The night was black by the time Olly parked his car on the gravel outside of the trailer and turned the car off. Nadya had insisted on going home after the gunshots they had heard a few streets away. Olly thought it was weird but she stood her ground and snuck back into her house, what was even weirder was out of her house came a man wearing nothing but an open bathrobe and boxer shorts covered head to heel in tattoos holding a chrome pistol. He saw Nadya and pointed at the house shouting at her.
He had never seen Nadya just bow her head and follow directions without a smart ass comment but she did. Olly couldn't stop staring, I mean was that Nadya's dad? Her dad is a real life big wig gangster? Olly didn't want to pry but He saw the stars on the dude's shoulders, the bloody dagger through the neck. It was abnormal to see a dude who looked like that living in a house like this.
But living in the city had taught olly one thing. Mind your own fucking business . He just put the car in first and sputtered off down the road towards home.
Olly had to wake Abby up in the passenger seat. She took the pint herself and didn't share and decided it was nap time sometime after the gunshots.
"mmmm', , Abby groaned curled into a ball in the passenger seat "whaaat'
"You are a light weight you know that", Olly said with a small smirk.
"You would be too if you weighed a hundred pounds", Abby said staring out the windshield, her hair coming out of the messy bun and draping over her face in random streams.
"C'mon we're here goofy ", Olly said, suppressing a laugh.
Olly got out and heard Abby get out as well shuffling behind him like a zombie.
"You don't have spare clothes do you?", Olly asked
"Noooo. Buts its fine.", Abby said as they reached the front door. Olly opened the front door and held the door for Abby.
"Nah I'll talk to my ma, she might have something you can wear.", Olly said. "You can have the bedroom Abs I'll take the couch"
"Abby looked at him like that was the stupidest thing she ever heard. "I am not kicking you out of your bed in your own home Olly"
"Hey, no friend of mine is sleeping on a lumpy couch under my roof, now take the bed end of discussion"
"I mean it's big enough for both of us, just don't make it weird", Abby said sheepishly with a yawn.
"Abs my mother will wear my fucking ass out with a spatula if she catches a girl in my bed under this roof even though not a fucking thing happened. Good night Abs, no argument. I got the couch", Olly said maybe a little more harshly than he had meant to...but shit he was tired too.
Abby regarded him for a second awkwardly before saying "Just don't make fun of me ok", Abby said seemingly out of the blue.
"Why in the fuck would I make fun of you?", Olly sighed annoyed
"I don't like the dark..." Abby said almost wincing "I gotta have the door cracked with the hall light on or I can't sleep", Abby continued almost defensively.
Olly actually laughed out loud then and said "The big bad Abs, scared of the dark huh?"
Abby blushed with shame before spitting back defensively " You would too if your dad just said 'The kid eating monster can't see in the dark, so fuggin turn em off'",
Olly felt bad now, it was none of his business why people had the fears they did and you aren't supposed to treat your friends like shit. He had just unintentionally broken his one rule.
"Abs I'm sorry ok? Hey I'm scared of strong winds", Olly admitted awkwardly, why was apologizing always embarrassing?
"Oh ha ha Olly, you're a fucking asshole", Abby spat sarcastically with her arms crossed.
Olly raised his hands like a shield "No B.S. Abs I am dead serious. I fucking hate it. I have to sleep with headphones in when the wind blows too hard",
Abby regarded him with suspicious eyes and just said "you're serious?"
"Yep, at least the dark kinda makes sense if you think about it. You can't see and that's scary", Olly offered, trying to make her feel better.
Abby just nodded unsure of what to say, like it was foreign to her to actually hear the words "I am sorry"
She just shuffled towards Olly's room before turning around and saying. "Stay up with me" and twisting her fingers together.
"Abs we have school tomorrow", Olly said really just wanting to go the fuck to sleep.
"I know but I don't want to go to sleep because...well it doesn't matter, you keeping me company or not?"Abby said, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
Olly regarded her for a moment and the only thought that came to mind was 'she can't go to sleep in jean shorts and a tank top, wait why the fuck is she wearing that? Its fucking winter?'
"Abs, do you want some night clothes, Like sweatpants or something?"Olly said, ignoring her question completely.
"No I just sleep in my underwear usually, but are you staying up with me or not?"Abby answered, annoyed.
Olly shook his head in defeat and just walked down the hall shrugging off his faded denim jacket.
"Not too late, it's already late"
Olly followed behind Abby and took the chair this time when she avoided it completely. The truth was he never did that in his room even.It was kind of gross to treat your living space like that.
But he took the chair as Abby sat cross legged on the foot of the bed and let her hair down. She had curly blonde hair that when let down fell to her ribs.
Olly grabbed an xbox controller off of his desk and opened the battery compartment in the back and pulled the baggie of weed out the back. 'Yeah do that playstation nerds', Olly thought to himself.
"Smoke?" Olly asked, holding the baggie up.
Abby just nodded her head yes and said "Olly can I ask you something?"
Olly pulled out a piece of notebook paper and a grinder and just said "Yeah, shoot"
Olly took a few nugs out the baggie and pressed them into the teeth of the grinder before capping it twisting.
