Ace Of Spades (Complete Raw First Draft, Unedited)

Four: Twelve Thirty

Jenna hardly said a word the entire walk home.  The fight had had a strange sobering effect on the three of us, and I almost forgot that we'd even been drinking.  I only remembered when I tripped over the curb, managing to not completely eat shit because Clyde grabbed my shoulder, steadying me.

I was relieved to make it back to the house, and Bonnie unlocked the door, letting us all in before locking it behind us again.

"Do you need us to call somebody, Jenna?"  Clyde asked but she quickly shook her head, keeping her eyes down.

Clyde raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged.  It hadn't escaped any of us the filthy looks she'd been shooting him, and I knew it took all of his self control not to pull her up on it.  He'd done nothing to her, unless saving her ass counted, in which case, she seemed to have a weird way of showing her gratitude.

"You're more than welcome to stay here the night, then," Bonnie told her, placing her hand on Clyde's arm, picking up on his agitation as well, then turned her attention to him.  "I'll see you in bed, okay?"

He quickly nodded and practically skipped out of the room, sticking both middle fingers up at me when the girls weren't looking as he left.  I wish I could have gotten out of this as easily as that.

I offered to take the couch so that Jenna could sleep in the spare room, and I was taken aback when she actually shot me a look of gratitude.  Bonnie showed her to the room, and I was left alone, at least for a second.

"Is she gone?"  I heard Clyde whisper, reemerging, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.  I hadn't heard him creep up, and he was now standing at one end of the couch, staring through the doorway, after where the girls had disappeared.

"I think so," I reassured him, in the same hushed tone.

"What the fuck just happened?"  He wondered, dropping down onto the couch beside me.

"Bonnie and her strays," I chuckled.

"I'm not keeping that one," he said firmly.  "Too many here, as it is."

"That's what you always say, you pussy," I teased.  "You'll cave, like you do everytime."

"Uh uh," he insisted.  "That one's trouble, if ever I've seen it."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"How do you figure that?"

He scoffed.

"She knew who those guys were," he insisted, "or at least what they wanted."

"We all know what they wanted," I pointed out.

I got that he probably wasn't feeling all the charitable toward her, considering the filthy looks and everything, but even so, I thought he was being kind of unfair.

He shrugged.

"Anyway, dude," he thumped my shoulder then stood up as Bonnie made her way back from the spare room.  "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Ace," Bonnie called as Clyde grabbed her around the waist.

"Night, darlin'," I responded.

I didn't think I'd sleep for ages.  I still felt so wired from what had happened, and I was starting to ache from the fight, but I was out the minute I closed my eyes.  I didn't wake up once, even when I dreamed of the lightest footsteps creeping passed me in the night.

***

"Bitch!"

I jerked awake at about twelve thirty the next day, sitting up as Bonnie stormed into the lounge room.

"What's wrong?"  I asked her, rubbing my eyes. 

So much for avoiding the hangover; this one was already rotten.

Clyde followed her though the door, looking about as wrecked as I felt.

"Babe, are you seriously surprised?"  He groaned, running a hand down his face.  "What did you expect was going to happen?"

"What happened?" I tried again as Bonnie was about to retort.

"That little bitch fucking robbed us," she snapped.

"And, she's surprised, for some reason," Clyde added, going to the kitchen.  "Ace, coffee?"

"Nah, thanks," I answered.  Coffee and hangovers were never a good combination.

"I'm going to kill her, if I see her again," Bonnie was still fuming.  "You try to do something nice for someone..."

"I told you she was trouble," Clyde called from the kitchen.  "You should listen to me more often."

"Shut up," Bonnie snapped at him, then frowned.  "I know."

"What did she take?"  I wondered.

"Money we had stashed away," she answered, crossing her arms.  "There was a couple of hundred.  She was obviously snooping through our stuff."

"Calm down, sweetheart," Clyde had returned from the kitchen and handed Bonnie a cup of coffee, pulling her into a one armed hug, kissing her forehead as she fought back her tears.  "It's only money."

"It was nine hundred dollars," she retorted.

"Ouch," I muttered, and Bonnie grimaced.

"At least it wasn't your laptop, or the car or anything," Clyde offered, holding her tightly to his side.

Bonnie just glowered at the floor, angrily dashing away the tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Still a shitty move, though," I gave Bonnie a sympathetic smile, "considering we helped her out last night."

"Should have left her scrawny ass on the sidewalk," Bonnie grumbled.  "Fuck it, I'm getting in the shower.  I've got a piece to do today."

She finished her coffee and went to put the mug in the sink.

"Who are you tattooing?"  Clyde wondered as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Ricky," she responded and I saw Clyde tense up.  I couldn't blame him.

"From the Specters?"  I asked, exchanging a glance with Clyde.

"Yes," she rolled her eyes.  "It won't take long."

"Are you right to get there?" He asked her, still frowning.  "I'll be at the shop for a few hours, but I can meet you after."

"I'll give you a ride there," I offered, and Clyde shot me a grateful look.

"You guys worry too much," she argued.

"Can you blame us?"  I grinned at her and she rolled her eyes again before leaving us alone.

Clyde sighed and sank down onto the couch opposite me.

"You need to trust her more, man," I told him, but he groaned.

"I do trust her," he replied.  "I don't trust him."

I could hear Bonnie cursing and muttering to herself from the other end of the house, and I shot a look at Clyde.

"Can you imagine waking up to that every morning?"  He sneered at me.  "See why I'm the way I am?"

I laughed.

He could joke about it all he wanted, but he had it bad for her.  She was the only person who could keep him in line, and he was the only guy she'd even look at.  I kind of envied them.  I wondered if I'd ever meet someone like that.  Probably not, I didn't care.

"Where would you be without her?"  I teased.

"Surrounded by hot chicks," he muttered.  "She just scares them all away."

"I think your face does that," I responded, laughing, and he flipped me off.