coldhearted

jaiden wasn’t exactly one to judge, he liked drugs, others didn’t have to. just politely decline the blunt and move on, that simple. it’s those that berate him for his hobbies, his down-time requirements. it was only then that he got mad, and that didn’t end well for anyone.

“ i know my way around them, yeah. “ jay chuckled low, his lips curling into a sly smirk while hazel eyes peer up at her. his hand was on her thigh, wrapped around her waist. a few mere inches, and he could grab the pack easily. his hand moved, trailing gently across slightly exposed skin, fingertips trailing against the nerves of her skin, but they stopped just above the waistband of her pants. yet another low chuckle fell from his lips. “ why would i grab them when you could so nicely offer me one. “

pip had seen her fair share of bullshit and batshit that went down all because of drugs and drink. ever since she was little, she’d known that crap wasn’t in her cards. not to mention when you’re on your own, you always have to be as sharp as you can. even with jay, pip never really relaxed.

she left her cig between her lips as she muttered, “cocky much?” and prepped the muscles of her left arm to catch him before he could get to her pocket. “absolutely not.” her cigarette wiggled before she pulled it out and let out a long trail of smoke. “get your own.”

becca had dealt with change— above all else, she knew change like an old friend. once her dad died, her whole world flipped; her mother became an entirely different person, her childhood home was sold away, her new house had a million problems that her mother had no intent on fixing, and now this. the world flip, the baby, it was changing everything. but becca relied on routine, on fact and no fortune, so the sudden change of heart was a surprise, even for her. 

the girl applauded her, and becca stifled a small laugh, though her heart wasn’t truly in it. “ you have a thing for corruption, huh ? “

it was easy to tell somebody who’d never even skipped class or lied to a parent, let alone given up on food and ‘ the greater good ’ before. then again, when you spend your life on the opposite end of the spectrum, everybody else starts to look the same. but becca was clearly one of those people. a structured, stable, i know what i want type. funny that she got paired up with devon for this shift.

pip snorted, turning away from devon’s room and stalking down the hall. “i have a thing for doing whatever the fuck i feel like.”

the smoke that trailed from her lips crinkled at his nose, a small huff, but he wouldn’t say anymore about it. he smoked, so it wasn’t as annoying as it should have been. instead, he drew yet another drag, the burning paper singeing the tips of his fingers as it neared it’s end, but he took his final puff and scrubbed it out on the shingles of the roof. 

“ yeah, you say that but i don’t see any physical complaints. “ his eyes flickered between her position, curled up in the crook of his arm, to her stern gaze. “ like you don’t have a pack shoved in your pocket. “ he chuckled. 

sometimes, people got weird about having pip around when she didn’t drink or do any of the hard stuff. especially before new ham, when she could’ve been a narc or just... didn’t fit the vibe. but she could bully her way into a get-together just as well as she could charm. maybe better.

devon half wanted to demand names and addresses but he decided against it, not that she’d give them to him anyway. he shook his head as she pulled off the bra and cheered. “wow, that hurt,” he jokingly scoffed, a hand clutching his chest. “using me like that just to get your stupid bra back. am i just an object to you?”

pip did so much eye-rolling when she was around devon, she was starting to think that it was becoming a twitch instead of a voluntary movement. she wanted to say that did not hurt, but he continued on before she could respond.

and it gave her an even better opportunity for a snarky comment. “i didn’t use you, i manipulated you.”

devon pushed harder against the hand she was using to keep him at bay. “what do you mean i’m not the one you’re worried about? who else has access to them?” he was teasing… mostly. “oh i woulda loved to have seen that. was it hot? kinky? did you shank ‘em with it?“

pip let him lean closer, snaking her hands around to his back with a smirk. “that’s none of your business.” frankly, she meant that. if she fucked him, wasn’t it fair play to assume she fucked other people too? not that she actually knew many other residents of this nasty little town. “i bet you would’ve, perv,” she scolded, not actually giving him any details before her fingers unclasped her bra and it sprung forward on his arms, giving her a chance to pull out of his grip and take her bra with her. “ha! got it.”

becca had a hard time putting her mask on since the world had come to a standstill. that, and the ever-present danger in new ham. she was running on thin wires and a flickering spark that was keeping her on her feet. one wrong move, and she was gonna crash. the girl led her to devon’s room, and it was clear he was already gone. 

