Larry and Violet chatted for hours. They talked about everything under the sun, even things that didn't interest them at times. Violet finally caved and practically spilled her entire life story. She told him things that Sal didn't even know, because why not? Larry shared a bit about his past as well, but not much. She didn't mind. It was nice to know that he trusted her with what he did tell her.

The pair had both sank into the bean bags on the floor, their feet lazily kicked out. Larry even pulled the pillows off his bed and used them for extra cushioning.

"Heh, it's 3 AM," he suddenly informed her.

Violet shrugged. "I'm not even tired."

"What about your parents?"

"I don't bother making up excuses anymore. They don't even notice I'm gone."

"Fair enough."

Violet had never gone to school on 0 hours of sleep. She was sure she'd never be able to function that way. She supposed this would be the day she tested that theory. Her father may not notice her absence at home, but he'd certainly notice a call from school saying that she never showed up. Skipping was certainly not an option.

Larry's eyes traveled to Hot Sauce's tank. He grinned as the fish swam through the eye socket of his skull statue. "I'm glad Sal got you that fish, little dude."

"You don't mind him being in here, do you?" Violet asked, following his gaze. "I'm waiting on a good time to take him home."

"Nah, I like him. I almost want my own. But I'm still working on convincing my mom to let me get a snake."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Of course you want a snake."

"Snakes are sick, man."

"Yeah, especially when you have to feed them tiny baby mice. Some won't eat them unless they're alive. If that's what you mean by sick."

"Hey, dude, it's the circle of life. Besides, you make me feed Hot Sauce blood worms and shrimp."

"Yeah, frozen ones."

"They have frozen mice."

"Where would you keep frozen mice, Larry?"

"Right next to the frozen shrimp and worms, which are right next to our frozen pizzas."

The pair laughed out loud. Violet wondered if Lisa knew about what Larry was keeping in her freezer. With how much she worked, it was unlikely that she did. She rarely had time to cook. One night, she made dinner for the whole friend group and it was absolutely delicious. That woman made a mean pot roast. The thought of it made her stomach growl.

"You hungry, little dude?" Larry asked her.

"Yeah, but I can hold out until lunch."

"Lunch?! It's bologna day at school. Come on, let's go to the gas station."

Before Violet could question him, he jumped up and stuffed his feet into his shoes. She stood up with a frown. "I don't have shoes."

"I know. That's why I'm driving," he replied, making his way toward the door.

"Driving?"

"Uh, yeah." He said this as if she should have known that he was a licensed driver with a car. Like it was common knowledge. But, after walking everywhere he went for the past few months and never mentioning driving, Violet was left in the dark.

Something about this moment was exhilerating. It made her heart race. Not only was she out with a friend without her parents' knowlesge, but he was about to drive her somewhere. Sure, it was only a gas station, but at least it wasn't the apartments. For once, Violet felt like a real teenager. Sneaking out, staying up until dawn, going to parties, and even complicated feelings toward a boy. Although, she could go without the partying and crushes.

Without a second thought, Violet followed Larry into the living room, where he grabbed Lisa's purse from the couch. He rummaged through it for a moment, causing several crumpled receipts to fall on the floor before pulling out a set of keys.

Violet hurriedly picked up the trash. "What are you doing?" She whispered. She couldn't risk waking Lisa up as her son was digging through her purse.

"Well, I need the keys to drive, don't I?"

"You drive your mom's car?! Does she know about this?"

"Depends. Like, she won't know about this because we won't tell her. But if I use it for school then I'll tell her."

"So you steal it?"

"I prefer the word 'borrow.'"

Well, it was either go on a gas station trip in the middle of the night like normal teenagers, or beg Larry not to steal his mom's car and ruin the fun. So, with a shrug, Violet followed him back to his bedroom and through the door that led outside.

An icy wind hit the two teenagers as soon as they left the warmth of the apartments. It was the type of cold that reached their bones. Larry pulled the hood of his jacket up and stuffed his hands into his pockets while Violet pulled her robe tighter around her body. She kept her eyes on the grass, looking to make sure that she didn't impale her bare feet on anything sharp. The darkness of the night made it nearly impossible to see. She had to squint her eyes.

"My mom's car has heat," Larry spoke up, noticing his friend's shivering form. "I'll blast it."

"Th-Thank you."

Once they reached the parking lot, Larry led Violet to a maroon car. It had to have been the oldest model in the parking lot. In fact, the paint was chipping and parts of the rims were rusting. The tires were clearly very worn down. There was no way it was legal to drive with those on.

"It ain't much, but it works," Larry commented. He shoved the key into the keyhole of the driver's door and gave it a twist, causing it to fly open with a loud squeal.

Violet made her way over to the passenger's side. Once she lowered herself into the vehicle, the smell of a cheap car fragrance filled her nose. It was sickeningly sweet and had a hint of fruitiness to it. Her seat was a faded beige color, its leather cracked and torn in multiple places. It made her wonder how Lisa and Larry were making it by. Even without the stress of rent on their shoulders, they were still stuck with a car such as this one.

Larry turned the key in the ignition, causing the engine to sputter to life. It made a rather loud whirring noise before finally falling quiet. "Yeah," he breathed, "good ol' Betty has been going strong for almost 20 years. It was my dad's car."

"20 years is a long time," Violet commented as she buckled her seatbelt. The fabric of it was stained and a bit sticky.

"Hell yeah it is." He shifted the gear into reverse and slowly inched backward. The car groaned in protest, almost as if to beg him for 5 more minutes of rest. Larry merely ignored it and headed down the driveway leading to the main road.

Once he pulled onto the street, he reached for the center console and turned 2 dials. One of them caused the heat to kick on, producing the smell of burnt rubber, while the other turned the radio on. The sound of violent screaming and guitar shredding filled their ears. Fortunately, the sound was relatively low. Violet assumed this was another Sanity's Fall song. Unbeknownst to Larry, the band hadn't grown on her at all. She chose to keep this to herself and let him enjoy it.

Larry was a surprisingly good driver. Violet expected him to go at least 20 over the speed limit at all times and ignore stop signs. She couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, he kept his speed at the usual 5 over the limit and obeyed every law.

"How long have you had your license?" She inquired.

"Heh, I don't have one. Or my temps."

"What if you get pulled over?"

He laughed. "I know where all the traffic cops are stationed in this area. Plus, I drive like any normal person. Just don't draw attention to yourself and you won't get caught."

"You seem like the type to speed. Like, really bad."

"Yeah, Sal said the same thing."