damage she could do. Sheila knew it was weird to smile about such a thing, but she didn't care. "Fear comes from hate. Or is it the other way around? Either way it's almost the same." She waited for a second. "You know they're going to the city later? I mean, Henry and his girlfriend and a bunch of others."

Melvin looked up from the board again and rolled his eyes. "He can't just tell us that the city is dangerous and then go to the city."

"Well he has the muscle to back it up when he needs it," Sheila told him. "Maybe when we're older we'll be able to go to the city. I wonder if what he says is true. I mean, probably. Henry said he wouldn't lie to us when it came to stuff like that."

"Yeah, probably..." Melvin repeated, though he didn't sound to sure himself. He changed the topic again. "Are you happy?"

Sheila was caught off guard. What kind of a question was that? However, she had to think about it, and that in itself was concerning. "Right now because we're getting the tree house? Yeah."

"That's not what I mean," Melvin said. Sheila looked at him and saw something in his eyes that she couldn't fathom. Confusion. Lost. "Are you happy in general? With your life?"

Sheila bit her lip. How was supposed to answer that? How could you answer that? She was supposed to reevaluate her twelve years of life in a matter of seconds since her brother was probably waiting for a quick answer. "I could be," she finally said. "Are you?"

Melvin frowned, now looking away from his sister. "We'll see."

She didn't understand what he meant.

One word to describe the subway system: Graffiti.

Even outside of their local station, there was paint all over it, and it wasn't even an exaggeration. Most of it was scrambled writing with mainly profanity - but some of the graffiti was actually considered art. The variety of colors splashed together beautifully. The bubble letters were the most common among them. Too bad that it was considered vandalism. The point of graffiti was all about recognition up until the police showed up. Some people called it a disgrace, while others called it a masterpiece.

Upon entering the station, there was even more graffiti. Almost everyone was apart of the graffiti trend in the subway. Henry knew some friends that actually were partaking in graffiti art and had recognized some of their work while riding the train. "Stay close to me," Henry said to Lindsay. He knew about the crime in the subway. Someone could snatch someone's purse and get away with it scot free. He had seen it happen, but of course he couldn't do anything about it because these criminals were insane.

One day he might do something, though. One day something could change.

Instead of waiting on the side, Lindsay told him that they were going straight on the train.

"I thought we were waiting for Nathan?" Henry asked, confused.

"No, we're meeting him in the last cart. He's a few stops away." Henry didn't need her to say anymore. He knew that Nathan was involved with a successful business within their age group. It was definitely something Henry could've taken up on, and he was offered multiple times, but he said no. Marijuana wasn't a big deal to sell - and truthfully he's even smoked it a few times - but the last thing he needed was a criminal record god forbid he would get caught.

The inside of the train probably had more graffiti than the outside of it. It was considered normal. Riding the train a few stops in, Nathan had finally shown up on their cart.

"Wanna explain why I had to find out from my girlfriend about this meetup and not you first?" Henry asked with a grin, greeting him with their handshake. "And also—" He stopped and smelled the air that noticeably changed. He began to whisper: "Oh you reek of it. It's like you're trying to get caught."

Nathan shrugged carelessly. "Oh well. And I found out today too. I couldn't find you after school."

"Fair enough," said Henry. "So what are we doing?"

"We're all just hanging out, listening to music. Maybe we'll go to the arcade later," answered Nathan. Henry couldn't help but notice that Lindsay was smirking. He couldn't help but let his face fall slightly. When Lindsay had that signature smirk up, that meant she - along with everyone else around her - were going to get into some trouble tonight. That's just how Lindsay was - she brought everyone else along for the chaos.

"There's word going around of there being a beer bust," marveled Lindsay. "...and other things. But it'll be really, really fun!"

"I can imagine," said Henry. Lindsay laid her head down on her boyfriend's shoulder. Henry kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arm protectively around her. A story came to mind from a year ago. He and his group of friends were riding the train home together - past midnight - and one of his friend's girlfriends was robbed and beaten by someone on the train and everyone tried to jump in to stop the robber. There were many other instances of crime happening and they jumped in, but now Henry couldn't imagine if something like that happened to Lindsay. "Where are we getting off?"

"You know where we're getting off, silly," Lindsay said playfully, with a giggle. "We're getting off at 42nd street."

Fuck.

Henry did not show that he was nervous. 42nd street was wild. He's been there before only three times in his life. That's where the center of all the crime was. Not only that, it was a very... sleazy street. The street wasn't shy at all, and had a lot of personality to it, good and bad. "That explains a lot."

"Have you not been to 42nd street?" Lindsay asked, a little surprised. "It's totally bitchin'. That's where everything happens."