“ shit… “ the girl groaned, eyes scanning over the list in front of her. no way she was getting that done alone. “ fuck it, one day of rations gone isn’t going to kill me. “

pip knew that not many people were loving the current state of affairs. job rotation sucked, all the jobs sucked, and basically everything sucked. but for pip that was just normal, the way of things, the average american lifestyle. she was used to it. all these softy suburban kids? fat chance.

but she had done her due diligence as the inner-city bad influence around here. “there we go, that’s the attitude i like to see!” she applauded with a wry chuckle. “enjoy some time off, bitch.”

jaiden knew her deal with drugs. he didn’t get it, but he was never one to push another towards it— if you don’t like it, cool, more for him. it was his own philosophy, but it didn’t include actively keeping the drugs out of her face. 

taking another drag, he managed to blow the smoke in the other direction, catching with the wind and whisking away. “ well, guess you’re just gonna have to deal with good company. “ he shrugged, leaning back against the house. his gaze trailed to the midnight sky line. “ you and your cigarettes. i might have to steal one from you in a minute. “

she crossed her legs on top of him, leaning into the crook of his arm. the only thing stopping her from stubbing that joint out was how pissed she’d be if someone did it to her weed. she didn’t care if he got high, whatever. it was the stench.

but it was nice of him not to blow in her face. she wasn’t so courteous. smoke coiled out of her mouth as she replied, “i could find better somewhere in this shithole.” she raised an eyebrow, always ready to get offended. “um, no fuckin’ way. i said my cigarette for a reason.”

“protected from what? no one’s gonna fuckin’ hurt em… actually that’s a lie,” he winked. the second she was close enough, his hands made their way down to her butt. “hmm, yeah, you might’ve mentioned that, but ya see, it makes you angry and i like that,” he grinned, licking his lips.

“oh, please,” cass rolled her eyes, “like you’re the one i’m worried about.” she laid her hands on his chest to keep a little bit of distance between them. only because she was annoyed with him at this particular moment. but she liked it when he grabbed her butt. “you think this is angry? you should’ve seen me when my cellmate stole my toothbrush.”

becca wasn’t about to beg for help, she wasn’t the type to do so, but she really was dreading doing this all alone. it was time consuming, and she’d end up distracted ten minutes in without someone doing it with her. as the girl pushed past, becca followed. “ kinda need to eat, so i’m gonna say no. “

with all her time dealing with shady characters—both in childhood and currently—pip thought she’d racked up quite an ability to read people. and with becca, it wasn’t exactly hard. all the dreading of this task and the wishing for company was written all over her face. but pip was not acquainted with sympathy. “whatever you want, girl.”

she pushed open the already-open door to devon’s room and stood aside. “looks like you missed him.”

becca wasn’t even sure why she was being weird— maybe it was attraction, maybe it was because she hadn’t seen someone naked in a while, and to be honest, she wasn’t too keen on finding out. as the girl started talking again, becca made a mental note of the boys room, she wasn’t looking to have a repeat of this. “ well, great, probably gonna have do to this shit alone.”

pip could sense the plea for help she was about to get coming from a mile away. multiple miles, really. and no way was she doing devon’s shit. she rare;y showed up for her own. she pushed past her in the doorway, leading the way to devon’s room. “just don’t do it,” pip suggested, voice drenched in indifference.

“i am hilarious.” he shook his head, still grinning. “no you don’t. what’s it those feminists are always yellin’? free the titties or some shit?” he waved the bra in the air. “be a feminist pipsicle, let them be free. makes my life a hell of a lot easier.”

“you’re pitiful,” she corrected, staring at his stupid chest. how dumb could a boy be? she’d never had somebody wear her bras before. first for everything, she figured. “oh, jesus, i dunno. i prefer my tits protected, thank you very much.”

she popped out of bed and came toward him fiercely, grabbing him by the belt loop on his jeans. “i told you, i hate that fucking nickname.”

becca managed to put her jaw back in place, softly clearing her throat as she clutched the clipboard in hand. she tried not to make too much eye contact, this situation was already weird enough. as she explained, she held in a groan. “ yeah, probably. i was just hoping he was here so i could drag him in— happen to know where he’s hiding ? “

pip didn’t understand the weird vibes coming off her right now. it was just a bra. just tits. every girl had them. but she kept her judgement to herself and let the expressions on her face do the talking. she usually found that sufficient to scare most people away. she considered her question, shrugging. devon would hate her if she gave him up. then again, did she care? “you could try his actual room, which is at the end of the hall. but if he knows you’re on the lookout, that’s probably the last place he’d be.”

“well shit, this isn’t mine.” devon turned to face pip with a smirk, holding her bra up to his chest. “what is it you ladies do? burn em? i’m down if it means you never wear one again.” he wiggled his eyebrows at his brilliant idea. 

pip looked up from her sprawled out position in her bed and rolled her eyes at him almost before she even saw what he was wearing. “you think you’re fuckin’ hilarious,” she sighed, sitting up languidly. “why would i burn my bras? i kind of need them.”