"So what are doing for thanksgiving?" Ray asks interrupting me sketching for my flash sheet. No Vega or Lani so I'm front of the house.

"Big bonfire at the Rez." I tell him sliding over the paper to show him. "Why what's up?"

"Wife wants you guys to come just for like an hour and stuff. Meet you for the first time and all that jazz." He tells me looking embarrassed. "She's all sentimental and stuff."

"I'll be there." I tell him smiling. "Need me to bring anything?"

"No no we've got that covered. Shadings off here. Fix it." He says sliding the paper back. "Now."

"Grumpy old man." I mutter looking down at the drawing.

"Package for you. And lunch for all of us." Kit says walking into the shop and handing me a small box. "So what'd you order?" He asks pulling the food out of the bag.

"Nothing. No idea what this is." I tell him, I shake the box and it rattles. It was probably Viv and her shopping addiction. "I'll deal with it later."

"So Ray invited you to thanksgiving huh." He says after he's done giving Ray his food.

"Yea. Seems nice of his wife." I say looking down at my sushi. "What's she like."

"Well from what you've talked about she's like Emily." Kit says after a while. "They uh took me in when I was like 16."

"Right." I say remembering how he mentioned it a while back. "Well seems like it'll be nice."

"It is."

-

"How was work?" Dad asks as to the three of us sit in the diner.

"It was cool. Got invited to something at Ray's house." I tell him before taking a bit out of my burger. "For thanksgiving."

"Thought we were doing the thing at the Rez?" Bella asks.

"It's earlier than that so it should be fine." I tell her. "Ray says his wife insists."

"Poor women to have to deal with you." Bella says smirking.

"I'll sell you to a whore house." I says bumping shoulders with her. "50 cents a pop. Or a blow."

"One dinner please." Dad says shaking his head. "Just one."

"Sorry." We mumble and continue eating in silence.

"So." I say after we're done. "How's Billy?" I got a napkin thrown at me.

-

"What's in the box?" Bella asks while we sit on the couch watching Grease. "Order more painting stuff?"

"No, I actually don't know what it is." I tell her, not taking my eyes off the screen. "Showed up at the shop."

"I'm opening it." She says leaning forward and grabbing the box.

"You know this is where Addison's love for cars started." I tell Bella as Greased Lighting comes on. "We were gonna do Sandy and Danny for Halloween before she you know."

"Does it ever get easier?" She asks after a minute. "Missing her. I mean I know it's not the same but sometimes it feels like this."

"Hole." I say smiling at her. "It feels like a giant gaping hole and like you have to physically hold yourself together or else you'll fall apart."

"Yea. Does it ever go away?"

"I don't know." I tell her honestly. "Sometimes I think it does, and then suddenly there it is again. Huge and gaping. And it physically hurts so much I can't breathe. But it does happen less."

"Do you think we'll ever be okay again?" Bella asks leaning against my shoulder, mystery box long forgotten.

"Yea. Maybe not today or next week. Or even this year. But one day we'll be okay and this will just be some good old fashioned teen angst." She snorts lightly. "A faded memory in life that when we're old and frail we'll tell some youngsters and they'll think we're insane. And hey maybe we will be."

"Yea. Story of glittering rocks with ice cold cocks."

"Isabella Marie Swan you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I ask her holding my chest. "I'm so so proud of you."

"You're such a nerd." She says smiling. "Anywho I've been thinking about getting myself a project to work on."

"Oh yea like what?" I ask her lowering the sound of the movie.

"Kinda like Ruby. I was thinking a motorcycle or something. To keep busy like you did."

"Ah a heartbreak project." I nod smiling. "Well that seems cool. Gotta find a frame first and and then talk to Jacob about it."

"Why can't you help me?"

"I gotta job now Bella." I say patting her head. "It means I got sponsablitities now, can't have no fun anymore." I tell her. "Besides it'd be good for you to make friends outside of school. Especially considering Angie is the only one I like."

"You hate Jacob."

"Irrelevant." I tell her waving my hand around. "Besides mom hated children and she has two of em."

"She did not hate children."

"Regardless she shouldn't have had em. I mean come on Bella, we were working and paying bills and making sure she ate." I lean back a little a sigh. "She wasn't meant to have kids. She's not an adult."

"Well at least we have each other."

"Always kid. Always."

"What's in the box?"

"Just open it." I tell her. "Hopefully it's not a bomb." She ignores me and opens the box.

"It's Demonias? What's that?" She says pulling a box out of the box and opening it. "They're red."

"Shut the fuck up." I say grabbing the box from her. "Bro you know how badly I wanted these. I missed the drop by like 2 minutes."

"Well looks like someone heard your prayers." She says. "Oh look a note." She says pulling out a paper. "Enjoy firework. Signed a single C. Whose that?" I thought about before realizing who it was. Lie.

"This chick I tattooed. She's real cool. Guess this is her tipping me."

"That's cool. Let's hope you don't break your neck."

"Not all of us lack basic coordination Bella boo." I tell her tapping her nose. "Now movie time."

-

"Oh of course I'll go Ray it's no problem." I say throwing clothes out of my closet as Bella laughs. "I'm such an idiot."

"Calm down it's not that big of a deal." She says already organizing my clothes. "I like this outfit."

"I've worn that in front of them before." I tell her. "I feel like I'm meeting someone's parents right now."

"I mean technically they took Kit in." She says, I smile a little knowing she made friends with him after he took her piercing virginity. Now if he could take her actual virginity. "You know I think it's nice that you guys all have similar pasts. So you can see you can truly get better."

