Disposable

"The blood on my face? No, no…no. I’m fine. Its nothing. I just need a drink.”

Yeah, you always need a drink.

Jesse was sitting at the table with an opened box of pizza. He looked over at his son when he walked through the door. “What a shame…” Jesse sighed as he got up, and walked into the living room picking up a sleeping Wylie from the couch bringing him into the kitchen. “He was in the back yard eating the wood chips.. I got home around 4 p.m, Nico.” Jesse looked disappointed in Nico,”Do you wanna tell me why you didn’t know Wylie was gone from the house?….and why my chest was open?”

Nico was prepared for the worst -- hell, fire and brimstone. But he didn't receive it. Instead, he saw his dad sitting at the table with an open box of pizza, half of it already devoured by the large man. "What?" He blinked confusedly as his father stood and picked the puppy up from the couch. "Are you serious?!" His jaw dropped and his expression became incredulous. "Are you fucking serious?!" He shook his head, walking over to pet the dog though he was angry he'd spent three hours searching for him when he'd been home all along. "I looked away for one second, like I said." He took a step back, right back into reality as he realized his father was still plenty angry with him. "I didn't mean to let him out of my sight. And I couldn't find him, honest! The yard was the first place I loo -- " He stopped short, face burning red when Jesse mentioned his chest being open. "I... was going to take my tablet out... that's when I lost the dog." He admitted sullenly.

Charlie stood close to the bouncer and the boy, fingers picking furiously at the hem of her sleeves pulled down over her knuckles, eyes lifted as the bouncer mulled over the boys description. “Yeah.” Though it sounded more like a grunt, she was fairly certain that was what he’d said. “He was in here a while ago, said he was going to some other place, wasn’t listenin’.” Nodding her thanks and mumbling it over her shoulder, Charlie quickly grabbed the younger male’s hand and lead him back out of that bar and quickly down and across the street. “That place is horrible.”

Nico stared up at the man but, for whatever reason, couldn't understand him. It was probably due to years of chewing tobacco abuse. Charlie, however, had seemed to have gotten a general idea of what the bouncer had said and Nico was soon being pulled away from the bar. "So, he's not in there, huh? Where to now...?" Nico glanced down the street at a discreet corner bar with a metal staircase leading up to it. It had only small sign with an orange fox on it to indicate its existence. "He goes in there sometimes. Fox's Tavern..."

"Nico! What the bloody hell?! You better find him and I want him home right when I get home…jesus fucking christ." Jesse sighed at his son to himself. Even though Jesse was pissed he wanted to show his son what dumb decisions he was making. Also, letting Nico run around town looking for Wylie who is at home didn’t sound like a bad idea to be part of the punishment. "I mean it Nico! What were you doing that you weren’t watching him, eh?!"

Nico sighed on the other end of the phone. He knew there was no talking to his father, not when he was in this state, all he could do was agree. "I just looked away for a second, I swear..." He mumbled dejectedly before hanging up.

Linking her arm with the taller boy, Charlie lead him down the street towards the bat where all the toughest people hung out, almost as if just being there made them tougher, and it probably did. If there was some sort of violence on a weekend night in the news, you can almost bet that was where it would be. When they reached it, she pulled the door open, trying to keep her fear off her face as the bouncer looked them over with raised brows. “We’re just looking for someone. Describe your Dad, Nico.” 

Nico's stomach ached as they grew closer to the establishment. He could tell just by the people hanging around outside of the place that it was no good. He also figured it'd be the very place to find his father if not at ­­­Fox's tavern, which seemed to be Jesse's favorite place to go.

"Well…" She said, turning to lock the door behind them. "When my brother gets like that… I usually find him at that bar down the road, you know the scary one people cross the street to avoid. Yeah, there." The explanation was more a warning than anything else. "Let’s walk over there, and you can come inside so we can look together. I don’t want either of us going in there alone." 

Nico sighed then nodded, "Yeah, I know the bar you speak of. I even cross the road to avoid it. The people who hang out in there -- and the people who work there!! -- are shady... but, uh... yeah, okay. I'll feel better if someone's with me. Thanks." He slowly started to walk with her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Jesse was exhausted and hung over from the night before. It was a good thing that his work decided he could go home early so he could rest. Jesse felt bad for the way things went between his son and himself. He knew that he had to do some apologizing. He pulled into the drive way and saw his pit bull puppy outside and Nico nowhere to be found. Jesse got out of his car shoving his keys and cell phone into his pocket, and he wasn’t surprised to see Wylie chewing wood chips that were in the garden. “You little bugger..” He smiled and picked up the excited puppy taking all of the kisses the puppy licked onto his face. Jesse walked into the house giving Wylie a rawhide to chew on and walked through the house to see where his son was. “Nico!” He said loud enough for his son to hear him throughout the house and shook his head when he realized his son wasn’t home. Jesse walked into his room seeing the safe open where he would put Nico’s electronics when he was grounded and threw his keys onto the bed. He grabbed his phone and called Nico,”God damn it I’m gonna kick your ass..” He mumbled to himself as he waited for his son to pick up.

