our house, and we all carry her inside. Put her on the couch, cover her in blankets. I bring her a bag of frozen peas for her face. Kayos brings her a shot of Jack Danielâs and a tea. Mac sits down beside her on the couch and tries to clean her face with a wet washcloth.
Who did this to you?
Sly takes short, shallow breaths. You can tell she is trying really hard not to cry.
These two crackheads ⦠jumped me in the alley ⦠took everything ⦠all the rock, the cash, then they ⦠they ⦠Iâm sorry, Mac. Iâm so sorry. She starts to cry.
Itâs okay, Sly. I could give a fuck about the money or the rock. That shit doesnât matter. What matters is you. Youâre hurt. I think we should take you to the hospital.
No! No hospital! Fuck that!
This is the first time any of us have ever heard Sly Girl raise her voice.
Okay, okay. Just relax. Mac looks over at me, eyebrows up, turns back to Sly. Is anything broken? Can you walk?
I donât know.
Do you want to try?
No. I want to die.
Mac sighs and daubs at the blood around Slyâs nose.
Owww!
Sorry.
Weâre gonna kill those motherfuckers, Kayos says, pacing the room, her eyes hard and bright. Tell us what they looked like.
Sly starts to cry again, and I go kneel on the floor beside her head, look into her good eye. Sly, honey. Did they rape you?
She nods and hides her face in the couch, sobs racking her body.
We all look at each other. I see a tear slide down Kayosâs face. Her fists are balled up and she seems to be vibrating.
Jesus, Mac says.
Cocksuckers! Weâll chop their dicks off! Kayos kicks and slashes the air.
Maybe we should go to that walk-in clinic, Z mumbles.
I think we should definitely take her to the hospital. She needs to get tested, says Mac. Sheâll get the morning-after pill, probably some stitches, a cast, and whatever elseâ
Iâm not going to the fuckin hospital so you can all just fuck off! Sly Girl screams between sobs.
Okay. Okay. Just relax. Weâre going to get you through this. Promise. I give her a tiny smile, then go to the kitchen and mix two parts vinegar with one part water in a plastic pop bottle. I donât know if it will do anything, but I figure itâs better than nothing. I go back to the living room. Help me get her into the shower.
KAYOS
Itâs totally fucked up what happened to Sly Girl. I swear to God, Iâm gonna kill the two fucks who did this to her.
Mercy and Mac put her in the shower. Then Mac gave me fifty bucks and sent me down to the 24-hour pharmacy to get her the morning-after pill.
Can I drive?
Do you have your licence?
I got my N.
Alright, go. Take Z with you.
The pharmacy is just around the corner. I eye up all the Oxycontin bottles behind the counter, and think about how much we could make selling those little gems on the street. I imagine Iâm Matt Dillonâs girlfriend in Drugstore Cowboy , and we just sweep the entire shelf into a pillowcase and take off. Then I remember why Iâm there. Iâm afraid I might be pregnant and need to get the morning-after pill. The white-haired pharmacist asks me to sign a form, and then he hands over the Plan B. I pay the cashier at the front. Itâs too easy. Jesus Christ, I wish Iâd thought of this. Then I wouldnât have my stepdadâs kid. But I was too young to know what to do then. I was barely thirteen.
Z buys a first-aid kit, some Polysporin, and acetaminophen with codeine. We zip back to the pad, and theyâve got Sly all tucked into bed. Mac and Mercy stand in the corner of the room. They stop talking when we come in. I sit on Slyâs bed and pop the little pink pill out of the blister pack and tell her everythingâs gonna be okay. Watch her swallow it with water.Her face is all puffed up like a koala bear, purply black bruises spreading around her eyes.
Z opens up the first-aid kit. What first?
Sly Girl struggles to pull up her shirt
Who did this to you?
Sly takes short, shallow breaths. You can tell she is trying really hard not to cry.
These two crackheads ⦠jumped me in the alley ⦠took everything ⦠all the rock, the cash, then they ⦠they ⦠Iâm sorry, Mac. Iâm so sorry. She starts to cry.
Itâs okay, Sly. I could give a fuck about the money or the rock. That shit doesnât matter. What matters is you. Youâre hurt. I think we should take you to the hospital.
No! No hospital! Fuck that!
This is the first time any of us have ever heard Sly Girl raise her voice.
Okay, okay. Just relax. Mac looks over at me, eyebrows up, turns back to Sly. Is anything broken? Can you walk?
I donât know.
Do you want to try?
No. I want to die.
Mac sighs and daubs at the blood around Slyâs nose.
Owww!
Sorry.
Weâre gonna kill those motherfuckers, Kayos says, pacing the room, her eyes hard and bright. Tell us what they looked like.
Sly starts to cry again, and I go kneel on the floor beside her head, look into her good eye. Sly, honey. Did they rape you?
She nods and hides her face in the couch, sobs racking her body.
We all look at each other. I see a tear slide down Kayosâs face. Her fists are balled up and she seems to be vibrating.
Jesus, Mac says.
Cocksuckers! Weâll chop their dicks off! Kayos kicks and slashes the air.
Maybe we should go to that walk-in clinic, Z mumbles.
I think we should definitely take her to the hospital. She needs to get tested, says Mac. Sheâll get the morning-after pill, probably some stitches, a cast, and whatever elseâ
Iâm not going to the fuckin hospital so you can all just fuck off! Sly Girl screams between sobs.
Okay. Okay. Just relax. Weâre going to get you through this. Promise. I give her a tiny smile, then go to the kitchen and mix two parts vinegar with one part water in a plastic pop bottle. I donât know if it will do anything, but I figure itâs better than nothing. I go back to the living room. Help me get her into the shower.
KAYOS
Itâs totally fucked up what happened to Sly Girl. I swear to God, Iâm gonna kill the two fucks who did this to her.
Mercy and Mac put her in the shower. Then Mac gave me fifty bucks and sent me down to the 24-hour pharmacy to get her the morning-after pill.
Can I drive?
Do you have your licence?
I got my N.
Alright, go. Take Z with you.
The pharmacy is just around the corner. I eye up all the Oxycontin bottles behind the counter, and think about how much we could make selling those little gems on the street. I imagine Iâm Matt Dillonâs girlfriend in Drugstore Cowboy , and we just sweep the entire shelf into a pillowcase and take off. Then I remember why Iâm there. Iâm afraid I might be pregnant and need to get the morning-after pill. The white-haired pharmacist asks me to sign a form, and then he hands over the Plan B. I pay the cashier at the front. Itâs too easy. Jesus Christ, I wish Iâd thought of this. Then I wouldnât have my stepdadâs kid. But I was too young to know what to do then. I was barely thirteen.
Z buys a first-aid kit, some Polysporin, and acetaminophen with codeine. We zip back to the pad, and theyâve got Sly all tucked into bed. Mac and Mercy stand in the corner of the room. They stop talking when we come in. I sit on Slyâs bed and pop the little pink pill out of the blister pack and tell her everythingâs gonna be okay. Watch her swallow it with water.Her face is all puffed up like a koala bear, purply black bruises spreading around her eyes.
Z opens up the first-aid kit. What first?
Sly Girl struggles to pull up her shirt
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