Angelo, Sarah and Jono, backdated

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In the name of troublemaking past, the three of them go out to a pool hall. Shameless fleecing of innocent college kids ensues.



It had been a long week. The kind of week that deserved a beer-filled night to celebrate its passing. Maybe with pool, or darts, somewhere in the middle of the rounds. And cigarettes. In the end, Sarah decided it was a bad kids night out. And seeing as how Amanda was still recovering, that only left herself, Jono and Angelo to see what sort of trouble they could get into. She dropped them both an email before she left work, careful to emphasize the fact that attendance was required, grumpy or no.

"Meet me tonight for beer and pool. Bad kids night out. If you aren't there by 9, I will come out and drag your asses out."

The response from Angelo was short and to the point. "Let's make it a beer and pool crawl."

Jono had been hesitant at first, then threw caution to the wind. "Count me in."

***

Sarah showed up at the first pool hall promptly at 9, wearing jeans, a strappy halter, and horns. Yeah, it'd been that kind of week. She didn't see the boys right away, so she leaned back against the bar, with a beer and a cigarette. They had ten minutes.

Angelo was the first to join her, just within the allowed time, already lighting a cigarette as he stepped into the dingy room and glanced around. A minute later, he was leaning against the bar next to her. "No Jono yet?"

"Not yet." She paused, taking another drink of her beer while she scanned the crowd. "Of course, I normally 'hear' him before I see him. I think he likes that he can sneak up on me."

"The benefits of a wardrobe composed of black, black, and... okay, a few pairs of jeans, but you get the picture." Jono waved from the crowd by the door, pushing his way through. He approached the pair and gave Sarah a quick squeeze on the shoulder before stopping in front of Angelo. "So, Ange..." he said softly, not sure how to continue. "Been a bit too long, hasn't it?"

"Long time", Angelo agreed, lifting his own just-arrived drink in a salute. "Good to see you back in... mostly one piece."

"Was that a joke? From you?" Jono lifted an eyebrow and then leaned back on the bar, bunching up the sleeves of his black hooded sweatshirt. "Thought you were keeping yourself too busy for jokes and fun these days."

That got him raised eyebrows. "Who've you been talkin' to about me, then? An' yeah, I've been busy, but... I'm out now, aren't I?"

"Because I threatened to drag your ass out if you didn't." Sarah smiled brightly from behind her beer, in a vaguely triumphant way.

The wrinkling around Jono's eyes reflected what would have been an identical smile, had he possessed the mouth to smile with. He looked at Sarah's beer longingly for a moment, then shook his head. "Right, and I know if I end up with a secondhand buzz from you two, I'll never hear the end of it. Then again, why not? What're we having tonight, then?" he asked.

"You don't get to drink for yourself, it's the least we can do", Angelo declared. "Like old times, huh? An' I'm havin' beer. For now."

"Yes. Beer. Not 'real' beer, so I'm told, but the cheap kind that this place actually has." Taking a final drag from her cigarette, she held out a hand. "I'll share, if you're up for it."

Nodding, Jono rested his hand in Sarah's, her skin brushing against the new calluses he was forming from his guitar. A short feeling of thoughts brushing like blades of grass in the wind, and then the familiar feeling of a nicotine buzz permeated his thoughts.

"Oh, now that's been too long," he admitted.

Angelo laughed at him openly. "Course it has. An' just think, you get to share bein' drunk with two people, later."

"The last time that happened, I distinctly recall being quite a bit younger, self-absorbed, and... well, you were there." Jono had the presence of mind to look somewhat chastened suddenly about bringing up their mutual past with Paige in front of Angelo, and waved a hand dismissively. "Christ, has it all changed so much? I remember someone wanting to be a copper at some point, don't I?"

"Ah, that was a long time ago", Angelo said with a crooked grin. "Yeah, I thought about it for a while. Almost went into the academy. But here I am. Workin' for an NGO these days, with Nathan an' some of the others. An' nearly legal, too." Less than a month.

Sarah let them get the reintroductions out of the way, curling back against the bar to pop her back. Finally she cut in. "We haven't had nearly enough to drink to start> reminiscing yet. Let's save that for when you're all drunk and teary."

