Chapter Three

Dante stood there staring at the money in his hands, with an irritated expression on his face. "What...is that not enough?" his father asked him. "No...I think $30.00 is more than enough for your own suicide" Dante said "What’s that suppose to mean?" his father asked "Well you and mom said you would stop smoking...apparently that’s not so is it?" Dante asked. His father rolled his eyes walking over to the door. "Just go and get them will you?" Frustrated and annoyed, Dante walked out the door, pushing past his father.

"Oh yeah...I’ll stop smoking. I promise. There’s nothing more important than making sure we stay healthy" Dante mimicked walking down the block, not hearing the speeding footsteps behind him "I would have rather them tell me they didn’t feel like giving it up than lie to me!" he said kicking a rock when suddenly someone banged into him making him fall to the ground. "Ah...what the-?" he looked up seeing someone had ran past him, their bag bouncing back and fourth. He felt his pocket noticing that his cell phone was missing. He pushed himself up on his hands seeing they were scraped and bleeding. "Hey!" he shouted, getting up and running after them. He watched while they sped past people knocking into very few. He heard people murmuring about Dante chasing the person but he didn’t care.

He made a sharp turn almost falling since the sidewalk was a little slippery. He was close and with the last bit of strength he had, he grabbed them bringing them both down onto the sidewalk. "Get off of me!" he heard them shout, noticing it was a female voice. "Give me back my phone!" he said struggling with the female, until finally her hood fell off and they were looking each other in the eye. "Your phone?...I don’t have your phone!" he said angrily "Really...then where is it?" he asked standing up pulling her up at the same time. "I don’t steal cell phones!" she said "Well it was there before you rammed into like a bull, so you mu-" he stopped seeing it dangling from the hand strap from her bag. He sighed brushing his hair back. "What?!...I said I didn’t take it!" she said dusting herself off. "That’s my phone" he said pointing at it. She looked confused and then looked down at her bag seeing it swinging back and fourth. She unhooked it handing it back to him. "Here...told you I didn’t steal it" she said "Yeah all right...but you still ran into causing this" he said raising his hands "What the hell were running from a rapist...maybe a murderer?" he asked crossing his arms. She rolled her eyes looking behind him seeing no one around. "Listen I’m sorry all right...don’t worry about why I was running" she said fixing her bag "Well goodnight" she said walking away "Wait" he said following her "did you do something illegal?" he asked "No...not necessarily" she said not looking at him. "Well what didn’t you necessarily do wrong?" he asked "Why does it matter...I don’t even know you?" she said annoyed "I’m Dante...there you know me" he said seeing her look behind him again and then around "obviously your concerned about someone finding you" he said "All right so...what are you gonna do for me?...are you a cop, cause you look a bit young if you are?" she said "No" he said stopping her under a street light where she was completely visible. He went a little wide eyed for a moment seeing her flawless features. She had soft black curls tied up in a ponytail, hazel eyes that glistened perfectly with the light, and smooth tanned skin a couple shades darker than him. "You know, Dante...shouldn’t you be getting home before your parents have a heart attack that there is out this late" she asked him. He shook his head, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. "And what about you...you’re a female...your a*s should’ve been inside the house by 7 with the way nut job are running around looking for a screw toy" he said crossing his arms, "Well...I don’t have parents to tell me to give me a curfew. Their dead" she said. He stood silent rubbing his back of his head shifting in his steps. "Oh...sorry. I didn’t-" "Don’t be...I don’t expect a stranger to know my life story...and if you did obviously you’re a stalker" she joked making him laugh a little. "Seriously though...what did you do. I’m not going to rat you out...unless it was murder" he said "I stole money...from a drug dealer" she said "He only had 15 bucks though" she said pulling it out of her pocket and then slipping it back in. "Oh...well...good for you?" he said not knowing how to really respond to that. She laughed crossing her arms. "Yeah well...most people would cheer those who ruin the lives of low lives on...but I steal for a living so I’m not one to talk" "But you do it for a good reason...kind of" he said "You don’t have a place to live?" he asked "eh...I’m everywhere and anywhere" she shrugged "Oh...well I have money...if your willing to do something for me to get it" he said "Whoa there buddy...not that kind of girl" she said backing up "Huh?...oh whoa no, not like that!" he said wide eyed holding his hands up in defense "Then what?" she asked curious "Uh nothing really...just don’t use it for alcohol or cigarettes...or anything illegal for that matter" he said handing her the 30 dollars. "Is this your money?" she asked taking it "Well it’s my parents...but they want ti for cigarettes and I’m not really supporting their habit so...I’d rather give It to someone else than waste it on that" he said. She smiled at him "seriously?" she asked. He nodded smiling lightly. "Thanks" she said putting it in her pocket. "No problem" he said turning to walk off. "Hey Dante...what’s your whole name?" she asked. "Dante Aspen...yours?" he asked "Lexi Caine...it’s was awkward yet...nice meeting you Dante" she laughed "Maybe I’ll see you around?" he asked "Maybe" she said looking up toward the sky. "It’s gonna rain...I suggest you get home soon" she said turning around pulling her hood back up, walking away. He smiled watching her and then turned around walking back in the opposite direction...

　

"I never knew that about Lexi, I’ve only met her once in my life" the detective said "Not many people did" Dante said "honestly...I was the first person she ever really willingly admitted that too" "did it actually rain?" he asked "Yeah...it started pouring when I was about two blocks away from my house" Dante said "Funny...did you ever see her again after that night?" the detective asked sitting back in his seat. "Yup...a lot more often than I thought I would to" he said leaning back in his seat himself looking at the detective. "The next day in fact is when I saw her again" "Judging by the tone in your voice...it sounds like she had an impact in your life" the detective said, making Dante roll his eyes and sigh. ".........You have no idea" he said...