a study in survival

Kelly Darling. 19. Not interested.

[kellyyourdarlings]

notderekjeter:

“I wasn’t drinking alone. I just ended up alone,” Derek protested, though he didn’t look particularly broken up about it. He was a good spy because he was observant and good at listening; he could be better if he started drinking. Tonight had been his first foray back into it after a bad episode a year ago, an event he didn’t care to remember. 

“You’re here, aren’t you? Or are we not friends yet?” Derek probed, grinning goofily. The ‘yet’ was intentional, because he was damn well going to try to get in Kelly’s good graces. If she had any. At least he was having fun trying to find them. 

“Okay,” Kelly drew her vowels out as she rolled her eyes, “Then you should be drinking with people who won’t leave you alone to make an ass of yourself.”

Her chin retracted into her neck in disgust at the suggestion of being friends, her entire body rejecting the idea viscerally. She didn’t need friends. At least not at the moment when she was about to make some stupid decisions. The dumbest decision yet was thinking that she could balance a drunkard on the back of her bike, but she didn’t see much of a choice when she had finally let her Frankenstein of a sedan go to pasture. 

“Yet,” she grumbled, shoving a helmet into his hands before deciding that she couldn’t trust that and dropped the thing onto his head herself and shut the visor.. “I got somewhere to be tonight so tell me where I’m taking you and let’s get outta here.” 

[kellyyourdarlings]

jesse-childs:

Jesse paused to consider her question before responding, willing to acknowledge that the more he learned about himself the less grown up he felt. Murdering a man had only made him feel that much more like someone who was just in over his head. “It usually takes a trilogy, huh. I got time.” He decided. 

He cleared his throat to smother the response to her eyeroll, taking note of her increased annoyance with him because Jesse was always keeping score. He shrugged lightly, his arms held out to the sides as he considered calling bullshit on her putting him behind bars if she’d known. Kelly wasn’t sloppy. Jesse was confident that if there’d been anything to find she would have found it and made sure that he was sent away for as long as possible.

His eyes widened as she apologized to him, her reluctance failing to detract from it at all. “You’re sorry?” He would have called bullshit on that too if he didn’t believe from the bottom of his heart that Kelly wouldn’t be caught dead apologizing to him for any other reason. “You were right, though. They should have listened to you. And made you a job offer, probably.”

Kelly stared at Jesse for a prolonged moment when he said ‘trilogy’ when as far as she knew, he’d only hit the first one. More questions arose in her head about who was two and three but she decided that it would be more fun to find out for herself. 

The irony that she would’ve made an excellent detective didn’t elude her at all considering her torrid family history with the town gang. Maybe she could’ve found a better way to staple herself to the community than blood and motor oil but she decided that if she was going to concede to her fate, she may as well do it with some amount of satisfaction. 

Finally rising from her seat, Kelly adjusted the coat on her shoulders like a cape. She looked like some kind of admiral or mob queen, her hair a golden halo beneath the street lamp and her eyes blackened by shadow. 

“I’m sorry you’re going to have to die instead,” she said baldly, her gaze flicking up at him with a renewed layer of ice from her frozen tears. “Whitewater needs to leave this town and what better sacrificial lamb to offer them than the corpse of the guy who killed their own?”

[kellyyourdarlings]

notderekjeter:

Derek could count on one hand the number of times he’d gotten drunk. In fact, he didn’t even need a whole hand, he just needed two fingers. Because that’s how many times he’d ever been plastered enough to see double. Including this time, right now, at this moment. 

He hadn’t realized he’d been babbling all this aloud to whoever was kind enough to usher him out of the General’s until he stopped talking, the silence stretching between them too obvious to ignore. “So how many times have you gotten drunk?” Derek asked, trying to be conversational and nearly tumbling into the road for his efforts.

So much for incognito. Kelly was hoping that she could make a quick stop at the General’s for some liquid courage before subjecting herself to the shady underbelly of Belts and Bumpers but as fate would have it, she found herself stuck on babysitting duty again. Derek wasn’t a friend but he smiled too much not to trigger every instinct Ben had ingrained into her over the years. 

“Enough times to know not to do it alone,” she replied curtly as she jerked him back onto the sidewalk with a sharp pull. “What’s wrong with you? Where are your friends?”

