HANG the DJ

tonguing his back molar with an air of indifference as she prattles on, he nods vengefully, performing a quick yet diligent buoy sweep with his eyes in the vicinity. brow knotting musingly as though deliberating the new and evidently improved terms of their negotiation, he blinks profusely, scratching his cheek with the thumbnail of his cigarette hand. he flashes his gaze to his shifting feet before the ice cubes in his eye sockets roll, landing a perfect snake eyes on the delinquent’s expression. he sucks assiduously off the filter, keeping her eyes in his gaze’s traction as smoke exudes out his nostrils in fumes. then, he plucks it from his lips, continuing in his vindictive nod, and flicks it far from their bearings. sniffing crisply, curtly, enjoying the calm before the impending STORM, his lips curl to a menacing smirk. he tries in vain to quell it, instead disguising it as he prods the bulb of his nose with loose knuckles, opposing hand still clinging to his holster.  ❛ yeah. yeah, y’know—- funny, i, uh—- thought you might say somethin’ like that.❜  and without any further indication, he’s lunging to clamber her over his shoulder, hoisting her effortlessly and adjusting her position accordingly against the broad slump of his shoulder. the opposing hand rises to fasten his hat to his head, enduring the brunt of her physical feedback as he ambles toward his truck.❛ yeah. baaaad move, kid, tried to warn ya. let it be a VALUABLE LESSON. figured your pops would’a instilled that in you early on. ❜  he reinforces dispassionately, arm snaking tighter around her waist as he reaches his truck. he whips the passenger door ajar, hurling her in. ❛ watch your feet.❜  he gestures with his head before slamming the door shut. joe could be as unpredictable as he was easily roused, a dangerous cocktail of a man in his profession—- and to such a fault at times that the more pressing questions were often left unasked—– questions, such as, ‘is this ethical?’ 

    back in high school penny’s grades had been nothing to write home about. yet, she always amused herself to be something of a genius in the streets. even though, when she met with his eyes, his gaze poked through her pupils like daggers. if it hadn’t been for the chilly air of the evening keeping her matte, you may even have seen her sweat. her request to the chief was on the riskier side and she knew better than anyone that the dooming silence that followed was scarier than if he were to shout at her with orders and intimidation. as he flicked his cigarette to the side, penny couldn’t help but feel like it was a foreshadowing of the discarding he would do of her if he had to. the shock of being lifted exited her body in a small shriek “what the fuck!” penny exclaimed as she punched her small fists against his back- not in an attempt to escape but instead to show the cop that she had some fight in her. rizzo wasted no time in showing who was in control here and who was allowed to make negotiations. at the mention of her father, penny slowed her punching pace and rolled her eyes. it never mattered how much she distanced herself from her parents, she could never escape the ruling punishment of their association (something she was sure they could relate to). pulling her feet into the truck she sulked in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest, yet acting fairly tame for someone who was just thrown into a vehicle against her will. “that’s not really the kind of lifted I was hoping to get when I planned my evening walk, sir” it was easy to forget how certain people act and react when you’ve been away from somewhere for as long a time as penny. joe made it clear however, that he wasn’t to be forgotten.

features dropping in attuning to the bell that rings in his ears, his nose scrunches indignantly. with a shake of his head, it hits him—- takes a minute, but memory permits: he recognizes her. klass’ kid. his old partner. he knew enough about the situation, had spoken to his old pal over the phone; knew penny was seemingly elusive—- somewhere out west, maybe; TIMBUKTU, for all he could remember, but she certainly wasn’t elusive anymore. here she is, in the flesh, directly and openly disobeying him as if this were some subconscious act of defiance against her father. balancing his styrofoam cup on the cab of his truck, he bows the crown of his head, swiping the tip of his nose upward with his fingers. he motivates himself leisurely toward her, one hand perched to his hip, the other scratching at his neck. halting just before her, shadowing over her like the menacing giant he could truly be in situations that demanded it, he scopes the surrounding area. he puffs off his cigarette, smoke curling out his nostrils.