"No I have," corrected Henry.

Just every time he went there something bad happened, he added mentally.

For the rest of the train ride, which lasted roughly thirty minutes, they talked amongst themselves. Soon after, they got off at their stop. The train station here was just as bad as their local one. Henry, Lindsay, and Nathan ran up the steps to exit the station. And then, making it outside...

Chaos.

The moment Henry stepped out of the train station to the sidewalk, the sound of sirens plagued his ears. If he thought it was bad back home, it was nothing compared to this. The sound got closer and he saw three police cars drive by at a lightning speed. The sight was very disruptive. Horns were honking. Like Henry remembered, there were theaters - both inappropriate and not - scattered everywhere. There were a few arcades as well, some he was familiar with. He looked away as he saw an exchange between two people - one giving money while another giving a tiny bag. It was subtle, but noticeable to the trained eye.

He spotted the group of five - three guys and two girls - waiting to the side. One of them, a guy named Jason, waved to get their attention. Henry, Lindsay, and Nathan spotted them and they each greeted each other with a handshake. The girls all hugged each other.

"Up for the beer bust?" Jason asked the group. "What the fuck took you guys so long? We've been waiting for thirty minutes." He laughed though, to show that it wasn't mean spirited and that they were playing around.

"Train was delayed. You know how it is," Nathan offered as a way of explanation.

Henry smiled as Lindsay moved closer to him. "It was pretty bad," he said. Lindsay went on her tippy toes to peck Henry on the forehead.

Jason put up a grin when he saw the two. "Can't believe you two are together. This is the first time Linds has dated a guy who wasn't a total crackhead."

Lindsay gasped in shock. "That is not true!" Henry couldn't help but smirk at her reaction.

However, Nathan was the one that brought everyone back on track. "Okay... so let's get to the beer bust? We should bounce," said Nathan.

Henry sighed for many reasons. He learned from past experiences, not only was 42nd street fun and wild, but it was dangerous and unpredictable.

"I can't believe you actually got cake this year, mom," Sheila said genuinely, actually smiling. It wasn't much; just a small chocolate cake, but it was something. She took a bite of the cake and savored the taste. "Thank you. How did you get it?"

Her mother's face beamed with pride. "I may have put some money to the side for a little cake." They looked over to see that the twins faces were covered in chocolate. Melvin was about to get up and take care of it, but their mother wasn't having any of it. "Sit down, Melvin. I got it." Melvin and Sheila exchanged a look of surprise as their mother went over to wipe the faces of the twins. "It's upsetting that Henry that isn't here to celebrate with us."

"I told him to go," said Sheila. "I already got my present which is the tree house, and this is the only time he's off from work." She paused and took another bite of the chocolate cake. "He and his girlfriend..." She did not miss the way that Melvin rolled his eyes at the mention of Henry's girlfriend. She smirked just a little bit, but not enough for it to be obvious. "...and a few other friends went out to the city." A question came to mind. "Is the city really that bad?"

Their mother's lips formed a thin line. "Well... it depends where in the city. But I trust him. As long as he stays off of 42nd street he should be fine."

"What's on 42nd street?" Melvin asked.

Their mother's face fell significantly. "You'll learn when you're older." She reached over to the coat rack and put hers on. "I'm going to go to the market. Does anyone want anything?" Melvin and Sheila exchanged another look of bewilderment. They both shake their heads. "Okay. Well, I'll be right back. Don't burn the house down." And she left.

Once out of earshot, Melvin smirked in Sheila's direction. "See? She cares about us."

"I never said she didn't," argued Sheila, but this was a lie. "I'm saying she doesn't show it as often. That she's not reliable."

"Well look, she's showing that she's reliable."

"That's wishful thinking," Sheila marveled. She saw that she was almost done with her cake and frowned. "So uh... has anyone been bothering you lately?"

"No," Melvin answered, a little too quickly. "I think that people have been nicer, actually."

"Then why did you ask me earlier if I was happy?" Sheila asked. "You wouldn't have asked me that unless something was bothering you."

"It was just a question," Melvin snapped. Sheila blinked at the sudden change in mood. "I can't ask you a question?"

"I didn't say you couldn't, it's just a weird question to ask me," Sheila retorted, though her heart sank. She didn't like this. She didn't like fighting with Melvin. "Melvin what's your damage? You've really been a lot meaner."

"I've been meaner? You're the one that's always been negative no matter what. Mom's trying her best and you just can't accept that she's doing something right, can you?" Melvin fired back. But then he sighed, rubbed his forehead in distress, and got up from the table. "Look... I'm sorry, just... leave it alone. I hate that you bring up if anyone is bothering me. I can take care of myself. I can take care of me." Sheila gave him an odd look after he uttered that; it was like he was in deep contemplation. "Please forget it."