[kellyyourdarlings]

sorenrockwell:

where?  well last he remembered, st sabrina’s wasn’t a dorm room with a stage at one end and beds and bathroom at the other.  they had these miraculous thing called ‘walls’, which made ‘rooms’ and and even more stunning invention called ‘doors’.  which could be closed… or possibly slammed in your face.  

“yeah - i heard you.”

it’s a simple reply.  soren wondering if the substance of her words were anything more than a slicing attitude.  an echo of whatever upset or frustration he had stumbled into - fractious, defensive, bitter.  the anger of youth at a world which hadn’t filed down those sharp and abrasive edges, cutting as much inward as they did outward.  home and place of work as a single entity was a similar thread though… no real separation between the two.  but he lets her choose the direction of travel, the place to pause - to talk - to select her own bubble of privacy or otherwise.

“lead the way.”

Kelly lead him into the club, the booming bass reverberating through the entirety of the place loud enough to shake out the day’s woes. She looked around impassively at the drunken patrons and hustling girls, finding that overexposure had turned her off from the allure of the club over time. The smell of liquor made her sick but the thought of Ben and Jesse made her sicker so when she made it to the bar, she ordered six shots of Jameson off the bat. 

“I got some bad news over Christmas,” she explained, pushing three of them over to Soren. “I’d rather just forget about it, though.”

[gothical]

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I don’t care if I don’t look pretty  Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking

[kellyyourdarlings]

sorenrockwell:

as his company is so clearly distasteful, standing from the bench and retrieving his beer.  for all he might invite himself into things, he’s more than happy to be disinvited and barely lingers where his presence isn’t wanted.  and as she seems to neither want nor need that nor his conversation - he sets to continue on his own way.  sure that the blurry makeup will be washed away, a mask of something that gives away the slightest hint of fallibility, and forgotten.  

at least she’s not sitting alone on a bench in freezing weather crying into the wind.  

theres a glance at the door, then back at the young woman as she lets the coat slip.  perhaps it’s some manner of vanity that he should be appreciating.  he doesn’t.  vanity gave way a long time ago to things like spirit and fight.  perhaps, if he were a younger version of himself, the simple visual would have been a temptation unresisted.  but for all he’s fond of a play on words and something for comedic effect, he’s too damn old for games.  

taking a few steps closer, the lines on his face are probably more visible in the light - stark difference in age apparent.  and the look on his face isn’t one of some lustful youth excited at the potential of a party or a ‘show’ - but something rather more calculated and surprisingly free of his usual bullshit attitude.

“you want company and someone to talk to - sure.  i make a good enough sounding board.  those tears didn’t spring from nowhere - yeah… your makeup is all…”

one hand makes a slight motion to his face.  a vague wave.  whether she thought it was noticeable or not..  

“or – you want to ditch me at the bar and disappear - no problem - i can just as easy be on my way right now.”

Kelly batted her lashes, her expression as vacant as her eyes were. There was no trace of residual emotion that lingered and had it not been for the streaks on her cheeks, her tears may have seemed like a trick of the light reflecting the glitter off her face. She considered him passively for a second, taking in the image of him without the hindrance of shadow. He reminded her of her father.

“Where would I disappear to? I said I live here,” she reiterated, her voice cool. “We can talk inside. I have a bar tab.” She turned towards the mouth of the club, subtly swiping beneath her eyes to clear away a little more mascara as she entered. 

[kellyyourdarlings]

luketherascal:

Luke pretty much maintained a good relationship with all of his employees. He was a fair boss, pretty lenient as far as he was concerned, so long as people actually showed up and did their jobs well. He and Kelly had had no issues so he was genuinely disappointed to see her go. 

“Higher than the best club in the area?” Luke asked, half teasing. He knew it wasn’t really a glamorous job and people rarely stayed in this business forever, but still. He too glanced over at the girl who was climbing on stage. At least she looked like she’d be able to make it up the pole. Whether she could do anything up there remained to be seen. He sighed and leaned back when she explained further. “I know, I guess I just hoped it would be later. And hey, spinning around half-naked makes you a lot of cash so if your important thing that you need to do involves money, you’re golden.” In spite of his curiosity, he wasn’t going to ask outright what she had to do. It wasn’t really his business and, given the life he lived, he knew when not to ask questions and just leave things lie. If she chose to tell him on her own, though, that was something else entirely. 

