“I swear to god I’m not lying,” Justin cried.
“That’s for calling her a bitch. You need to learn some manners, Justin.” I held up his hands. “I’m more than happy to give you eight more of those lessons.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I swear to god, I’ll never sell anything to her ever again.”
“You’re missing the point of this conversation,” I said. “You’re never going to say anything to anyone again. You’re going to close up shop tonight and get a fuckin’ job at Applebee’s tomorrow if you have to. But if I ever see you again, it better be because you’re clearing a fuckin’ plate of baby back ribs.”
“I think that’s Chili’s,” Archer interjected.
“I don’t care if it’s T.G.I. Fuckin’ Fridays, if I catch you runnin’ scams anywhere within the tri-state area, I’ll put you ina full fuckin’ body cast.” I cocked my head. “Do you understand me?”
Justin nodded rapidly, snot running down his nose.
“Oh, shit,” Archer hissed.
“What?” I asked.
“I just remembered Walnut Grove. It was the town in the old show Mom used to watch.”
“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?” I ground out.
“You know the one?” he said. “Where all the women wore bonnets and shit.”
“Wagon Train?”
“No, not fuckin’ Wagon Train,” Archer snapped. “The one with the little bitch who rolled down the hill at the beginning. The show that made Mom cry every time she watched it.”
“Little House on the Prairie?” Justin asked.
“Yeah!” Archer said, excitedly. “That one.”
“If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna break your fingers too,” I threatened my brother.
Archer scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Are we done here, Justin?” I asked.
Justin nodded.
“I want you to think of me as your parole officer. I could drop in at any time unannounced to check on you. Got it?”
“Yeah, man, I got it.”
“Good. One last thing,” I said. “Give me your wallet.”
He pointed to the kitchen counter and Archer grabbed it, handing it to me.
I pulled out the cash inside, counting the bills inside. “This two-fifty is for Teagan’s ID. This hundred is for me and my brother to go get beers and forget about having to come to your shit hole apartment, and the remaining five I’ll leave you to buy aspirin for your fucked up fingers.” Before I closed the wallet, Itook a photo of his driver’s license and then threw the wallet at him, and we walked out the door.
* * *
Teagan
I was in Hatch and Maisie’s basement, hanging with Cambry and Tillie, waiting for Maisie to call us all up for dessert, when Hatch walked down. “Ladies.”
“Hey, Uncle Hatch,” I said.
“Hi,” Tillie said, her tone one of hesitance.
