The Technicolor Daydreamer; Folie A Deux.

It was all so quick. I'd mentally numbed myself in preparation.

Jepha and Zacky picked me up first that night. They pulled up in a sleek, black Hummer, opened the door, and I wordlessly climbed inside. Black leather seats, with a limo-style interior.
Perfect, if you wanted to clean up blood stains easily.
Bert was in deep.
God knows what else he was doing on the side to get the cash for something like this.

My mom was asleep, I made sure of it. Asleep and safe. Meds, water, and the phone by the nightstand. God, I hope she doesn't wake up before I get back.

The car drove off pretty quickly, but unfortunately the three-way awkward silence-- or the crosstown drive--weren't as swift. We spent most of it staring aimlessly at the carpet. However, it was long enough to provoke some small talk.

"So, Iero," Jepha rasped from across the car.

I looked up, unfamiliar city lights whisking by outside the heavily-tinted window.
It was still a full moon.

"You really like that girl, huh?"

I blinked. Wasn't sure what to say. I mean, I do like Mia, but...he wasn't exactly the guy to talk about it with. My fingers, previously tracing circles on the upholstery, tensed up.

"Not many people cross me without thinking twice about it first. I've seen a few wimps shove their girls at me, begging me to take her and not him before I capped them."

I nodded, unsure where this was going.

"If it's all the same to you, I was drunk at the party. Not saying I didn't know what I was doing, but...I respect a dude who protects his lady like that."

...

What the heck do you say to something like that?

"Uh...thanks?" I managed.

Zacky snickered, patting his friend's shoulder. "Jeph-y here is a little hungover. He's sloppy drunk, and even sloppier when sober."
He leaned back, half-smug and all amused, eyes glittering in the darkness when the street lights caught them.
"Don't expect some half-assed apology from me.
Though I do have to say, I don't blame the guy for trying to get a piece of the action. Always did want to try some chocolate for myself,"
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he cupped his chin in his palms.

I stared at both of them.

"What's it like?" Zacky tilted his head to the side, curious. The strange part was that there wasn't a trace of sarcasm this time. He was honestly being serious.

"I...haven't...we don't..." I stammered, grasping at thin air for words. I was still wrapping my head around the idea that they were attempting to make conversation, and then they throw this curveball?

"You haven't screwed yet?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, settling for a head-shake like a third-grader.
"We've only known each other for a week or so!"

"By my standards, that's almost too long. But really? I thought they liked...wow." Zacky marveled, eyebrows raised.

Even in Jersey, people were still this uneducated.

I was about to take offense at his "they" comment, when he fired off another question.

"You ever done a girl before?" He smirked. Even Jeph held back a small laugh at Zacky's bluntness.

"Uh...no." Oh, God.

" I knew it!" He giggled, disturbingly entertained by this new bit of news. "You look like you haven't."

So awkward.

"Your girlfriend looks just as inexperienced as you. I guess you do belong together after all."

"Are we really gonna keep talking about my sex life?"

"Non-existent sex life, you mean," he chuckled. "And yes, we are, because you look mortified and I like to watch lesser people squirm."

Frowning at him, I shook my head and looked out the window. "Sex isn't everything."

"Only a virgin would say that," he laughed, nudging Jepha. "Believe me, kid, there's nothing more gratifying in the world than taking a girl's cherry. That moment, that look on her face-- fear. Nervousness. Shock. Pain. And that cute little gasp all of them do. It's priceless."
His voice trailed off, and he had a faraway look on his face, biting his lip like he was remembering some far-off, pleasant memory none of us would ever be privy to.

Well, I was thoroughly weirded out for the evening.
This convo had officially turned freaky.
Not to say it hadn't been from the start.

Fortunately, the car slowed to a halt. Jepha leaned over and opened the door, and Amia slid in beside me, closing the door behind her. Surprisingly, the dynamic duo didn't have anything to say after that. No fifth degree or anything. No smart-aleck comments. I'm sure Zacky would make up for that later.

We picked up Gerard, who looked pale as we got closer to our destination. When the car finally did stop, we were at some unknown part of town.

"Listen, following directions means the difference between a dead mule and a live one, alright? Do what you're told, don't snoop around and don't be a smartass. Deliver and get gone." Everyone piled out of the car, and Jepha opened the trunk. It appeared to be empty, but he slid his hand under the cover to the spare compartment. Under it were several large backpacks.

"We'll be waiting outside. Make it quick. If you're not out in less than 10, we're gone," Jepha warned. They handed each of us a large bag. Zacky hesitated when he got to Mia, his eyes quickly flicking over to me with a barely noticeable smirk, then handed her a bag before he closed the trunk. "Keep your eyes open."

Gee walked ahead of us, trudging forward and turning down an alleyway where he knocked in code and a door was cracked open, light pouring out onto the soggy pavement. Amia slid her hand in mine as we caught up to where Gerard had walked in. I gave her hand a nervous squeeze.

We appeared to be in the back of a pool hall. Thick smoke choked the air. "Spread 'em," A muscular man with sun-baked skin pointed at the wall. He patted us down roughly, then waved us forward through a doorway. Inside, a black-haired guy, 6 feet, with a huge healed scar across his throat and a greasy white muscle shirt gave us a tight-lipped stare. The gash looked deep enough to do some serious damage. He probably couldn't talk.

...man, that was scary.

"Hey, Vito," Gerard sighed. The man nodded hello back at him, throwing a few curious looks our way. "They're with me," Gee explained. Vito nodded again and took Gerard's backpack as well as ours. He unzipped each, peering inside, then closed them back and handed Gerard a large duffel bag. "See you next week." Gerard gave a small smile and Vito patted him on the shoulder.

Mia looked at me quizzically, and I shrugged. Maybe they were friends? Strange place to make allies, but I guess it couldn't hurt in this business. Gerard headed back out the door, closing it behind him, and we followed him outside.

"Vito has a wife and kids, everything," Gerard explained quietly. "He was a janitor at a law firm. Witnessed a mob hit one night while he was on the late shift, so they slit his throat to keep him from talking. If he stops working for them, his family dies," he sighed.

There was a sort of stunned silence as we got back into the car.

"Alright. We stop at Bert's, then you're all free to go for the night," Zacky muttered.

The driver, who was apparently ready to get home, rushed us back to Bert's.

- - -

"Welcome! Welcome!" Bert cackled with a cigarette dancing between his lips. He was sitting at the end of a large dinner table in what looked like Marie Antoinette's dining room. Exquisite, classical paintings and ornate furniture decorated the lavish house like a museum.

This guy was starting to make less and less sense every time we met.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Bertrude grinned wickedly as Gerard roughly slid the large duffel bag he'd received down the polished glass-and-marble table. "Now, I would count this, but I know you'd never steal from me. Right, cupcake?" he leered at Gerard.

I don't get it.

Gerard said nothing, only looked on with a vacant expression that had traces of anger behind it. Bert reached inside the bag, pulled out three wads of cash, and tossed one at each of us. As I caught it, my eyes widened. It was a fist-sized ball of hundreds.

Holy crap.

"Ah! One more thing! A bonus, on me." Smirking, Bert threw some small plastic baggies our way.

Mia looked up, and my eyes met hers.
In shock, I rolled the little bundle around in my palm.

It was filled with white powder.