Kelly might’ve cracked a smile at Luke’s comment if she was the sort to crack smiles but she tightened her lips in half an effort to show her appreciation of his attempt to lighten the mood. Though Kelly was always certain of the things she did, her confidence wavered to and fro when it came to her decision to join the Rascals when her motivations had been flimsy at best. She wanted to hang onto what she had and if it was a muddy legacy, then she’d take it by the horns. 

“I’m joining the Rascals,” she told him bluntly. “I need respect right now, not money and unfortunately, this town hasn’t evolved enough to realize that a woman taking her clothes off is the biggest strength she has in her favor.” It was a depressing truth, but Kelly could acknowledge it despite her beliefs otherwise. She watched the girl on stage spin and do her best at seduction. It was passable so she make a note on her notebook.

“That’s good enough. Come back tomorrow with bigger shoes and we’ll see what we can do with you.” Kelly turned to Luke, dropping her chin into her palm as she rested her elbow on the table. “I’m not saying I want to be your boss, but I want to be your boss. Eventually. I have bigger conquests first, like my mother’s title and then we can see what we can do about that whole dirty pimp thing. The club’s full of girls. Don’t you think that it should be run by someone who can relate?”

[kellyyourdarlings]

sorenrockwell:

“nope.”

another shrug.  he’d just thought to make sure she was okay, but if she was intent on pulling apart what ( little ) he had to offer, then he ‘s likely to think twice about it.  smudged mascara or not.  probably a stupid ass thing to do anyway.  he doesn’t get involved in peoples business, and for good reason.  hell, for all he knows, she’s having some melodramatic meltdown over a broken nail… or… something.

“but it’s an easy way to while away a couple hours.”

there’s a glance down, jeans smudged with oil, shirt stained with grease.  there hadn’t really been a reason to get changed into sunday best for a walk to the store for beer.  not exactly the kind of getup that went over too well - even in a podunk town like muddy, there were still… standards.  even if they were relatively low.  not that he particularly cares - the scathingly low expectations of soren wouldn’t scrape much lower.

still.  as much of a bastard as he can be, there’s still a crumb of moral decency in there.  probably.  and he doesn’t want to go wandering off while she freezes in the cold with - whatever the drama of the evening was.  especially not with the amount of strangers flooding into town.  not so much one to trust his neighbours, let alone a new face.  only the rascals had any kind of pull as far as tentative loyalty.

“depends.  would i be goin’ in there alone or you think y’might be gettin’ a little tired of the chlll out here.  even if the party sucks, least it’ll be warmer.”

Kelly tilted her head back until the lamplight illuminated the entirety of her face with glaring emphasis on her displeasure of his wheedling. She looked like the picture of her mother then, her eyes cool and murderous, her hair nearly white under exposure. She didn’t mention anything in regards to the lack of acknowledgment of her glittery attire, figuring that standing up would’ve answered any questions about where she was going that evening.

She towered in plastic heels and she didn’t so much as take his elbow to lead him inside as they were told, instead, she just swiped a tear track from her cheek and looked at him from over her shoulder as she head towards the door. 

“I live here,” she told him baldly as she shed the coat from her shoulders like snake skin and unveiled a number that did little to feed he imagination as she stepped into the glow of the red light of St. Sabrina’s. 

“Are you coming or what?”

[kellyyourdarlings]

luketherascal:

Luke remembered, after blinking at the stage a few times and hearing Kelly’s comment, what he’d dozed off during. Kelly was vetting the new girls for the club to fill some of the recently vacant positions, including her own, and Luke had been sitting in to casually supervise. Clearly, no one had been very impressive if he’d drifted off and this last girl was clearly hopeless. In spite of some people’s opinions, Kelly had been good at it and he still wished she hadn’t quit. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and got up to sit beside Kelly, waving at the mess on stage. “You can go.” He didn’t have time for supposed strippers who couldn’t work the pole. 

Settling, he turned to Kelly again. “Remind me again why you quit? Because not having to fill your spot with some no talent wannabe would be great.” 

Kelly could admit that she’d grown fond of St. Sabrina’s, to her own dismay. The girls there had become somewhat of a family to her despite her insistence of keeping herself isolated in a frosty castle. To think of leaving the troupe to join another felt a little like betrayal but at the very least, the club was still under Rascal ownership for now.