"...Sorry," admitted Sheila. She was glad that they didn't have a huge blowout fight. "What do you think Henry's doing right now?"

Melvin scowled and rolled his eyes. "Probably getting drunk with his girlfriend. I haven't forgotten about when Henry came home passed out drunk from that stupid party he went to. Mom was scared."

That the one responsible person in her life wasn't stable. Sheila thought. She bit her tongue so she didn't say that aloud. She didn't need Melvin to be mad at her again. "Yeah, she was." To be fair, Sheila was scared too.

The beer bust was successful. After they practically drank themselves into oblivion, they hit the arcades. Soon after that had happened, they hit the streets and walked around.

"That's bull," one of the girls, Maya, snapped. Henry frowned at this. Maya and Jason were arguing over nothing. Well, they were arguing over something insignificant that happened in their relationship.

"Is not," Jason slurred a bit. "You... you don't understand what it's like to be a man."

"You don't know what it's like to be a woman!" Maya shot back.

"Okay so neither of you are right," Henry said, trying to diffuse the situation, but was stopped by a tap on the shoulder by Lindsay. "What?"

"Don't bother," Lindsay whispered. "They'll argue over the size of the moon."

Just as their group was walking by, they passed by another group. This group is particular was a trio of men that weren't that much older than them, but they were dressed with a feminine touch to it, and one of them had a bit makeup on. They were laughing at an uproar. Henry noticed that his own group of friends eyed them, something that didn't sit right with him.

"That's the second time we pass by these homos today," Jason sneered after the group was out of earshot. "Can't they just leave?"

Henry frowned at the phrasing. "Well, there are a lot of people like that in the city. It's no big deal-"

"What are you saying?" Jason questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"They're just passing by," said Henry, with a shrug. "They're not bothering you or talking to you are they?"

"Actually they are bothering me Henry."

"How the hell are they bothering you?" Henry asked calmly, though there was more of an edge in his tone. Why were they even having this conversation? God he needed a cigarette right now. "They're just doing their own thing."

"Doing their own thing? What do you know about it?" Nathan asked cryptically.

"I don't know what two guys do together," Henry snapped. "It doesn't affect me, it's none of my business, alright? They're not stopping you or bothering you so why should you care? As long as they don't stop who gives a shit?" Henry saw that a cigarette was being offered and he took it in agitation and lit it. He inhaled the cigarette letting the smoke fill his lungs. The group stayed quiet, other than Henry, Jason, and Nathan, not pressing on the matter.

Jason shrugged at Henry's words. "They're killing themselves off anyway. Do you watch the news? Nature is taking its course."

Henry shook his head disbelief and chuckled uncomfortably. "Nah man, that's not right to wish on people's deaths like that. Believe what you want, but they're people first."

Jason smiled at Henry in a way that showed disbelief. "You need to get your priorities in order. Your mind is warped, man."

Henry suddenly wasn't craving the cigarette and put it out.

"Hey! You just wasted one of my cigs!"

Henry put his hands in his pockets instead. "Oh well." He passed by a liquor store. "I'll be right back." He knew this was illegal because he was underage, but it would not be the first time he had gotten beer at his age. What the hell was the harm anyway? He went over to the counter where the store owner was. "I'll take a six pack of..." He named the beer and the store owner didn't even card him. Henry paid for the beer and was on his way back. Frowning, he realized that his friends weren't there. He walked around a bit - it took five minutes - and found that his friends were by a corner of a market. "What the hell guys? I said I was gonna be right back!"

"Sorry man, something came up," said Nathan. He chuckled at the sight of Lindsay, who looked incredibly different and was giggling. "Damn... you're so high!" Lindsay cracked up and rubbed her nose in irritation. "Jesus, Linds! Okay, let's run back to the arcade..."

"Wait hold up a second," Henry cut in, a certain phrase that caught his ears. He turned to Lindsay. "You're high?"

Lindsay giggled obnoxiously and kissed Henry passionately. He leaned in, but quickly let go to see that her pupils were largely dilated and had a wild and crazed look to them. "Rawr!" She squealed. "I'm like a fucking lion!"

Henry looked over to Nathan. "What the hell happened to her?"

"Uh..." Nathan looked pretty reluctant to answer Henry's question. "She may have done a couple of lines..."

"She what?" Henry exclaimed, though honestly, he shouldn't have been as surprised. It was eleven at night in 1986. "Where the fuck did you guys get coke from?!" Henry would come to realize much later in the night that this was a stupid question. You could get cocaine literally anywhere on the streets because it was 1986. He was just too shocked to really think about it.

