the woodpile.

“ oh, i see, this is a RICH PERSON game –– pass. ”

murphy was practically leaping out of her skin to tell the man before her the true reason behind her visit, though pale pink lips couldn’t form the words. despite the numerous scenarios she played out in her head of interactions to come after truth was revealed, the blonde choked in her moment of revelation; instead, she focused on the lighter topic at hand. “ printer paper & staple removers are very hard to come by on the streets, i need to replenish my stash. ” against her will, the words were stumbled through and bright blue eyes fell to the hands that were now folded in her lap. “ ... –– sounds BORING. ”

murph hadn’t bothered knocking as she walked into the older’s office, having been the second or third time she’d dropped by unannounced she figured pleasantries were long gone. her winter coat ( one she’d gotten for dirt cheap, mainly due to the fact it had more holes than it did fabric ) was draped over the arm she used to open the door, her other hand occupied with a cup of coffee that was now losing its warmth due to the cold weather. it didn’t take the blonde much time to make herself comfortable in a chair across from his desk, styrofoam cup placed closest to him. “ thought i’d drop by, bring you a little joe, steal some office supplies –– the usual. what are you up to, gargamel? ”

“ –– that’s what i’m BEST at, academically speaking. would engineering be a better choice, then? it’s still a component of stem, minus the science. maybe that’d weed out the ... sperm whales. ”

“ you got the money for all that? i charge interest, y’know –– i’m an entrepreneur, not a charity worker. creepy location? sure, why the hell not. where were you thinking? ”

“ i was thinking of something more along the lines of CASH MONEY, but ... what flavors do you got? ”

“ oh, i see, you hold the highest score? we’ll see about that –– what does it cost to play? ”

“ well OF COURSE you don’t because you asked it, but i’m willing to give answering it a shot if you ... i don’t know, reword it or something. ”

“ –– ... what’s it of, exactly? ”

“ i was thinking more about the emotional toll but .... tomato tomato, i guess. simpson characters? those little yellow thumbs that like donuts? oh c’mon, they don’t stand a CHANCE against me. ”

“ i have been flirting with older men to get what i want as soon as i developed BREASTS –– i know what i’m doing. i mean, i usually only buy cheap beer, but how different can it be for the stronger stuff? just tell me what you want & cough up the cash, you’ll be PLASTERED in no time. ”

pale digits wrap around the cold metallic surface of the stolen part as its hidden behind petite figure, brain switching from offensive to defensive. “ because i don’t have it and –– and i need it. why else would you borrow something? ” the blonde cleared her throat, anxiously rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. “ the guy i took –– borrowed –– it from, the cops ... the list goes on, really. ” there was a nervousness in her tone : she’d been only caught a handful of times, but never after the fact, always during. porcelain features were now warming with a shade of embarrassment before allowing her thoughts to spill out in a fast-paced manor. “ are you gonna snitch or not? ”

“ steal? i would NEVER –– i just borrowed this! ... without him knowing ... please don’t SNITCH on me. ”

“ do you know anything about the stem program here? upcoming freshman trying to weigh my options, y’know? should i stay here, should i go to hartford –– BIG DECISIONS! ”

“ i’d really like to believe there’s no such thing as a DUMB question, but right now i’m struggling. ”

“ i could fix that engine right up –– for a small FEE. ”