"This is so stupid. I literally just got done telling my parents that I wasn't gonna let you get me into trouble." Sarah said as Vance drug her away from school. "Let me remind you that i'm-"

"Trying to get into your fancy people school. I know, you didn't shut up about it." he continued to pull her down the road by the sleeve of her sweater. "What's even there? A bunch of smart pricks that are gonna treat you like shit?"

"Smart people don't treat other smart people like shit." she pointed out, moving her hand to grab his. "There, so you don't stretch my sweater. It's the real knitted kind from my grandma."

Vance rose one eyebrow at the hand holding, not sure if he liked it on not. "You have a grandma?"

"Yeah, she lives kinda far though. Only see her at Christmas." Sarah shrugged, not having to question weather she liked the handholding like he had. She did. "Where are we going? I'll get in trouble if we go to Grab N Go."

"We aren't going there?" Vance turned down the street as they passed a stop sign. "I know a guy."

"You know a guy?" her eyebrows shot up. "That sounds terrifying."

"Yeah." Vance had to agree. "Hope you like needles."

"I've never heard of anyone liking needles." Sarah inhaled deeply with a knowing look his way. "Are we going to the hospital?"

Vance gave a minor snort. "No, Sheeps."

"Are we doing drugs?" she rose her eyebrows.

"Not drugs either." he pulled her along, now deciding he liked to hold her hand too. "Stop asking questions, annoying ass."

"Oh, i'm sorry for wondering where i'm being kidnapped to on a Monday." she rubbed her nose, still having a minor sniffle from her cold. "Are we-"

"Sarah!" he scolded her loudly. "This is why they haven't given you your school yet, because you talk way too much."

"Vance, you can't just ask me if I like needles and then not say anything else." she argued, waking a little faster to keep up with him. "Will you at least carry me?"

"No!" he huffed.

"But my feet hurt, i've got a toe blister." she whined. "It feels like a broken ankle."

"Nothing like a broken ankle." Vance rolled his eyes. "That's what your dumbass gets for wearing new shoes for the first time to school."

"Ha, but i'm not in school." she flashed him a cheek grin, using her free hand to point at his face. "Aye? Aye?"

"Look, we're here. You can shut it now." Vance stopped infront of a very beat up house, looking at Sarah as she gave a questionable look. "Hope you like needles."

"You keep saying that!" she yelled as he drug her inside.

A tattoo. That's what Vance wanted her to do. A fucking tattoo. And she did it, a tiny sheep on her foot. But, Sarah was acting as if he'd chopped her entire foot off. "Would you stop being such a baby? You didn't even feel it."

"I did!" she yelled from his back as he carried her down the road. "You're such a stupid liar! Why would you say we were both getting one if only I was?"

She used her hand to smack his forehead. "Sarah, you better watch it or i'm gonna drop you!"

"I literally can't walk!" she argued, dangling her naked foot with the small tattoo. "God, it looks horrible!"

"I know." Vance gave a snort. "But, now you can say you weren't just a stuck up little shit head your entire high school life. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you for destroying my foot?" she scoffed as they went down the road. "If my parents see this, they're gonna kill me."

"It's so bad you can say it was your pen." he pointed out. "A self portrait."

"I hate you." Sarah rolled her eyes. "How much longer until school is over?"

"Couple hours." he said in return. "Your house?"

"Mm." she hummed as he tossed her a little higher up on his back.

When Sarah and Vance finally got back to her house, she'd decided she no longer felt the pain in her foot. Vance yelled at her for it, knowing she worked him the entire way just so he'd carry her. Sarah was in the process of laughing when the phone rung. "Saved by the bell!"

"I hate you." Vance rolled his eyes as he sat at the table, rubbing Bingos head.

"Hello?" Sarah answered the phone.

"Sarah!" it was Gwen, she'd been yelling. "What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck?"

"Gwen." Sarah gapped at her language. "What's the matter?"

"Why would you lie!" Sarah could tell she was upset, like she'd been crying. "We called you six times! You said you'd always answer and you didn't! Finney needed you!"

"What happened to Finney?" Sarah filled with concern, but Gwen hung up on her in anger. "Gwen?"

