𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀

her gaze averts from the star-scattered night sky to the sleepy boy resting his head in her lap. sleep didn’t come easily to the girl, but she could see it was fighting dal. the air was cool and refreshing; gianna had been enjoying the silence apart from the gentle hum of insects. dal’s voice and a squeeze to her knee draws her away from her thoughts, her attention fully diverting to the boy. 

“ anything? ” an amused smile tugs at pink lips, a moment’s pause as she makes the slightest effort to think of a statement. “ well, y’know, abraham lincoln had the opportunity to bring elephants to the states and he turned it down. we could’ve been sitting out here with elephants right now, what’d’ya think about that? ” palms dig into the ground at her side, she brushes them off on her jeans, shifting her body slightly. instinctively a hand comes up to push back tufts of the boy’s brown hair. “ you getting tired, dal? ”

he didn’t spend much time in a classroom physically or otherwise. when he first heard mention of what she was about to bring up as way of keeping him awake, his mouth opened to argue the point. he’d surely be asleep in no time if that’s what she thought was going to do the trick. his teeth sank into his tongue as she continued on. he tried to picture a great big elephant roaming around the streets and his ire settled into a dull roar. how big did elephants get anyway. when he was in the city, he saw a baby one at the zoo. it didn’t stay there long since they were going to transport it to a nature preserve. he was young and the memory of the beast was fuzzy. sometimes he thought his childlike imagination exaggerated some of the details too whenever he remembered the experience. 

@realtough​ liked the post for a one liner and got a lyric !!

“It’s no prize being me and getting to wise, they just make you turn around and go apologize.” dear blank : headly 

Fierce evergreen hues narrow spitefully. She’d never been so cruelly accosted with those terms in her life! How did Winston know exactly what buttons to push to provoke her? Expert skill or dumb luck, it didn’t matter much in the present moment. Anger bubbles buoyantly through her veins till the terrible hot coal red burning inside of her stains into the high crests of her cheeks. 

“That’s right.” She affirms almost agreeably to his remark about not being a performing monkey. A wicked grin tugs at the corner of her lips, though it is no display of joviality or amiability. “Anything at the circus has more class than you.” Of this point, she is thoroughly convinced. She’d have added the sentiment, ‘even the rats’ had she not deemed it unnecessarily cruel. Although, if truth be told, she was sorely tempted to untether the remark from her propriety tied tongue. 

At this point, most girls would have made a hasty retreat but not Cherry. No. Her shoulders squared in his direction at the unjust critique. She closed the scant gap between them with an edge of daring radiating in her green-tinted irises. “What makes you so sure I couldn’t?” A shiver of both curiosity and fear traipses down her spine with his close proximity finally registering in her mind. 

Even as offended as she was, Cherry had to admit there was an admirable quality to Dallas. He was different. There was an inkling, a glimmer of something, perhaps a heart, just beneath his rusted exterior. Teeth grit hard at the implication of making her beg. Sherri Valance never had to grovel for anything in her life! Besides, she didn’t believe herself to be the entreating type.

A dose of exasperation floods her tone as she mutters, “fine.” Her nose scrunches giving the maximum look of distaste across her otherwise pretty features. For a moment, she attempts to leave him guessing whether or not she will comply with his terms and conditions. “Be nice and prove it, hood.” The words make clear there is not going to be an easy surrender to his bidding. 

his eyes caught fire when she stood up to him. it was rare that anyone ever did so, and although it was a throw of the dice which mood it would strike up in him, anger or amusement, dallas even surprised himself as a grin curled to his lips. it was funny, sure. he had to admit the imagery alone of a clothed circus monkey tipping his hat while dallas would more than likely spit in the audience’s face was a good comeback on any day. she was quick, but he knew he would be able to keep up with her. no matter the negative voice in his head that would say he’d no business doing so. whether it was the socs she ran with or his own problematic past authority figures, he didn’t care. he squared off with the prim cherry and let his teeth flash white through his smiling mouth. 

“oh, you think you got what it takes, go on.” the statement was followed by a puff of his cheeks in disbelief if only to encourage her further. the truth of the matter was dal didn’t know why he got on so with sherri valance. usually, he’d mess with a soc or any other person whether they were in the rich crowd or folded into his. it didn’t matter. but rarely did he seek out to torment any one person. 

she was pretty, but that wasn’t quite the reason. a lot of those soc girls were pretty and clean and knew how to string a guy along like a slobbering dog until they whined at their shiny heels. for that reason alone, dallas should have ignored her. he hated how they could snap their fingers and draw the eyes of anyone they wanted. his sense of rebellion willed for him to refuse their call even if their hair smelled of flowers and curled perfectly around their ears. 

sherri’s eyes sparkled and her hair smelled plenty good. it wasn’t these things that drew him though. she had yet to snap him to attention either. unless he counted the slice of her tongue when she stooped to insult him. which sometimes he did. she was so terribly good at it, he was tempted to take it as a compliment she put so much effort in. 

Jessica hummed softly, “That’s why my good ones were court ordered.” Between her penchant for running off and ending up in places she really ought not be, the least she could do was show up for the therapy sessions. She could admit now that they were helpful but her bad habits were hard to break, now she just knew how to hide them better. “That bein’ said, can I get you somethin’?”

Growing up in harsh conditions meant no flinching at another’s anger, coarse words light in comparison to what could be. His question had her laughing, “Well, for the first two years it was court ordered. I hated goin’ but now–” There’s another soft huff of a laugh, amused resignation flitting across her features, “– Habits are hard to break and it makes my family feel better, so.” Her shoulder lifted in a shrug.

Brows knit together, her fingers pushing through her hair, “It wasn’t sympathy.” she laughed, though there’s not exactly humor in it, “Sorry, I used to be better at, I dunno, commiseratin’? Honestly I figure fuck it, the shit in the past isn’t worth diggin’ up but my therapist disagrees.”

she hugs his jacket tighter to her chest, looking up to dallas as the cool breeze stings her cheeks. “ the movies could be nice.. ” she offers a small smile toward the other. “ or, we could go back to my house, maybe.. but only if you promise to stay. ” she raises a quizzical brow. 

@realtough· sent in ❝ i’m meaner than my demons . ❞

“I mean, you gotta be, right?” she smiled a little, her shoulder rising in a half-hearted shrug, “Otherwise they win.”