Nico was interrupted by the ringing of his phone -- his father's ringtone. "Shit." He mumbled, "Excuse me..." He said to the person in front of him with an apologetic smile. "Hey... Dad... Uh, little problem... I can't, uh... I can't find Wylie. I'm sure he's nearby, though! I'll find him before you get home, promise! Don't be mad, okay?"

"What do you mean drag you down with me?" Jesse looked confused at his child and shook his head. "Oi! Call me an asshole one more time…you’re grounded. Give me that." He reached over grabbing the can of beer taking a long drink from it. He chugged the rest and crushed the can in his hands. He threw it in the garbage next to him not taking his eyes off the television.

"Nothing. Forget it." Nico shook his head and stood up, walking away from his already intoxicated father and toward his bedroom. "I fucking wish you'd just... stop." He exhaled a dramatic sigh before slamming his door behind him.

"It won’t be any trouble at all. We’re closing early because it’s slow, so I actually have some time anyway." Thank god they were closing early because if she had to spend one more minute in this place she was going to tear her hair out in clumps. Shaking her head she waved away the money, nodded for him to follower her towards the door. "Nah, I already cashed out and I did pretty good today. Twelve hour shifts always bring in good tips." She’d made nearly a hundred dollars that day, and though all of it went to bills, she didn’t care. It was one less stress off her shoulders.

Nico felt bad that she wouldn't accept his money and made a mental note to try to slip it into her pocket or her bag, if she had one, given the opportunity. For the time being, however, he'd keep his money in his pocket. "Alright, if you insist." He shrugged his shoulders and stood, following the young woman out of the diner. "Where do you think we should start?"

Jesse sighed and reached over pausing the television. He did notice his child’s sarcasm, and it kind of hurt his feelings. Jesse knew he had a problem with his alcohol, and he guessed he deserved it. “Drink the damn beer, Nico.” He said softly as he took a large chug out of the can. “Sorry..I’m not perfect, yeah? I work my ass off to give you things and have this nice house. So at the end of the night if I want to have some beers I will without hearing your bloody mouth about it.”

Nico bit back the words he wanted to say to his father and swallowed them like bile, the sour taste it left in his mouth was dissatisfying and he decided to take another drink of the beer in order to rid himself of it. "Whatever..." He responded, slouching on the couch with his eyes on the TV. After a moment, the teenager looked at his father. "You don't have to drag me down with you, you know? And you don't have to be an asshole."

I act like you make a big mess? Nico, your room looks like a tornado went through it not once..but like three bloody times! So don’t make it seem like I am the one overreacting, boy. I’m glad you cleaned it up…I’m watching football and since your chores are done you can join me, yeah? Jesse looked over at his son and pulled out a can of beer from the cooler he had beside him. He threw it at Nico and grabbed one out for himself. 

Nico rolled his eyes at his father as the man over exaggerated again, then slumped closer to his dad, taken completely off guard as a can of beer was hurtled at him. He caught it and looked at it, blue and silver, in his hand. Swallowing thickly, Nico sat down beside his dad and popped the tab on the can. "Uh... thanks? I get rewarded with your vice of choice for doing what's expected of me." He shook his head, though Jesse wasn't looking, and took a very short sip of the beverage.

Charlie lifted a brow and leaned on the counter, looking him over and giving him a bit of a smile. She knew that tone, knew those words, having used them herself on more than one occasion. “Oh. Well… you can hang out here until I have to leave and then… maybe I can help you find him? Maybe he hung out the same places as PJ, though she was sure an 19 year old addict hung out at completely different places than a full grown one would.

Nico brightened at the offers, both of them, and grinned, nodding his head. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled up five dollar bill, handing it to the girl. "You can keep the change. I know you guys work off the tips." He was grateful that she'd offered to help him, however vague the offer might be. He was pretty alone when his dad was on one of his binges.

"Not diet, got it." Offering the kid a smile, she filled him a glass with root beer, stuck a straw in it and slid it over to him. "Oh yeah, I know him, see him around sometimes. Um… I haven’t seen him in here tonight though, I’m sorry. You can wait, though, was he supposed to meet you here?"

Nico graciously accepted the root beer, taking a sip before answering. "Well, I don't know. I haven't seen him in several hours, he should've been home already. I guess I was just hoping he was here and..." Nico paused, deciding on his words careful. "And not somewhere else..."

I’m trying to look at this tellie but you are distracting me. You finished cleaning your room, Nico?

Yeah... I cleaned it up like two hours ago. You act like I make a big mess, like I'm still little. What are you watching?