"It's like AA without a court order." I tell her. "How about one of these?"

"Two dressy. This is thanksgiving not a business meeting." She says shaking her head. "I don't even know why you own them."

"I'm a sucker for hot ladies in nice suits with a corset or lingerie as a shirt. I figure others would be too." I tell her shrugging. "Besides I looked good in them."

"Hopeless. How about this one and you can grunge it up with the platform docs and that new leather jacket." She says pulling out a dress.

"Alright fine. And wear something nice to the bonfire please." I tell her as I pull the dress on.

"Can I wear this?" She asks about the first outfit.

"Yea, just put tights on under. I refuse to hear you complain about being cold." I tell her. "Now I'm leaving. Stay safe and talk to Jacob about the bikes if you should find any."

"Yes ma'am." She says. "Don't drink and drive."

"I never do. Later dad." I say leaving the house and jumping into my beautiful car. Did I buy flowers and a cookies I made Alex bake? Yes. Did Ray tell me not to? Also yes. But I don't listen so. Oh well. Getting to his house I check my makeup in my rearview and get out the car. "You got this."

I walked up to the door and before I could knock Lani opened the door.

"You made it." She says pulling me inside.

"I said I would." I tell her as she continues pulling me deeper into the house.

"She's here." Lani says presenting me like a toy.

"Yes the best person any of you will ever meet. Hello." I say bowing a little. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh hello hello." Ray's wife says coming to hug me. "It's so nice to meet you." She gives me a hug which you know I give back. "Oh you smell good."

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too." I say smiling. "These are for you. And these are for everyone."

"Alex?" Kit asks grabbing the cookies, I nod. "Hell yea." Everyone laughs a little and Ray's wife leads me into a seat. "Anyway welcome to the crib."

"Yes yea hush up." Ray says smacking kits head. "Now we have food, but uh no idea if you wanna eat twice today."

"Oh imma eat."

"Good good." Ray's wife, I really need to learn her name, says. "Food's almost done." She walks out the room.

"You know this isn't what I expected of you." I say looking around the house. "It's very light."

"Why thank you, Estelle tries." Ray says, well that's her name. "But what exactly were you picturing?"

"Oh you know typical man stuff." I say shrugging. "Little bit of trash, little bit of dirt and hella skulls. Typical."

"You're so weird man." Vega says shaking her head. "Anyway, how's the twin?"

"She's doing okay. Little moody little sad but as always awkward as hell." I tell her. "But hey she's doing better than I was after my first breakup."

"Technically not a breakup but hey if it works it works." Lani says.

"I was single after so breakup." I say smiling. "But hey I made it out."

"And that's really good. You're coming up on a year clean right?" Ray asks as Estelle comes in with trays.

"Yea on December 4th." I tell him nodding. "Which admittedly was a very good and bad week."

"Clearly." Kit says. "Need help Stell?"

"Nope I've got it." She says running out the room again.

"What made you get clean that day anyway?" Ray asks.

"I uh got into a car accident." I said. "Thank his I didn't have Ruby yet cause it totaled the fuck out of my old car. I rolled three times somewhere in Idaho."

"Why the fuck were you in Idaho hoe?" Kit asks.

"I was high and decided to take a trip to see my dad." I say shrugging. "Left and woke up in some random hospital. Got clean after that." I frown a little thinking about how Paul had come down with dad to see me.

"I bet, kill anyone in the accident?" Vega asks making Estelle smack her and I laughed.

"No. It was more I drove off the side of a ditch and rolled into a side field." I tell her. "Anyway I got clean after that and then built Ruby and moved here. End of story."

"Well at least you made it through." Estelle says. "Let's be thankful for that."

"Yes and now Ray has a new amazing protégé." Kit says. "Better than Vega anyway."

"Hey I take offense to that." She says.

"You should." Ray says shaking his head. "I bestow all of my wisdom upon you and what do you do? Waste it. To be a piercer. Which good profession but honestly kid."

"Yea Vega shame on you." I tell her shaking my head.

"Oh shut it golden child."

-

"I wanna light the fire." Jared says, wrestling with Paul a bit.

"No Sam told me to do it." Paul says. "Go away this is my moment."

"Such children." I say shaking my head. "So talk to Jacob yet?"

"He said if I find the frame he'll help me." She says nodding as she snuggles closer to me. "I'm cold."

"What can I tell you Bells beauty is pain. And for you pain is cold."

"Asshole." She mutters. "Dad looks real cozy with Billy over there."

"I'll pay you 20 bucks to go say that his face." Leah says coming and sitting next to Bella. "I double dog dare you."

"Get ready to pay up." Bella says standing and walking over to dad. We watch her say it to dad who turns to look at us and flip us off. Billy on the other hand just laughs. "Pay me."

"Damn I didn't think she would." Leah says handing over the cash. "Props to you though little girl."

"Thank you thank you. Now cuddle me I'm cold." Leah laughs and throws an arm around her. "Thank you." I smile and watch as Paul finally lights the fire and comes to reach his hand out to me.

"Take a walk with me." I grab his hand and let me haul me up. Walking down the beach is nice when it's dark out.

"So what's up Pauly bear?"

"I just wanted to spend time with you. You know my best friend."

"Obviously but you seem troubled. Is it the nargles?"

"No loony." He says bumping shoulders with me. "It's just I'm real thankful for you, you know. Sticking by me all these years."

"I'll always stick by you. Till death do us part." I tell him. "And thank you for believing in me. Even when I was in coke."

"Always. No matter what." He says kissing my temple.

"Always."