"Inviting me out just to get me drunk?" Jono's lifted eyebrow conveyed mild amusement at the implication. "You're trying to get me sleeping on the couch for a week, aren't you?"

She shook her head in mock disappointment, lips pressed together tightly. "You always were too smart for my evil plans." Finishing her beer, she gave his hand a squeeze. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm here to get Angelo drunk too. We'll all be in trouble together."

"Done and sorted," Jono exclaimed, feeling the cool burn of the alcohol and the sensation of mild euphoria shared from Sarah as he squeezed her fingers gently. "Only too happy to oblige."

"I", Angelo declared, crooked grin still in place, "will not be in trouble with my girlfriend. With the other staff, maybe, but like she'd care about me havin' fun." This kind of fun, at least.

"Wait. There are ways to -not- be in trouble with the staff over there?" Sarah looked absolutely shocked for a moment, before replacing the expression with a smirk. "Oh well. This is more fun anyway."

Jono pulled at the hem of his hoodie, looking out over the bar. "They're a regular bunch of model citizens these days. Even 'almost legal' Angelo." He motioned to the bartender and pointed at Angelo's drink. "I'll have what he's having. Literally."

***

"Hey, watch it with that stick." Laughing, Sarah moved back a few steps to get out of the way, and gasped as the cool wall came into contact with her back. "Poking out my eyes just so you can watch me regrow them isn't cool."

Jono ignored Sarah, lining up another shot and sinking the striped ball with ease, then frowning as the cue ball followed it into the pocket. "Bollocks," he grumbled. "Thankfully we're not playin' for money here."

"Maybe we should be", Angelo said with a crooked grin. "But not against each other. Anyone else feel like a bit of sharkin'?"

"What, fleecin' the locals for their hard-earned cash?" Jono raised an eyebrow at his friend. "How utterly horrid of you to suggest, Angelo Espinosa. Which is to say that I am all for it. Sarah?"

"Since when have I ever turned down something like this?" Sarah downed the rest of her beer, and left the empty glass on a nearby table. "I'll go grab us some more drinks, and see if I can't pick up a few oh-so-willing victims."

"Sounds like a very good plan", was Angelo's response, grin turning wicked. He knew Sarah would have no trouble hooking their marks.

Jono silently set the balls in their rack, then glanced up at Angelo once Sarah had stepped away. "So," he said quietly so only Angelo could hear, "you and Sarah seem a bit closer than before..."

Angelo looked at him sideways, then shrugged. "We're friends. I'm with Amanda. But we were a step over that for awhile."

With a wince, Jono stepped back from the table. "Oi. Glad to hear you're happy, mate. But you get to break that particular news to Paige. Me, I prefer my bits intact." He paused to roll the cue ball across the table, bouncing it off the opposite rail. "God, it seems just yesterday we didn't have a clue, remember? You an' me an' Paige sneakin' into bars, or me an' Sarah hanging out in the basement, or you an' Sarah beating each other bloody. Are we even the same people, d'you think?"

"Paige can figure it out for herself", Angelo answered with another shrug. "Or not. An' Sarah an' I still beat each other bloody once in awhile, for old times' sake. An' we're in a bar right now, remember? For the rest of it... don't know. Guess it comes with growin' up."

Sarah returned then, two beers in hand and two notably pretty boys in tow. They looked like local college kids, out for a night of drinking, and only to happy to take part in what they figured was a sure-fire bet. Sarah nodded to Angelo and Jono, and smiled brightly. "Boys, these are my new friends, Chris and Dave. They say they're up for playing."

"Hello Chris, hello David," Jono said cheerfully, noting that neither boy looked to be all too sober, so much the better. "Our mate Sarah here introduced us to this charming little game, and we thought we'd show up the locals a bit, what do you say? Round of beers for the winners?"

Angelo offered them a friendly, open smile, noticing the same thing Jono had and pleased by it too. "Think you can give us a run for the stakes?" he put in easily.

It took all Sarah had not to bust out laughing, and for a moment her bright smile shifted to something darker entirely. She put a hand on the shoulder of the one closest her her, David, and motioned to them with her free hand. "They've promised me they'll do their best."

Comments

[x-foliate.livejournal.com]

So, who else thinks Paige took Jono out for the weekend so she'd have more options on where to hide the body? *raises hand*

(cute, kittens, very cute)