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"You think she wants to eat her?" Marko spoke Paul's thoughts aloud as they watched Star smiling and laughing with the girl at the counter.
David chuckled at the question, flicking a cigarette onto the pavement beneath his boot. The boys sat on their bikes, engines waiting for Star to join them so they could leave. She and the short haired, caramel skinned girl had been chatting for almost an hour now and Paul was drumming the sides of his bike in annoyance. "She needs to get to it already"
"What are you in such a hurry for?" Dwayne’s gruff voice teased.
"Im bored, man" Paul whined. He stood from his bike and lit a joint as he shifted from hip to hip.
A long fifteen minutes later, the girl walked to the back of the VideoMax she was working in and the lights in the building started to turn off in waves. Star leaned against the counter, looking at her nails and adjusting the hem of her skirt as she apparently waited on the girl to close. The two emerged together, big smiles on both their faces. Star looked around briefly before seeing the boys and made a motion towards them to her new friend.
"Looks like we have company, gentlemen" David announced, a quick reminder to be on their best behavior. They all watched as the girls made their way over.
"Maria, you know the boys" Star smiled and touched David's arm as she spoke. "This is David, Dwayne, Marko and Paul" She introduced them in order.
"Maria" Dwayne repeated her name to himself. Maria was lovely. She'd worked the counter at Max's video store for a couple months now and the boys all flirted and tried to chat when they'd roam the store but she'd never been too receptive before.
"Nice to meet you" the obviously nervous girl gave a gentle wave.
"Likewise" David offered a smile. "You ready to get out of here, Star?" He nodded towards her.
"Yeah, I told Maria we'd give her a ride home. Her date bailed." She told him as she got on the back of his bike and gathered her skirt around her knees. Maria looked at her feet and played with her hair embarrassed as Star spoke.
"Who'd be dumb enough" Dwayne spoke up. She smiled at him and shook her head coyly.
"Not a big deal, just left me stranded is all" She wrinkled her face and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Ever been on a bike before?" He asked, she shook her head, a look of worry clear on her face as she looked over the machine beneath him.
"Hop on, I'll go slow" he lifted an eyebrow and gave her a smile. Star was tickled to see him take such an interest, she'd never seen him flirt without guise before. Marko smiled too, rubbing his chin as he looked at David.
Maria walked to Dwayne's side, he lifted a hand and took her forearm, helping her to straddle his bike. She wore skin tight jeans with a long black sash tied through the belt loops, it hung to one side and danced in the wind.
"Good?" Dwayne turned his head and spoke in a lower register, Maria nodded and her heart quickened. Paul laughed out loud, before kick starting his bike.
David led the way, Marko and Paul behind him, and true to his word Dwayne stayed slow in the back, though slow was much too fast for Maria who tried at first to hang on to the side of the seat but quickly found herself wrapped tightly around the boys waist, her hands pressed against his bare chest.
It wasn't often the boys ventured into town, the boardwalk and beach provided all the nightlife they needed, but finding the house Maria pictured in her head proved easy enough after Star provided the intersection she'd mentioned. Santa Carla was small and while they took the longer route to give Dwayne more time with such a beauty's legs wrapped around his waist, they arrived at her apartment in just fifteen minutes.
David and the twins pulled off farther up the block, while Dwayne pulled into the parking lot and turned the bike off. Maria exhaled shakily as the bike lurched to a stop and Dwayne laughed playfully and patted his hand atop hers.
"You made it in one piece" He said as he stood and turned to face her.
"You're good at that" She laughed between another rough exhale.
"Thanks, I didn't mean to scare you" Dwayne combed his hair with his fingers.
"No, it's ok. It was fun and I appreciate the ride. I'd have walked all night."
"Anytime, pretty girls like you really shouldn't be alone on these streets." He told her, his brown eyes focused on her shiny pink lips. She was blushing now and smiling from ear to ear.
Star was tugging on David's sleeve in excitement as they listened.
"What kinda game are you playing, Star?" David lit a smoke as he watched a car creep by.
"She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. I just thought, I don't know" She shrugged and smiled.
