CHAPTER 3

"Guess what I gottttttt?" Rosie walked up to her friends with a big smile on her face and a small transparent bag filled with weed. Halo and Daniel let out excited sounds as she walked up to the entrance of the apartment complex where they stood. Rosie and Halo's shift at the bar had ended and they had decided to spend the rest of the night with Daniel at the latter's apartment.

"Sweet," Halo said as she rubbed her hands together, "Daniel and I got the snacks"

"Did you get drinks?" Rosie asked

"I got a few sodas"

Rosie placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. "Really Danny? what's a soda supposed to do, tickle my belly?"

"Hey, some of us cannot afford to go to work drunk Rosie"

"And how come going to work high on weed is acceptable?"

"It's not, but if I'm ever going to survive that line of work I need it. You guys will be surprised how many doctors smoke weed"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Rosie linked her arm with his and used her free hand to hold Halo's hand, "I just want to get fucked up with my two best friends in the entire world"

Halo and Daniel laughed as they began to make their way down the street. The same street that they walked down so many times over the years. It was the same one that they walked on when Halo needed to clear her head after she and Dominic were old enough to move out of their relative's house who hardly cared what happened to them and were still young kids trying to figure out what life had in store for them. Daniel and Rosie had helped her find friendship and love in them, something that she had given up on finding.

It was the same street that they all walked on when Rosie ran away from her abusive mother's house and needed help looking for a small house to rent. Halo and Daniel had supported by offering part of their savings even when they hardly had enough for themselves helped her set the place up the best way that they could and shared a celebratory blunt when they were done. They shared her joy from gaining her freedom from the chains that held her bound to her mother.

It was the same street that they had walked on when Daniel felt too defeated to try to take his nursing exams after failing three times. He had come dangerously close to giving up and falling into a state of deep depression but Halo and Rosie had held his hands as they walked down this street and reminded him at the top of their lungs of all the amazing things that he was capable of. When he did pass the exams on his fourth try they threw him a little party at the bar; that was the first time that they ever saw him cry.

"How do you even manage to get weed anyway Rosie? I thought you said you were broke?" Halo asked

"Oh baby girl, I am broke but not too broke for weed"

Halo chuckled. "Makes sense," she used her free hand to adjust her coat so it covered any exposed part of her body, "it's really cold tonight you guys"

"It's always cold this time of the year," Daniel said and took a look at Rosie "Little green hair doesn't seem to have a problem with that though"

"Cause unlike you two, I got some meat on me" she replied, a smug smile on her face. Halo and Daniel rolled their eyes at the same time and Rosie could not help but laugh at their reaction, "Don't be jealous guys. Look, if it makes you feel any better I do feel a little cold"

"I bet Joey feels cold tonight" Halo joked and Daniel stiffled a laugh.

"That's right Rosie, maybe you could help keep him warm"

"That man is disgusting. Fuck the both of you" Rosie pulled her arms from their hold and began to walk away in a way that showed that she was fake angry. Halo and Daniel let her walk a short distance before running up to her and grabbing her from behind.

"Where are you going little angry bird?" Daniel asked in between laughs

"Why the long face pretty girl?" Halo asked and pulled Rosie's face into a smile. She was laughing as well.

"I can't stand you guys," Rosie said. She had stopped struggling to free herself from their hold and was laughing now just not as loud as they were.

"You're about to keep saying that for the rest of your life," Halo said.

"Facts" Daniel agreed.

"Y'all gonna let me go now?" Rosie asked

"Are you going to run off again?" Daniel asked

"First off, I didn't run off you big dummy"

"It's a little rude to call your future husband a big dummy Rosie. Keep up that attitude and you'll be stuck out here in the cold with Lolo and me"

"Let's see how much that flesh of yours can protect you" Halo added.

Rosie let out an exaggerated exhale, obviously weary of the playful behavior of her friends. "If I say no will y'all let me go so we can go over to Halo's crib? People are starting to look at us like we are crazy"

"People always think we're crazy Rosie, I know my mama does," Daniel said

"That's cause you keep hanging with crazy chicks," She replied and slapped his and Halo's hands, "let me go already. I'm not going to run off"

"I don't know if I believe you though. What do you think Lolo?"