"Don't come at me, I'm just the messenger-"

"Nathan..." Henry growled at him, resisting the urge to smack him upside the head. He left for one fucking second and his girlfriend was currently high out of her mind? Well now all he had to do was wait it out. "You guys are nuts. Absolutely insane! And you let her do it?!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Lindsay said fifty times fast, giggling madly. "I still think you're cute, though. You're so tall..."

Henry sighed at her. He refused to take advantage of her like this. "Thanks, Linds. You're very beautiful, but you need to take it easy."

"It's not like anyone was going to stop her," Maya told him. Damn it, she had a point. There was no stopping Lindsay. "Don't have a cow, Henry."

"I am having a cow! She's completely..." Henry's voice treaded off. It was no use. For the next three minutes, Lindsay was trapped in her high, and would burst into fits of excitement. He looked at his girlfriend with worry. "I think we should get you home."

"C'mon, Henry, she's fine-"

"Look at her!" Henry interrupted, with a snappish edge. "She's totally strung out." And she was. Lindsay was already beginning to grow tired, her eyes dull and slightly droopy. The high was already beginning to wear off. Henry never took cocaine - and never will - but he had seen his friends use the drug and knew that the high lasted a good ten to twenty minutes before they began to crash. And they crashed hard. "Lindsay, we're going home."

"Huh?" She was totally delirious.

"What about the arcade?" asked Nathan.

"Fuck the arcade," said Henry. "I'll see you guys at school." He helped steady Lindsay and made their way to the nearest train station. Henry sighed, not knowing how the hell he was going to get her to her home. It was nearly midnight, when trouble really started to kick in not only the city, but in their neighborhood as well. They would be lucky if he and Lindsay didn't get mobbed or injured on their way back. It was going to be a long forty minutes.

"Henry," Lindsay said in a small voice. "My parents will kill me if they see me like this." Damn. Henry realized what he had to do. He was going to have to take her to his house. Because not only was she coming down from a high, but she was still incredibly intoxicated and reeked of alcohol. If he could get Lindsay to crash on the chair... but that would mean Sheila would have to share the living room. Plus, it would risk their dad coming in and potentially... fuck.

This was way too conflicting.

He could lose his reputation in school over this.

He could lose Lindsay over this if she found out.

But she couldn't go to her house.

As they rode the train - with her head leaning on his shoulder - he took a mental note on how none of Lindsay's girlfriends offered to take her home. It was actually pretty upsetting to think about. Did she really have anyone? It seemed like she didn't. Was he all she had? Lindsay snuggled up closer to him. Then, she says the three words: "I love you."

Henry didn't know what to say at first. She probably wasn't going to remember any of this, but instead he gently stroked her hair and said: "I love you, too."

"It's nearly midnight and Henry's still not home yet," their mother said with worry, her eyes looking down at the floor. Her husband had gone to bed early and she was still wide awake in fear. Melvin had put the twins to bed a few hours ago, and was getting ready to go to sleep too. Sheila however, wasn't going to sleep. She was prepared to wait. "Where is he?"

Sheila did her best not to lash out. This was not how this was supposed to go. Henry was smart. Henry was responsible. He should've been home by now. What if something did happen to him? It was dark out, it was dangerous. He would say this all the time. It would be the most ironic thing in the world if the person who preached about how dangerous the streets were, if said same person were to get injured on the streets.

"I'm sure he's fine," reassured Melvin, wrapping an arm around her in support. "You trust Henry, remember? I'm sure he's almost home by now. You should sleep." Sheila resisted the urge to roll her eyes in front of her mother and Melvin. He was probably incredibly drunk. Wouldn't be the first time. "Mom, go to bed." She looked very reluctant to do so. Sheila stared at her mother, seeing what she would do. It was a good test. Her face fell when she saw her mother stand up from the couch and give her and her brother rare kisses on the top of their heads. "Good night, mom."

"Good night," Sheila said shortly, and watched as her mother left the room. Once she shut her bedroom door, Sheila's fist curled up and her expression was nothing but anger. "She could've stayed. She should've stayed..."

"Shelly..."

"No really, why the hell did you tell her to go to sleep?" Sheila snapped at him. "She should've stayed. She should go to bed knowing that he's home, but he's not."

Melvin sighed. "All we can do is wait." Oh, and they did. They waited another fifteen minutes before a weird and unusual sound was heard outside their home. It was the sound of retching. Melvin exchanged a grossed out look with Sheila. The two of them went up to the window to see where that sound was coming from. There was Henry and Lindsay, and the latter was the one making the retching noises. The younger siblings watched as Lindsay threw up in front of the house, with Henry holding her hair back. Melvin rolled his eyes dramatically at the scene while Sheila looked on with disgust.

