BLACK SHEEP | DW

017.

"i have been staying awake at nights, wondering if i should tell you"

it was friday, late at night, when angela had busted through venus's front door. it threw mr. murphy and bill of guard as they were playing an old record in the living room and sharing a bottle of wine.

"where is she!" angela exclaimed. it wasn't in an angry way, that otherwise might have made the two men think she was there to harm the girl, but rather in a desperate, disheveled way. "where's venus!" she cried again, her knees wobbling a bit as she talked.

"she's in the shower," mr. murphy stated confused, approaching the young girl. he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "my dear, what happened to you," he questioned as he suddenly noticed her scraped up face, like she had skidded across the concrete.

"can you tell her i'm here, please. tell her angela is here and needs to talk to her," she begged, choking back any emotion that pricked at her tired eyes.

bill nodded knowingly to his boyfriend, making his way up the stairs to knock on the bathroom door. venus's father, however, didn't leave the girls side. "do you need anything? are you hungry?" he questioned in good hospitality, steering her to the kitchen.

angela had never been to a home like venus's before, a rather normal home, so she acted a bit out of character to mr. murphy's surprise. but, the man was one of the least judging people you could meet, so he alas let her dig through his cabinets.

the girl pulled out a fist full of pixy stix, holding them up to the man. "can i have these," she questioned, waving them. she sniffled a bit, wiping her nose with her dirty sleeve.

"be my guest, anything you would like. it's yours," he said kindly.

angela almost busted into tears in that moment, looking even more of wreck than she had already. "god!" she exclaimed loudly. "why can't my dad be like you!"

venus had now ran down the stairs, clad in an unmatching set of pajamas as she had thrown them on quickly, and hair sopping wet from just hopping out of the shower.

"ang?" she questioned with much confusion. "what's going on? what happened?"

angela didn't reply, just sat there for a moment before bawling her eyes out. the girl pulled the crying teen by her arm, calling out to her dad and bill, "we'll be in my room!" as she dragged angela up the stairs.

slamming the door behind her, angela threw herself on venus's bed, exaggerating how disdained she had felt. "i can't believe it!" she said. "that car's supposed to be mine! they want to sell it! my aunt kathy gave me that car and my stupid parents want to sell it to blow their fucking money at the rodeo again!"

the girl wasn't sure how to respond. venus wasn't used to people telling her their problems, never mind knowing how to comfort someone who was, so she stood their awkwardly. "that car is mine!" she complained like a child.

venus hesitantly sat next to the girl, as she calmed herself down. angela tore open the top of one of the pixy stix, dropping the sugar into her mouth. "god, my aunt kathy was so boss, v," she said. "she had this sick tattoo on her shoulder of a cobra, and she once met elvis and he told her she was pretty," angela thought out loud.

"and she gave you her car?" venus clarified, confused at the situation.

ang groaned, rolling over to face the girl. "my parents are assholes in like eight different ways. i can't stand them! just wait til Dally hears about this. he'll flip!" she stated surely, tearing open another candy. "sorry, did you want one?" she asks.

the girl shook her head, now laying back on the bed with angela. "Dally's pretty cool, huh?" she asks, but immediately regrets it as she noticed she were thinking out loud.

venus couldn't be sure what drew her to be so intrigued by the boy, but nonetheless still found her mind wandering to him.

feeling the need to clarify her statement, she then stated, "i mean he gave me a ride home today, he can't be that bad?"

angela took a second after venus asked the question, shaking her head. "every town has that kid right? that kid that nobody talks to," ang sighs throwing her shoes off obnoxiously. "well if Dally comes to talk to you, you're fucked."

"oh come on, he can't be that bad," venus laughed, trying to convince once again, thinking the girl was being over dramatic, but she was only met with eyes: serious and cold.

"i once saw him hammer a number two pencil into a soc's hand, cause he wouldn't let Dal cheat off of him," she shuttered, recalling the memory. "you know that right? he's nothing but bad news. now i won't talk dirt on him, cause he's my buddy and all, but i think you should be careful. you're my friend, v, and i've seen how he treats broads around here. don't want that to happen to you."

"nothing will happen," venus assured her, shaking her head at the comment.

angela, content with her friends assurance, nodded, bringing the candy to her lips once more. "good," she stated. "cause he's been asking about you, and i don't think you should get caught up in all of his shit."

venus's heart dropped. he had been asking about her? Dally had been asking about her? she wasn't sure why her stomach fluttered, or why she felt herself getting giddy at the thought, but something in her regretted telling ang she wouldn't get involved with the boy. after all she did say that only before she knew that he might have liked her.

but that was wishful thinking. he didn't seem to really like anyone, not even sylvia when he was dating her, so she wasn't sure why she was giving herself so much false hope.

"you think your folks would mind if i stayed?" ang asked, snapping the girl from the tangent in her mind.

"only if you help me set up for the party tomorrow."

"deal."