undenicblydead.
OPEN.
           it was bound to happen, eventually. really just a question of time and place, not of reason. there have been plenty of situations like this in the past, only with a slight difference         itâs the first time shit went down while they were all by themselves. a more or less reckless action behind the backs of everyone they know and trust, but maybe it was also just a question of  l u c k.  ( something they have always been running low on )
   [01:13AM]: parking lot behind the diner. pick me up?
           they hit  SEND  with shaky fingers, sucking on a freshly lit cigarette between their chapped lips and exhaling a cloud of nicotine into the chilly night after letting the smoke linger within aching lungs for a moment. this time they really got it. the first punch hadnât been too bad, the second one has immediately started to leave a  n a s t y  looking bruise on their cheek and the third made their nose bleed, heavily. the worst, by far, had been the kicking, though. a knee to the stomach and one right in the kidney, a kick into the ribs once their body dropped to the ground, legs too wobbly to keep them upright any longer. who wouldâve guessed that  talking back could get you into this much trouble  ?Â
           as the butt of the now burned out cigarette falls to the pavement, a car pulls into the parking lot, causing herschel to look up cautiously. it could be the group of hulky dudes, returning to finish their business. it could be the police to investigate whatever the fuck had been going on         god knows the people living close the diner had probably heard the whole thing. from where they are sitting in the shadows of the building, herschel lets out a long sigh of  r e l i e f  once realising who had arrived. the movement makes them wince, bringing a hand up to their chest, pressing against it carefully. a car door is slammed shut and footsteps approach them hastily.
           â        took you long enough.  â
          millicent had been looking forward to this day for the past two weeks ---- as always. it was her weekend off, the weekend she got to see avery again. as much as sheâd like to see her more frequently, she never had more than a few moments to spare ; busy working two jobs to pay rent while saving up money for avery. she rarely allows herself unnecessary luxuries, always sticking to the basics to scrape by. except for her â avery days â ---- during those, the female likes to go all out to make sure the girl has a good time. ( and she always does. millicent knows her well enough. )
          it just so happens that something came up, and avery was asleep at millicents place. her parents were stuck in traffic after their night out, asking millicent to watch the girl over night. and honestly ? she had never said yes so fast. avery fell asleep around ten pm after pleading to watch another disney movie. ( she didnât even get to the part in the princess and the frog where evangeline was introduced. ) millicent fell asleep around midnight, but a text eventually woke her up. a quick glance at avery, to see if she woke up as well, before millicent read the text. herschel.Â
          she doesnât respond. they know sheâll be there. but her first concern is: what about avery ? she canât leave her alone, canât bring her with her. not at this time. she could ask her neighbour down the floor, the one who always offers to carry her groceries upstairs as if he didnât have anything better to do. he had a soft spot for her, however, she couldnât return the favour no matter how hard she tried to get herself to. and, to her surprise, heâs still up. heâs willing to stay at her place for the time being, until she comes back.
          the drive to the diner was short, not only because she was hurrying to get to them, hurrying to get back to avery. part of her is upset with them, though she KNOWS herschel had no way of knowing about avery staying the night. she wants to reply with something snarky, the way she usually would. but thatâs before she sees the state theyâre in, and her playfully mad expression fades.
                            â oh, NO ----- what did you do ? â
