LOVE is DEAD [RARL]

2

"How far away did you park the damn thing?"

"Far enough from your house so your dad wouldn't hear me," Ron said, flicking his cigarette free of ash, boots crunching pine needles and leaves that littered the muddy ground of the clump of woods between blocks.

"Does he really scare you that bad?" Carl asked, taking the cigarette, puffing a short drag.

"No, I just have 20 g's down my pants."

Carl shook his head, silently damning Ron to hell. Of course he would drag him into a potential drug bust.

"Grams of what?"

Ron laughed, tossing his head back as they approached his bike, which was chained to a tree despite the vacantness of the small forest.

"S' a surprise, my friend."

"If this goes south," Carl crossed his arms, watching Ron with hungry eyes as he bent down to unchain his ride. "I'm not your friend. In fact, if anyone asks, I don't know you."

"Yeah, yeah. Now do you want me in your guts or not? We have 15 minutes." Ron stood with another sigh, rubbing grease onto his ratty jeans. Carl hesitated, despite the fact that they did this often.

"Usually only takes you five," Carl said mockingly, but he was already undoing his belt.