"That didn't sound good." Vance laughed, but Sarah didn't find it funny as she hurried to get her missing shoe on. "Where are you going?"

"Something happened, I gotta go." she hurried. "I'll be back if you just wanna stay here."

"I-" Vance started, but Sarah slammed the door and was leaving the fastest he'd ever seen. "Jerk."

Sarah ran down the side walk as quick as she could. Her foot did actually kinda hurt, but that was the last thing she was thinking about. All Sarah had on her mind was Gwen and Finney. What happened to him? Why was Gwen crying? Why was she so angry? Why'd they call her? And why was it so important she answered?

"Gwen!" Sarah beat on the door when she got there. "Finney! Gw-"

Mr.Blake opened it with a look of disbelief, holding the side of his head. Sarah figured they'd be home alone, because Gwen wouldn't have yelled and her like that if he was here. "Mr.Blake. I'm-I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"Is there something you need, Sarah?" he asked her with a deep inhale.

She heisted. "I just needed to bring Finney his....book he let me barrow. It's in my bag."

She was glad she'd brought her bag with her, one she usually brought along with her that had a first aid kit inside. He inhaled, shutting his eyes. "Can you make it quick? It's been a long day."

"Of course. I'm sorry." she hurried inside, going straight to his room. Usually, she had the decency to knock.  But, not today. She swung the door open and closed it just as fast. He was laying on his side, his back to her and messing with one of his space action figures. "Finney?"

When he looked back, her eyes widened at the bruise and busted face he had. "Oh my god, what happened?"

"Moose." he shook his head and rolled back over as Sarah sat behind him. "I'm sorry about Gwen. She shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Sarah had still been lost, leaning over him to check out how badly he'd been beaten up. "I don't know who Moose is. Why was Gwen so angry with me?"

"You remember how my Dad got your name on the emergency contact? Because the high school is close by? And you told them to call you first so we could avoid my Dad making it all worse?" he looked up at her. Finney wouldn't say it like Gwen, but it hurt his feelings that Sarah hadn't kept the promise to be there for him first. "We called the high school and your house a lot of times before they had to call him. Gwen was just mad."

Sarah's heart sunk. She'd spent so much time trying to protect both of them from their Dad, yet couldn't even go through with her promise to get to him before he could. All because she was too busy skipping school, something she never did in her life. Something she did because a boy wanted her to.

"I'm so sorry." Sarah leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Sarah knew he was hurt by the way he rolled away from her, how he didn't even want her to kiss his forehead like he always wanted her to. "I'm just kinda tired."

Finney never didn't want to be around Sarah, she knew that. Even when he was sick, or upset, or mad, he liked to have Sarah around. She was his friend, but most importantly she'd been the only older woman figure in his life. Even if they were only separated by two years, she was still the only source of some form of older comfort. She removed her hand from his shoulder. "Okay, i'll check on you tomorrow."

"Okay." he said in return as she slowly stood up. She didn't want to go, she wanted to stay and make sure he was okay, make sure his wounds weren't open or too deep. But, he wanted her to go. So, she left.

Sarah knew this would end badly, but she poked her head into Gwen's door. "Gwen?"

Her head turned away from her doll house, a harsh glare in Sarah's direction. "You're too late."

"I know. I'm sorry." Sarah shut the door. "You have every right to be mad at me."

"You said you'd never miss school, so we'd always be able to call you. And if you weren't at school, you'd be at home or Grab N Go. We tried you six times, Sarah." Gwen stood up, though she was a lot shorter then Sarah was. "Then we had to call Daddy, and he was just even more mad that Finney didn't stand up for himself."

Sarah leaned down on her level. "I'm so sorry, Gwen. I really am. It won't happen again."

"Where were you?" she asked.

Sarah literally couldn't find the words to tell her that she'd been getting a tattoo with Vance Hopper while her older brother was being beat up at school, then again at home. Gwen shook her head at Sarah's silence. "You can't even tell me."

She walked away, to the bathroom while Sarah was left to do the only thing possible...leave.

•

kylie speaks

gwen, my relentless queen