Their mother flew into the room in a daze. "What's going on? What's happened?"

"Nothing," Melvin and Sheila said at the same exact time. They glared at each other before the older of the two spoke up. "Henry just got home. He's in our room but don't wake him. He crashed, he's really tired." Sheila looked over and wondered what the hell her brother was talking about... and wait... did he just lie to their mother? Their mother looked skeptical, wanting to go in and check on him. Melvin caught onto this look right away. "Mom, he's okay. He just had a long day. Go back to bed."

She was contemplating. She really was contemplating. Then, she sighed. "I'll speak with him in the morning," she finally said. "Goodnight." And once more, she went back to the bedroom, clicking the door shut.

Sheila lightly slapped Melvin's arm. "Why did you lie?"

"Because she's going to worry. And I have a feeling..." Before he could finish that thought, Henry knocked on the door lightly. Melvin went over to open it, to reveal him and Lindsay, with the latter looking incredibly unwell. Melvin's point was just proven. "Just what I thought."

"Are mom and dad awake?" Henry whispered.

"Your breath reeks of alcohol, and so does she," Melvin spat in anger, glaring intensely. "So much for being the responsible around here, huh? And no, I told mom to go to bed. I saved your sorry ass."

"Melvin..." Sheila cut in, shocked that he was so angry. But she understood. Their mother was incredibly worried, and it hurt Melvin to see her that way. However, something strange caught her eye. Lindsay was consistently rubbing her nose. It looked like Melvin caught on too.

It was then the two siblings noticed that there were traces of white powder under her nose.

"She needs to stay here," Henry said, and the way he made it sound was like there were no other option. "Come on guys, please... her parents will kill her."

"That she's on cocaine?" Sheila said bluntly. Henry and Melvin looked absolutely appalled that Sheila would say that aloud. Lindsay was too tired to fight back. The oldest sibling stood there silently while Sheila went on. "Fine. She can stay here. I'm not responsible if dad and mom wake up and find her here." She moved to let Lindsay and Henry in the house. "Put her on the couch. I'll sleep on the chair." Henry gently lead Lindsay to the couch, to which she collapsed on. He put a blanket over her and she was out like a light.

Melvin glared at Henry. "Let's have a chat in your room."

"The twins are sleeping," Henry pointed out.

"Okay, then let's step outside!" Melvin retorted with a grim smile on his face. "Oh Sheila, you can come along too!" Melvin stormed out of the house, with Henry sighing and treading behind him, the same goes for Sheila. Melvin shut the door and crossed his arms angrily. "What is your damage? Why did you have to bring her here?!"

"She had no where else to go!" Henry snapped. "Don't get how this is any of your concern."

"It is my concern because you brought your coked up girlfriend into our home, where there are two toddlers running around! What if they were up and they saw her?" Melvin argued, his eyes red. "You were out in the city. Did you do any drugs with her?"

"No!" Henry said immediately. "I didn't! She's the one, who..." He sighed in frustration. "You just don't get it. You don't understand because you've never had a girlfriend. Hell, you never even liked a girl before."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Melvin asked, though by the way he looked, it seemed like Melvin was really insulted by what Henry said. "We're talking about the fact that it's Sheila's birthday, and instead of celebrating with us you went and got trashed."

"I told him he could..." Sheila said quietly.

"Yeah, see!" Henry pointed out.

"That's not the point! That doesn't mean you should've done it!" Melvin sneered. "You're so stupid."

"I'm stupid?" Henry repeated his brother's words in a fury. "I'm stupid? I'm stupid because I care about someone? Because I care about someone other than myself? You know all about that, wouldn't you Melvin?" Sheila didn't agree with that last statement.

"Maybe if you didn't bring your coked up girlfriend here then we wouldn't have a problem!" Melvin shouted at Henry.

"Shut the fuck up I'm trying to sleep!" A random stranger drunkenly yelled from somewhere. None of the siblings knew who this was. They all shrugged and took that as a hint to get inside.

Henry shut the door behind them. "Good night," he sneered to his siblings. He stormed away to his room and crashed onto his bed. He ignored his brother coming in. Some of this shit was too much for him. He could never catching a break from responsibilities.

Sheila went back to the living room and made her way to the chair. Her eyes go to Henry's girlfriend, who was sleeping soundly on the couch. Sheila's lips formed into a frown of disapproval. As she curled up onto the chair trying to get comfortable, the last thought that came to her mind was three words to herself: Happy birthday Sheila.