"It doesn't really matter who's after us now," I took a breath of Nathan's cigarette before passing it back to him. "They'll never find the bodies."

The six of us were sitting on the roof after a long day of moving boxes around and picking up dog shit. Everyone else was sitting on chairs but I was laying down on the ratty old sofa, occasionally stealing Nathan's blunt and taking long drags before passing it back.

"They're going to think the probation worker's still alive," Simon spoke up from where he was sitting silently.

"Yeah? How come?" I asked, looking at him sideways.

"I stole his credit card. I used it to book a flight." He took a sip from his drink.

"Hey, I'm proud of you, man," I grinned.

"Yeah, that is smart," Curtis agreed with a wide grin.

Everyone took their turn praising him and I watched with a small smile as his grin grew wider and wider.

"I can't believe we got away with this shit," Alisha grinned at Curtis. Hold on, were they, like, together now? How was that going to work? It's not my problem, I suppose.

"We should all go out for a drink, you know, to celebrate," Simon said suddenly, standing up excitedly. "It's like an ironic 'fuck you' to the probation worker," he looked over us. "We're all out having a good time, you're buried under the foundations of an environmental monitoring station."

His smile dropped as he saw the rest of us looking at each other like he was crazy, which is kinda what he looked like, you know, to be fair.

"See you all tomorrow, yeah?" Alisha said, getting up and walking over to the door. She looked back at Curtis and smiled suggestively. He grinned and rushed off after her. I shook my head. Teenagers.

"Ugh, yeah," Nathan groaned and got to his feet, throwing his blunt away and stumbling away from us.

"Do you want to come for a drink?" Simon asked him hopefully. Nathan stopped and turned towards him. I could see him fighting not to grin.

"Are you askin' me out on a date?" He asked. Simon looked horrified and he struggled with his words for a moment.

"No, I meant all of us," he stammered, gesturing to Kelly and I.

"Did you?" Nathan's eyes flicked between both of Simon's. "I am not your whore," he exclaimed with an accusatory finger. And without another word, he was walking away over to the door. Simon turned to us and dropped his mouth.

"I-I wasn't," he stuttered.

"Cool it, Simon, I know you weren't asking him out. It's fine," I reassured him as Kelly stood up and started walking away.

"Sorry mate but there's no way I'm going out 'till my hair grows back," she said as she passed.

Simon looked positively heartbroken. I sighed and watched as he came and sat down again.

"I'll go out with you," I said, dragging my feet over to the ground. Simon looked up at me with a shocked expression. "Not as a date," I clarified. "But I'll come for a drink."

He grinned and nodded, picking up his computer bag and waiting for me. I cracked my back as I got up, revelling in the relief it gave me.

"Alright, so, where are we going?" I asked as we made our way downstairs.

"To the bar on the Estate," he answered quietly. "Is that alright?" He checked. I nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine."

We walked in silence for a while. The only noises were those of the cars on the streets, the shouting of people and the scuffle of our shoes on the pavement. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

The bar was unusually quiet today. Although I supposed it was still quite early for people to be rushing to their local bars. I followed Simon through the door that he politely held for me and walked to a booth in the corner. I sidled into the seat and smiled as Simon sat on the opposite side in his usual awkward way.

We sat quietly for a moment, looking at the table or our hands.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked eventually, looking up at me a little nervously. I nodded.

"Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you," I smiled, reassuring him that I would be okay with whatever. He nodded and left for the bar. I looked around at my surroundings. For somewhere as damp and dark as Wertham, this place wasn't half bad. It seemed to be in decent condition and it appeared at first glance to be clean enough. My thoughts were interrupted when someone appeared at the table. I focused my gaze on them narrowly. It wasn't Simon. I had no idea who it was in all honesty.

"Hey there, baby. Say, what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath.

"Does this routine usually work for you?" I asked, looking him up and down. He was quite handsome really. He looked like he could be Hitler's wet dream with his blonde short hair and his blue eyes. I glanced around him a moment to look for Simon. He was still at the bar.

"Usually, yes. Although I do like a challenge," he smirked, sliding into Simon's seat. I clenched my jaw again.

"Excuse me, but I'm not interested. And my friend is coming back over now so could you do me a favour and leave?" I asked, noticing Simon walking back over with a beer in each of his pale hands. "Please?" I added for good measure.

"Who? This little runt?" He asked, grimacing at Simon, who was now standing beside me. I nodded.

"Yeah, this is my friend. Now, leave."

"Come on, doll. Why would you want to be with him when you could be with an actual man?"

I stood up and put my hand on Simon's shoulder protectively. I noticed that his hands were shaking. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't said a word since he returned.

"Okay. Sir, I've asked you to leave twice now. And for your information, I would rather spend my time with someone who actually respects women and doesn't think with their dick than someone who spends his time patrolling random bars looking for desperate women who have low self-esteem and would take attention from a hobo on the street," I fixed him with a steely glare. "Now. Please leave."

The man grunted and stood from the seat, eyes glaring holes into my own.

"Fine. I wouldn't want to be with a bitch like you anyway. Too much hassle."

He walked away and out the door and I whispered a few obscenities at him under my breath as Simon nervously slid back into his seat.

"What was that about?" He asked, pushing one of the beers toward me. I thanked him and took a swig.

"Just some pig who thought he could get into my knickers."

He nodded and I took a swig of my own beer. I was really quite confused by the encounter, really. I was never flirted with. And that was because I was unattractive. I dismissed the thought with the reasoning that the man was just too desperate and would ask anyone for a lay.

"So, Simon..." I said, taking another sip. "Good work with the monitoring station. I would never have thought of that."

"Thank you," he said, a faint red tinging his cheeks. I chuckled and shook my head. His eyebrows twitched nervously.

"What?" He asked self-consciously.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about your awkwardness. That's all. It's quite cute."

He blushed harder.

"Oh. Thank you."

We spent the next hour or two just hanging out and talking. It was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. After we were done, Simon walked me home and I collapsed onto the bed with a thump. I was asleep in seconds.

Updated on the 25th of July, 2016.