"Could I move in? I know it's random but I don't want to go home", Abby said almost meekly as if Olly was just going to fly off the fucking handle at the question.
"I mean I'd have to ask my ma, but she's catholic she ain't gonna let you go cold on the streets", Olly said as he opened the grinder and turned it over on the piece of notebook paper.
He tapped the cap against the grinder to get the stuck pieces out.
"I can clean up around here and stuff, help out in the kitchen. I won't just bum around until I get a job and then I can pay you guys", Abby continued defensively as if she was still having to convince Olly to give her a place to stay.
"My ma would boil me alive If I took a cent from you while you're just trying to get on your feet Abs. Don't worry about it. Mi casa su casa ", Olly said packing the weed into the socket
'See a glass pipe draws attention, a screen inside of a 9/16ths socket? You can throw that back in the tool box after you give it the salt and alcohol bath for the smell and all that', Olly thought to himself as he packed it down.
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He heard Abby sniffle and he looked up bewildered to see her crying. He had never seen her cry and he had known her for years.
Olly had this voice he used when talking to animals, usually dogs that were scared of people. It was real low, real gentle. You don't ever raise your voice at a scared animal you got to let them know you're not gonna hurt em. Olly was using that voice now with Abs and it seemed strange to him because she wasn't an animal but he never had to comfort a real life girl before, or a real life person. He didn't know what to do so he just did what came natural. The 'I'm friend, not bad guy voice he did with animals'.
"Fuck I'm sorry Olly, I'm ok", Abby said swiping the tears away with the heels of her hand but as soon as the hands came away more tears just fell out.
"Abs, It's ok. You're ok. Alright?"Olly said, sitting the socket back on the desk and awkwardly sitting next to her.
Fuck do I hug her? I don't want her thinking i'm trying nothing right now but I would want a hug if I was crying I guess. Shit this is awkward. How do you comfort a girl? Fuck what do they do in the movies? God dammit, I'm not that guy. Ok olly, what would Ryan Reynolds do?
"Abs I'm gonna give you a hug right now ok?", Olly said awkwardly.
Abby sat there with her legs tucked to her chest red faced as tears just fell out of her face. Red faced and shaking trying with all her fucking might to stop the flow.
She shook her head and grunted 'uh-uh '
"I'm just fucking tipsy", Abby said embarrassed "I'm just sucking at life right now", she offered Olly a weak smile and laughed.
"Abs were 17, I think we got a pass to not have it all figured out right about now", Olly said wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"Abbys leaned against olly still curled into a ball "I don't even want to go get my things. I don't want to go back there", Abby said, racking from a sob.
"Hey how about this, I'm going with you and we figure it out together alright?"Olly said using his gentle voice.
"You don't have to do that Olly", Abby said resting her head on his shoulder.
"Hey, fuck that we are friends ain't we? That means I got your back 1000% percent of the time. Sink or swim. I'm rowing on the same boat.",
The tears won against Abby, they started falling faster as she kept swatting them away, she couldn't reply as Olly just wrapped her up in a bear hug and she sobbed into his chest.
She didn't stop crying for a long time. Eventually she just sniffled against him as they laid in bed. And eventually she fell asleep.
Olly felt strange at this. He didn't know what to do now. So he just stood up as silently as possible but right when he was almost home free. Abby stirred and looked to see him standing. She just grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him back done and grunted "Uh-Uh" and nestled against him.
Olly was confused as hell, he didn't want her to think he was taking advantage in that way, he was just comforting a friend but she didn't seem to mind so why was he second guessing if he was crossing boundaries? The real motherfucker of it all was now that she was against him, he was starting to feel giddy.
'No asshole, be a fucking gentleman. We are not doing this right now' He thought to himself as she pressed her head against his chest.
He just looked at her and felt it in his chest at first, right in the sternum. A warm feeling and an emotion he had no words for. Olly decided that her problems would not stand a chance because he knew that if anyone raised a hand against her the motherfucker would lose that hand. He would take care of this friend of his if it was the last thing he did.
Eventually sleep took Olly too and that night his dreams were of Abigail, When he woke up he found her arm over his chest and her head nestled against his.
Olly had never shared a bed with a woman, 'fuck I gotta take a leak but she looks comfortable. Ok how do we get up and not wake her up. Fuck I don't really want this to end though this is nice.This is good. Fuck I gotta pee. But her smell is fucking intoxicating. Ok now you're being a fucking weirdo. There is definitely a boob against my arm. And now I'm erect. Ok way to kill it for both of us champ, alright we're standing up.
Olly stood up and checked his phone that was still in his pocket.
'23 percent fucking sick', Olly said out loud sarcastically.
7:55 A.M.
'And we are not gonna get good parking today'
The pulled into the parking lot of Eisenhower high a half hour later, Olly's ma had given Abby some old clothes of hers
'Must have been 2005 last time I could fit these old things try these on child"
So Abby looked like a time capsule in the passenger seat. Apparently baggy jeans were all the fucking rage back than. Then again Abby was smaller than his mom so that could also be the culprit.