“I have higher aspirations,” she replied simply, casting a long glance over at the next girl climbing on stage. She was blonde and sprightly which reminded Kelly of herself last year, if she could even describe herself as sprightly. Her allure had been less cheerleader and more girl-next-door but she lived on top of the club now and the only neighbours they had were the rowdy patrons downstairs who didn’t care about how high her ponytails were. “There’s something important I have to do and I don’t think spinning around half-naked on stage is going to help be very much help to me achieving them. Maybe I’ll come back one day... but you knew I’d have to quit sooner or later.” Kelly heaved a sigh. “It’s just sooner than later, I guess.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

browniesnbruises:

Bailey’s stomach turned at Kelly’s conviction, and for a moment, it could’ve been Mary in front of him, bloody and just as unwavering. He sighed and drew his foot back on the pavement, smearing black ash through snow. “Keep in mind that I’m still an ex-con scouring dumpsters for happiness.” His grin was mirthless and tired, turning to wave her away. “Keep thinking about what you really want. Leaving isn’t as easy as joining.”

“Maybe that’s because you still think you can find happiness in dumpsters, Uncle Bailey.” Kelly touched the inside of his elbow as tenderly as she’d touch anybody in a long time. On most days, she felt pity for him that she didn’t feel for a whole lot of people. Maybe it was because she had wished for a better outcome from something she’d always wanted for her mother.

“Get home safe,” she said over her shoulder as she head back into the mouth of the music.

[kellyyourdarlings]

luketherascal:

Things were actually somewhat decent for Luke. The holidays hadn’t been entirely awful, though Daria had been weird for a while until he’d essentially forced her into a conversation. He’d basically asked her on a date because of it, though, and planned to show up for said date later this week when he knew she had a free evening. Also, his back was finally mostly healed from the damn Halloween fire so he could actually cross his arms and shrug again without searing pain. There were still scars, but those would probably be there for ages and it wasn’t like he was a stranger to scars. At least they didn’t hurt anymore and that was the important part. All in all, things were…pretty good. Maybe it was because of this unforeseen stroke of good luck that Luke had let his guard down and actually dozed off in public. A noise startled him awake though and he looked around, unsure of where he was for a moment. “What the hell was that?” It wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, just whoever happened to be nearby, or if no one was nearby, a general exclamation. Hopefully his luck wasn’t suddenly taking a turn for the worse. 

Ever since Kelly announced her resignation from the club, there was a new drove of girls swarming the doors, all with their own resumes stacked with daddy issues and drunken dance moves. With the whittling number of dancers, Kelly felt a little obligation to weed out the pack out of respect if nothing else for her boss. St. Sabrina’s was a shithole but it had become her shithole and at the very least, she could take on the responsibility to pack it with quality shit. 

The recent girl who tried to spin on the pole came crashing down into a glittery mess on the stage, her collision with the floor rumbled through the entire club when the music scratched out in an abrupt stop. Kelly tightened her lips as she looked at the mess of extensions and fake nails writhing on the floor before tossing a glance over to the dark corner Luke had apparently fallen asleep in.

“Sorry, Luke. I thought a girl with shoulders like that could at least make it up the damn pole.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

browniesnbruises:

Bailey didn’t disagree, but he wasn’t so sure what the argument was anymore. He’d thought he was talking a teenage girl away from a life of hard crime, or at least through a bad breakup. “Is this about feminism?” he asked, frowning. He didn’t have the tools to discuss the topic, and it was safer to stay away from it when the other party was a Darling. 

“Never mind. You’re right, it’s not fair to women and the men are animals. I’m not denying that. It just doesn’t sound like something you want. Never has been.” Kelly was a smart girl, and she shared a lot of similarities with Lily. Perhaps that accounted for the urgency building within him like burgeoning dread. “Wait until you’re sure,” Bailey said. He dropped his cigarette into a puddle of slush and flattened it with the toe of his shoe. “Absolutely sure.”

“It’s about leveling the playing ground, Uncle Bailey. I’m sick and tired of boys calling the shots and deciding deadbeat losers make better friends than us.” The Rascals and Muddy Waters was a poor metaphor for Ben and Jesse but it was big and it was ambitious, which made it a perfect quest. College would have to wait, but not too long. She was still naive enough to believe that she could get out once it was all said and done for. Massachusetts was a long way from Illinois.