"And he's supposed to have a little human girlfriend? Or you want me to turn her?" He sounded a little angry now.
"Why not? Might be nice to have another girl around." Star snapped back at him.
"That's my choice to make. You shouldn't meddle in things like this." He turned his head towards her and spoke over his shoulder.
"You turned me quick enough, how was that different?" She stood and stepped away from him. Marko rolled his eyes and began picking at flecks of old dried blood on his chaps.
"She's all alone, David. No family, no friends. She could stay with us" Star crossed her arms over her ribs.
"That's dinner, Star. Santa Carla runaways are a dime a dozen." David puffed his cigarette.
"Why’d you keep me then?" Star looked at Paul and Marko as she spoke. The three men stayed quiet, Paul rested his chin in his hand. "Tell me!" Star's voice rose as she paced closer to David.
"I wanted you." He told her, shrugging his shoulders as if that explained everything fully.
"You wanted me?" She repeated. He nodded his head. "But you don't want her?" She asked.
"No." His cigarette butt fell to the ground through his fingers.
"So, he can't have her? I can't have a friend?" She questioned further.
"How do you know he even wants her? You've known her for an hour? What's going on here, Star?" David was confused by her sudden interest. She was getting quite worked up.
"I don't want to be the only girl anymore. I want a friend, and I can't be friends with a human." Star was wringing her hands as she spoke. "Change her for me" She put her hand over David’s but he pulled it away.
"You understand what you're asking? She'd be around forever, Star. You'd have to share everything, share us, if it so happened. Teach her to feed and live like us, keep her safe like we keep you safe. All to have a friend?" David huffed. "No. You have no clue." He shook his head. Star rolled her eyes with a huff and started walking towards Dwayne and Maria.
Down the block Dwayne and Maria were laughing together. He helped her off the bike and swept a curl behind her ear as she thanked him once again for the ride. She was blushing and smiling and would've invited him in were it not for his friends waiting for him. Star reached them quickly enough and Dwayne could tell by the look on her face that he'd missed an argument.
"Just wanted to come say Goodnight" Star fake smiled at Maria, who nodded with a smile and reached out to touch Star's wrist.
"Thanks for getting me a ride home" Maria told her "We should hang out sometime."
"Yes, absolutely" Star agreed. Maria waved an awkward wave and started to step away from the bike.
"Nice to meet you, Dwayne" She tipped her head towards him a little as she walked.
"Nice to meet you too" He smiled at her and watched her climb a flight of stairs as Star got onto his bike. She waved goodbye again before she unlocked her apartment door and tucked inside.
On the way home, Star was quiet but her mind screamed. The boys listened to her cuss at and make her argument to David over and over. Dwayne, while he did find Maria quite nice, wasn't as interested in her as Star had hoped he'd be. At least not after one interaction, though he couldn't lie and say he wouldn't spend more time with her.
Back at the caves, Star went to bed early. She tossed and turned as she listened to Paul’s music echo in the den. Suddenly there was a weight on the mattress behind her and then David's strong arm was pulling her close to his chest.
"I'm still mad at you" She told him but made no effort to pull away or move.
"I know, princess." He chuckled. They laid in silence for a long time, David curling a piece of Star's hair around her finger as he listened to her breaths.
"David" She finally spoke again, her voice was soft this time, her faux anger having dissolved with his comfort.
"Yes?" She turned to lay her head on his warm bare chest.
"Why did you want me?" She looked up at him. "I mean, when you could've had anyone"
"I'd been keeping an eye on you. I liked your smile and the way you dress. I was watching you dance at a show, and then it started to rain and you ran off, shivering, soaking wet. And you laughed, you looked up at the sky and you laughed. I wanted to know you. You were too beautiful not to know." He told her. Star was shocked to hear such a sweet confession. She rubbed her palm against the back of David's hand and he kissed her bare shoulder.
"I still think we should get to know Maria. I think-"
"I know, Star. You're always thinking something" he interrupted her, but she could hear the smile on his face and decided to leave it alone. She lifted his hand off her tummy and gave it a kiss. He returned one to the top of her head and she snuggled deeper into his body before surrendering to sleep.