Either way she sat in the passenger seat smoking a cigarette looking like a time traveler as Olly failed to find a free spot in student parking and finally just pulled his piece of shit into the staff lot.
If he had to choose between a parking ticket and getting yelled at they could frankly eat his ass.
The outside of the building was packed with students waiting for the first bell at picnic tables and some just standing as Olly walked towards the front door with Abs.
"They should really leave that kid alone", Abby said pointing towards a group of four huddled around a kid whose name Olly didn't remember.
He was a nappy headed black kid that was wearing a Mario hat, cargo pants and a blue puffer coat.
Olly had seen the kid around getting fucked with here and there and it had always annoyed him but it was never like this. The poor kid looked genuinely scared this time, and then he saw one of the kids that surrounded him reach out and shove him.
"I'm gonna go have a word", He said to Abby and stalked off towards the group.
"Olly you can't get into another fight...or suspended again", Abby protested.
Olly stalked towards the group and just said over his shoulder to Abs. "Just gonna have a talk is all"
"Bruh I would kill myself if my barber did me like that", One of the kids was saying as the others laughed.
"If you broke just say that"
"dude looks like he on that gay shit"
The group of four around him was howling with laughter at this point as Olly walked.
"HEY", Olly shouted at the four of them before putting on a polite smile as they turned around.
The group took one look at Abby and broke into laughter that made them sound like hyenas.
Olly looked at Abby and saw her blushing with a look that threatened murder.
Olly took a deep breath and got a hold of his anger that was bubbling and just said "Hi, Olliver O'neil. Resident psychopath. Look I really can't get suspended again because my mother would just blow a gasket and she's Irish and catholic so she's got hands like mcgregor", Olly said offering an exaggerated chuckle as they four looked at him skeptically.
"So here's the deal", He said with a shit eating grin pointing at the kid in the mario hat. "You are gonna apologize to that guy because frankly it is 2024, so homophobia is a little pathetic and furthermore to tell you the honest truth If you don't I'm just gonna start going for ball sacks and eyeballs and enjoy my days off", Olly finished laughing and clapping his hands together awkwardly.
One of the four who was wearing a slated bulls hat and sagging skinny jeans just pointed at him and scoffed.
Hey than turned to the other three and mocked Olly by doing a stereotypical nerd voice and said "Listen here buddy" "ayo you buggin, fuck up out a here fore you get hurt"
Olly just laughed and kicked him square in the ballsack, grabbed his head as it came down and kneed him in the face.
The bulls hat started spewing blood out of a sideways nose as he stumbled back up and threw a wide haymaker.
Olly ducked the haymaker and pulled the bulls hat already sagging skinny jeans around his ankles and pushed him over.
The other three just looked at Olly hesitantly before one of them in a red jacket lifted his coat to show the grip of a handgun and said "ight what's up than"
Olly never saw Nadya but she strolled right past him nonchalantly lifted up her key chain and pepper sprayed him as if it was an everyday occurance.
The red coat's hands shot up to his face as trails of snot started dripping from his face.
"FUCK I CAINT SEE" He started screaming. The last two got their hurt friends and stalked off "aye it aint worth all that"
Olly's heart was pounding. He froze when he saw the gun. All of his steam left him. He showed up to what was almost a shootout with his hands. He wasn't bullet proof and he almost found that out the hard way.
He could hear the distant shouts from the kid Nadya pepper sprayed and he turned to see them loading into a suburban with tinted windows. One of them shouted at the group.
Pepper spray stopped and shouted "BE HERE WHEN WE COME BACK AND SEE WHAT THE FUCK HAPPEN FUCK ASS MOTHERFUCKER"
He balled his hands into fists and wiped his eyes before screaming "FUCK IMA KILL THAT BITCH" as his friends shoved him in the suburban.
Nadya regarded the suburban with a wide eyes and said " Olly sweety, we need to leave"
Olly pointed at the kid in the Mario hat and said "what's your name?
"Darius", He said nervously.
"Let's go Darius we can't stay here", Olly said waving him over.
"I can't skip school, my parents would kill me", He protested standing firmly in place.
Olly sighed a deep breath and said "Darius, those motherfuckers will kill you. Now lets go"
Darius nodded and started following.
Olly had been at school for ten minutes and was already leaving. But at least he wasn't dead.
Abby took the passenger seat as Nadya and Darius got in the back seat.
"Where you live at Darius, we can vouch for what just happened and maybe you won't get in trouble.", Olly said over his shoulder.
"My mom won't be home until 8. She has a double today." Darius said almost in a whisper staring at his feet.
"You got a pops at home man? "Olly asked.
Darius just shook his head no and said nothing.
Olly sighed and said "shit man I'm not trying to get you in trouble"
"Its ok", Darius said "Thanks for back there"
"Don't mention it"
"You almost got shot Olly", Abby said with an air of seriousness. A scared look in her eyes.
Nadya coo'ed from the back "Almost sweety, I was rooting for the gunman. Maybe next time" she finished with a sigh.
Olly instinctively looked at his rear view to shoot her a glare and found it wasn't there.
Oh yeah. Gotta fix that too. Fucking great.