tulip [S. Harrington]

{ 5.} Dustin's Side Mission

C h a p t e r 5
DUSTIN'S SIDE MISSION

"ALL RIGHT, SO lemme get this straight," Steve said as him and Dustin tossed chunks of meat along the train tracks. "You kept something you knew was probably dangerous, in order to impress a girl who..." he trailed off, throwing another few chunks of meat. "Who you just met?"

"Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things," Dustin told Steve defensively.

"I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?" Steve asked.

Tulip shrugged as she chewed on a Twizzler, "I don't know," she said, "it sounds pretty cool now that I think about it."

Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. All Tulip knew was that Steve didn't need to know her standpoint on the topic, as long as it backed her brother up she didn't care.

"Exactly," Dustin said. "An inter-dimensional slug? Because it's awesome," he laughed.

"Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just..." Steve stumbled over his words. "I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard."

Tulip turned to look back at Steve from her place beside her brother, "Why wouldn't you put effort into something worth the time?" She asked him. "Effort is all anyone really asks for."

Steve listened closely to what Tulip said, absorbing each word like some sort of human sponge, "Really?" He asked her.

"Well, yeah, of course," Tulip nodded. "Sure, sometimes it's possible to go a bit overboard, but it's the thought about everything that really counts. Why be with someone who puts little to no effort in you?"

"Because..." Steve said, not knowing exactly how to elaborate himself. "Just because."

"Wow, somehow you've made things much clearer, Steve-O," Tulip told him sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Steve along with a small scoff.