Kelly stood with new vigor, her tears having dried in the winter chill. “I wasn’t sure before, but I am now,” she said. “Thanks for the chat, Uncle Bailey, you really helped me make up my mind.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

jesse-childs:

Jesse was fully prepared to disregard Kelly’s response or opinion, expecting something along the lines of ‘gotcha, sucker’ instead of the approval that he perceived instead. He stared at her as she held his chin, his lips parting and a cloud moving across his features. He guessed that it didn’t change anything but for fuck’s sake, it felt good to be seen. 

He inhaled as she let go of his face, only then realizing that he’d been holding his breath. He leaned back, still reeling from the fact that Kelly had used the word ours not once but twice in reference to the both of them. “She’s pretty anti-homicide.” He muttered absently, his brow furrowing as he stared at something behind her head. His jaw clicked into place as he met her gaze again, the word pitiful replaying in his head on a loop. “It wouldn’t make for much of an origins story if the first time wasn’t sloppy. I had to leave room so I could come of age in a compelling progression.” 

He moved to stand, his ass freezing from the cement he’d been perched on. It made him wonder how she was coping in lingerie there, his layers of clothing only doing so much to insulate him against the pervasive wind. “You tried to sell me out to the cops, right?” He asked, jamming his hands into his pockets.

Kelly leaned back against the bench when he stood up, a cloud of condensation billowing from her mouth like clouds in a breath she didn’t know she was holding until it was gone. She stared up at him, expression icing over when she realized it had shifted from its frozen judgment. “So are you of age now or are you still coming?” It was the burning question of the evening and a (big) part of her wanted to know if she had been right about Jesse Childs this entire time. Were there going to be more bodies? Was he the second coming of God? The prospect of a new chapter in her dossier was more exciting than she thought it’d be. It was certainly better than a new chapter about him and Ben discovering each other’s prostates for the very first time.

Kelly’s face deadened when he brought up the police, the reminder of how the receptionist had rebuffed her very thorough documentation setting her eyes rolling skyward. Her second biggest mystery was how Jesse suddenly had the entire female population of Muddy Waters buried in his pockets. “I didn’t try to sell you out to the cops, I did. If I had known my theories had hard evidence, I’d have found it and you’d be behind bars and maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.” Whether she was grateful or disdainful of that fact was left swimming in ambiguity due to her lack of emotional pitch. 

“But I suppose,” she glanced sideways. “I’m sorry.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

sorenrockwell:

there’s a quirk to sorens lips at the question.  and over the years, he’s learned the difference.  alone and lonely weren’t the same thing.  you could be ‘alone’ but not lonely… and you could be ‘lonely’ even when you weren’t alone.  he’s more than comfortable slotting into the former category.  and while the question might have been nothing more than casually observational, somehow soren doesn’t think that it’s one that’s plucked from a place of obscurity… perhaps a little more relevant than the young woman might like to admit.

“i dunno… is it?”

a slight shrug, head tilting.  cold or not, it wasn’t enough to freeze the smudges of makeup at her eyes.  the aftermath of tears shed alone.

“scootch…”

an angle of his head as he rather ungracefully invades he space, invites himself to the bench and sends a small grin sidelong.

“see, me n’my six buddies here were gonna go while away the small hours.  but there’s room for one more if’n you wanna join us.  i mean, i get why you might not wanna - quite the party you got goin’ on right here.”

Kelly hated making room for people, preferring to take up as much space as possible when she spent so many years trying to make herself smaller and obscure as to not ruffle any feathers. She commanded the stage at St. Sabrina’s with authority she’d never had before and all eyes were on her, marveling at a body they’d so desperately tried to bury. She’d call it poetic if it wasn’t so terribly cliche.

Still, she moved aside for Soren, batting her eyes lazily like a cat who’d claimed a spot on the bed and judged their human every minute they sat there. There was nothing appealing about this man or his offer, but she was sad and she was lonely, which made a perfect recipe for bad decisions. “You really think a six pack is a party?” she asked without accusation. The club door behind them opened and closed, releasing clips of pounding bass to remind her that it was there. 

