Page 55 of Pocketful of Us

"Sketch," Romi sobbed, finger nails digging into my arm from the force she was using to grip me.

"Shh." Shielding her body with mine, I pushed her into corner. "Quiet, Ro."

Keeping her small body tucked behind mine, I slowly cocked the hammer, hand steady as a damn rock, gun aimed at the entrance.

Come at me, fuckers.

I dare you.

"Oh well, this is just fucking lovely, isn’t it?" A metal railing came through the small entryway first, follow swiftly by a flustered looking Presley. "I'm running around into life or death situations, trying to save your ass from extinction, and all the while y'all are copulating in the damn treehouse like a bunch of horned-up lab rats!" Chest heaving from exertion, Pres crawled into the treehouse and then collapsed face down on his stomach. "Congrats on the impending bundle of sleepless nights and vomit, by the way. I can't wait to tell little Sketchy junior that I was there the night his hung-like-a-horse daddy tapped his mama's ass. Alas, another family based on teen sex." He sighed dramatically and offered a weak thumb's up. "Weird question, but you wouldn't happen to have some aspirin up here, would you? Or an ice-pack? No? Didn’t think so." He whimpered loudly. "That's okay, I'll just shut up and die now."

24

Romi

"Pres!" I couldn’t believe my eyes. "Oh my God." Slipping around Sketch's broad back, I rushed towards him, only to be quickly yanked behind Sketch's big body. "You're a little naked there, Ro."

"God." Mortified, I scrambled to catch my clothes that Sketch was thrusting behind his back. "Sorry," I mumbled, dressing quickly.

"Miss Dillon," Pres wheezed from his perch on the flat of his stomach. "How the hell are you, baby girl?"

"I left you in Colorado for a reason," Sketch growled, eyes locked on Presley. "To keep yousafe. What the hell are you doing back here, dumbass?"

"The same reason you are," Pres groaned, rolling onto his side. "To save someone I love. Except I love you both, so I guess I have two reasons."

Presley's words obviously caught Sketch by surprise and it took him a few moments to compose himself. "It's not safe here." Snatching his jeans and boxers off the floor, he quickly threw them back on. "Goddammit, Pres, I can't watch your back as well as Romi's."

"No shit, Sherlock," Pres countered, still breathing hard like he'd just run a marathon. "And you don’t have to." Rolling onto his back, he waved his handcuffed hand in the air. "Surprisingly enough, I can take care of myself."

"Like hell you can," Sketch hissed. "What the fuck happened to your arm?"

"What – this?" Pres dangled the metal railing attached to his wrist. "Romi's evil twin lured me into a closet, and then he locked me inside of it!"

Sketch frowned. "He lured you inside a closet with… handcuffs?"

"No, Sketch, he didn’t lure me inside with handcuffs." Pres rolled his eyes. "My name isn't Georgie Denbrough and I don’t have a penchant for paper freaking boats, dude."

"Then why would you –"

"Dick, Sketch," Pres declared miserably. "He lured me with his big damn dick."

Sketch's mouth fell open. "You let himfuckyou?"

"Only a lot," Pres admitted sheepishly. "But he's a bad fucking devil, buddy. He wants to kill you. Getting y'all here was all a big ploy he thought up with Cal. They're going to kill your dads and then they're coming for you."

"And you were alone with him in a damn closet?" Sketch looked like he was about to blow a head gasket. "Dude, are youinsane?"

"No, but I was horny."

"Wait, wait, wait. So, let me get this straight here," Sketch growled, reaching for the railing still attached to Presley's wrist. "You let a guyyou know wants to kill me,fuck you?"

"I'm weak, okay!" Pres wailed dramatically, holding his wrist out for Sketch. "I'm an unfaithful friend. But you can't break up with me. No, sir. Not when I've come to warn you."

"Iambreaking up with you," Sketch snapped, twisting and jiggling the bobby pin sticking out of Presley's handcuff. "Consider yourself dumped, you little cheater."

Click.

The handcuff opened and clattered to the floor.

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