❛ —-hokaaaaay. let’s make this quick.❜ he claps his hands together unenthusiastically, plucking the cigarette from its perch between his lips, ❛ how’s this gonna go down, huh? you gonna be a NICE GIRL and hand over your lil clove of love, FRENCHY, or am i gonna have t’ … throw you ‘round—– cuff ya, haul you down to the station—- the whole nine yards, really? i mean, not for nothin’, i personally recommend the former—- but it’s your choice, sweetheart. ❜ 

April paused for a moment, sticking a hand in her purse to fumble for a lighter. Her fingers passed over old receipts, hair ties, lip gloss, but nothing that could actually help the other girl. Wherever she had put hers when she had lit her own cigarette was a total mystery. “Shoot. Here.” she offered her cigarette, “You can light up off mine. God knows where my lighter went, but it’s not here.” 

 she hadn’t spotted the lit cigarette that the other was dangling in her fingers, so she couldn’t help but smile when she realised she had hit the jackpot in finding a fellow smoker. “thank you so much” penny muttered, placing her own cigarette in her mouth and then taking the other from the girl. lifting the amber near her own and inhaling until she saw light, penny smiled at the stranger. “works like a charm” penny handed the smoke back to the girl and leaned against the wall of her work place. “so, are you enjoying a post-stressful day smoke just like me?” 

she hated how much she craved a quick smoke, but had been pretty proud with herself for cutting it off completely. but the majority of place smelt like cigarettes and cheap cigars, sometimes it went unnoticed to her. shaking her head at the girls offer, teddy smiled lightly. “I’m alright.. actually I stopped smoking not long ago.” she still felt pretty winded after taking the stairs, she wondered when that would stop. “so you’re a singer?” she didn’t go out that often, but teddy felt like she might have seen the girl once or twice before. faces began to blur after awhile.

“Music isn’t morality,” Adam says passively, waving a hand, “I find them quite boring. Most of their songs are just covers from smaller artists while they’re given all of the credit. However, their entire genre has never really been my thing,” he says, gesturing slightly as he speaks. Apparently, he was going to stand here and talk about the merits of Led Zeppelin, though he wasn’t sure why he made that choice.

HE BLINKS , a bit surprised by the sudden attention on him , but he merely lifts his shoulders in a shrug . ‘ yeah , i do . ’ he mumbles, pulling out his trusty lighter from the depths of his pockets. ‘ mind if i join you though ? it’s really fucking cold out here . can i bum a cig ? a smoke for my light — ? ’

heading back from work, teddy wiped under her eyes. her eyeliner had smudged, and the mascara freckled under her eyes. she needed a shower, and whatever was on tv to relax her. it had been a long day, and the last thing she wanted was to be stopped on the sidewalk. teddy knows her annoyance is showing, but she’s too tired to put up a front. “uh, I think so.” she hadn’t smoked in a few weeks, decided to kick the past favorite habit. the last time she saw her kid, he coughed so much. she would do anything for that kid, and if that meant not smelling like smoke, it no longer was a problem. digging around her bag, she hopes that one of the girls hadn’t taken it. she didn’t get on too well with them, everyone was so competitive. “got it.” pulling it out of her bag, she hands it to the other. “keep it, I don’t need it.”

   penny watched as the annoyed girl dug around in her bag to retrieve the requested item. the negative facial expression that the other possessed did not surprise penny, it came along with living in a larger city like vegas, if you didn’t know them then you didn’t really want to be approached by them, especially not as a local. she respected those boundaries taking a step back as she was handed the lighter. “you’re a saviour” she responded, swiftly lighting the stick taking a long inhale, letting out a breath of relief. “do you want a drag?” she asked, reaching out her hand in a friendly gesture.

At her question, Adam meets her gaze briefly before looking away and frowning, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint,” he says, turning to face her with a frown, “But God if that isn’t an awful song. Haunting, really.”

   penny frowned, slipping her cigarette back in her pocket, knowing that there wouldn’t be enough time to find somebody else to harass for their light. a scoff left her lips at his comment, “led zeppelin is one of the greatest bands of all time, even better than the beatles” she muttered, deciding if she only had 4 minutes left in her break than it would be fine time spend arguing with the stranger about music. “but- I have this rule that I always welcome unpopular opinions about music because at least they’re original thoughts”