“Why don’t you come inside for a while? There’s a real party in there.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

browniesnbruises:

Plenty of the Rascals Bailey knew had joined for any number of reasons, whether out of loneliness or for glory or both. It wasn’t until he left that he realized the gang was a commitment of its own, not a placeholder for things to come. The Rascals had been as much of a family as it had been an employer, and it was easy to get lost in the first if you forgot the second.

“You can’t replace a person with a gang,” Bailey said. “It’s not just a club you join because you need a distraction. They might give you what you want, but they’ll ask for more. Make sure you’re ready for that.” He flicked ash onto the snow, dropping his head to watch the black flakes fall as he considered his words. He had a policy against telling kids how to live, if only because he barely knew how to manage his. But Kelly was as much kin as Daisy could never be, and a part of him felt like he should try for her.

“Mary was a queen, but look where she ended up. Where I did, or Noah. I don’t think that’s what you want. I don’t think this is what you want.” Bailey threw an arm out towards Sabrina’s behind her. “You’re just going to get more of both.”

Kelly’s lashes fluttered as if she’d been struck. “Can’t I? My parents always have.” 

Flicking the butt of her cigarette into the snow, she doubled down at the first sound of advice. She’d always dreamed of having involved parents but the reality of it was far less accommodating than fantasies of home-baked goods and excessive praise. “My mom ended up in prison ‘cause she tried to make a king out of a piece of trash. I’m not going to make the same mistake, Uncle Bailey. I don’t have anybody and I don’t want anybody. I want an empire and if Muddy Waters’ idea of a kingdom is ruled by gang warfare then I want the biggest one.”

“No offense to you and Mr. Soderburgh but don’t you think it’s about time the Rascals stop being such a boys club? If you’re going to claim ownership over a whole town, why aren’t there more women in the gang who aren’t just flag holders and strippers?” Kelly flicked her hand at the glowing red sign of St. Sabrina’s. “I don’t see any of you guys taking your clothes for money. The fastest way any of you can make a buck is in some grotesque, hyper-masculine ritual at the fight club.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

browniesnbruises:

Bailey’s chest constricted at being called uncle, brows furrowing as he cut a glance at Kelly out of the corner of his eye. It was a strange thing to be called something he thought he’d lost the right to, even if everything else that followed was nothing but contempt. 

“Still scouring,” Bailey said, exhaling a plume of smoke. He gave her a searching look, vaguely displeased that the cold was sobering him faster than he appreciated. “What problems are you having that you think joining the Rascals will solve them?” There had to be a reason, or multiple, and none of them included loyalty to a gang she despised. 

Kelly ashed her cigarette as she glanced to Bailey, the cherried end of it burning close enough to her fingertips to be uncomfortable. She thought about the answer. Her reasons why made sense to her. It was a combination of everything. Stress, Ben, existential dread and the pressure of work and school. Above all, it was an unyielding beast inside of her that howled for companionship in violence. Mindless, bloody violence. 

“Mr. Soderburgh brought me my mother’s bike over the holidays and I thought... my mother was a queen  among the Rascals. They’d follow her to the ends of the Earth and back again. I want that.”

[kellyyourdarlings]

sorenrockwell:

there’s a six pack in a plastic carrier bag swinging by a loop from two fingers.  that was the entirety of the nights planned entertainment.  st. sabrinas was altogether a different kind of entertainment - one he had frequented in the past, though not one he was intending on visiting tonight.  then again, the performers were usually to be found on the inside, not freezing their asses off on an iced bench.

heavily booted feet slow, finally halt a few feet away.  he could have driven the distance to the store in the pickup, but aching muscles didn’t do so well left idle.  an echo in his mind, an undetermined voice - ‘walk it off’.

“why?  you plannin’ on quittin’ because of impendin’ hypothermia?  ain’t no kinda place to be takin’ a timeout, ‘specially in weather like this.”

Normally, Kelly would’ve been well prepared with icy barbs to exchange for sarcasm. The cold winter weather always loaned her comfort but that night, it did little to stem the ache of her broken heart. She glanced at the man who she only vaguely recognized without bruises on his face. (It made her wonder if she too was the same way: invisible until she was black and blue.)

“The cold doesn’t bother me,” she replied, swiping moisture from her face and schooling her expression into something neutral before she turned towards him. Her eyes dropped to the weight in his plastic bag, knowing too well what a six pack sounded like. “Lonely night, huh?”