"Some other time, little dude." Stephanie booped Mikey's nose and got up.
"Okay..." rejected, the kid flashed his giant puppy dog eyes at her; you could taste his disappointment in the air.
"Tell you what, Optimus..." she picked up his helmet and gently placed it back on his head. "You go help Major Rager kill some lizardmen, and I'll make you a deputy. How about that? You're gonna have your own star, and everything. I'm the Sherriff's daughter, you know-- I can do that." she winked at him.
"Yaaay!" the kid jumped off the couch and got his blaster. "Deputy Hugheth reporting for duty!" he saluted. "PEW-PEW! Eat that, lithard thcum!"
"Why don't you, like, adopt him or some junk?" Amber rolled her eyes. "Pretty sure he likes you more than me."
"Don't be ridiculous, Amber. Mikey loves you. Just... try not being such a butthole to him all the time."
"Like, easier said than done..."
With Mikey off to topple Emperor Krok, Stephanie turned to Priscilla. "Hey, PJ. Could you go check on Tiff? I gotta go call my dad."
"Sure thing, Campbell." Priscilla shoved her hand in her jeans and pulled out a small bag of weed. "It's not like I got anything better to do." she dangled the bag in front of Stephanie as she walked by; a toothy, mischievous grin on her face.
"Don't give her any of that, please! She's gonna get all loopy and handsy..."
"I make no promises!" Priscilla made horns with her fingers and raised her hand behind her head.
"Sigh... Hey, Amber-- phone's still in the den, right?"
"Yeah. But like, the eastern den-- the one that faces out to the back yard. Daddy had to move it to save some money on phone bills, 'cause like, it's harder for mom to walk that far when she's dr-" realizing she'd said too much, Amber caught herself mid-sentence and paused to think for a moment. "...unk." she blushed.
"Nice save." Audrey chuckled.
"Like, bite me."
"Be careful what you wish for." Audrey snapped her teeth at her.
"'Kay, I'll see you ladies in a bit."
As Stephanie walked away, Audrey hovered over to the Marantz. "Let's get this party started..." she downed her wine cooler, tossed in her own mixtape -this one had a bunch of tiny skull stickers on the case- and punched [Play I>].
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qDHyoJIUtA-----
Stephanie got comfy in a burgundy leather armchair with a towering back right by the window, and dialed the number; the waterfalls sparkling under the moonlight, way out in the distance past the back yard.
*Dooot...*
*Dooooot...*
*Dooooot...*
*Click-- "Sherriff Campbell speaking."*
"Hey, dad."
"Hey, kiddo! Everything okay?"
"Yeah... except for the car..."
*"What's that?"*
"I said, everything's fine so far."
*"Oh. Sorry, reception's kinda crappy. The boys there, yet?"*
"No, but they'll be here soon."
*"Good, good. I'd feel a lot safer with the boys there. I've seen Banks uproot a fire hydrant."*
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