' the boys, the girls, they all like scarlet
she gives them butterflies, bats her cartoon eyes
she laughs like god, her mind's like a diamond
buy her tonight, she's still shining
like lightning, oh, like lightning
scarlet, scarlet, staying up 'til m...
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"bedrooms are all locked." sammi yelled at frank.
"what? why?" frank asked her.
"to keep you out of them. i boxed your stuff up and put a flea bomb in for good measure. box is in the backyard airing out." she walked into the kitchen where the rest of us were.
"where am i supposed to sleep." frank followed her.
"why do i care? you blew the money you promised you'd use to buy me a new trailer, so it's back to the gutter you slept in last night, or you're on the couch." sammi put pankcaks on a plate as frank tried to grab it but smacked him with the spatula.
"ow." he waved his arm around.
"and there are new rules around here: no money, no food. you want something to eat, you pay. and there's a curfew. no more coming in at 3 and walking the whole house up anymore. doors will be locked at 10:00." she set a plate down.
"10:00?" me, debbie, and carl shouted.
"you gotta be fucking kidding me!" carl yelled at her.
"no fucking way. you don't make the rules in this house!" i yelled alongside carl.
"whoa, whoa, whoa! young ears. doors will be locked at 10:00, no expectations. things are changing around here. should have changed years ago." she walked up to the table and then back into the kitchen to grab a coffee cup.
"10:00? liam stays up later than that." debbie shouted at her.
"don't try me on this. it gets cold out there on the street late at night. believe me, i know." she got closer to us.
"ugh, whatever. i got to shop, get ready for school." debbie grabbed her plate and placed it into the sink.
"school doesn't start for two more days." sammi raised a brow. i got up and also put my plate away.
"yeah, middle school starts in two days. high school starts tomorrow." debbie stood next to sammi.
"tomorrow is your guy's first day of high school. aww. oh, girls, are you scared?" she hugged me and debbie.
"no." debbie said as we just stood there.
"i'm literally in the year above her." i pushed sammi away.
"well, i hated ninth grade. almost got raped by the entire wrestling team on my first day. never should have worn a tank top without a bra." sammi sighed.
"you guys should dress downy like that again tomorrow. be safer that way." she pulled on debbie's shirt.
"oh, oh, oh. and don't forget to pee before you leave home. bathrooms are a nightmare ukrainian girls beat me up my first week because i didn't have any cigarettes. last time i went to the little girls bathroom without a pack of virginia slims." she opened up the fridge.
