﻿For about half a second, Reggy believed he might be able to make it home without further incident. He was sure he'd be able to sort things out once he made it to the relative safety of his nice, quiet room. And then, the girl's question reached him and he felt his heart stop. Follow him?<strong>Stay with him?</strong>Nevermind the fact that the closest he's ever been to having a girl at his house was the time he accidentally got a little princess doll in his McDonald's Happy Meal instead of a G.I. Jack action figure when he was six. But she wanted to come with him<em>tonight?</em>What, did some ancient, sadistic power look down and spot him and think to itself, 'that boy just isn't miserable enough, I shall smite him around a little'?<br/><br/>His shoulders slumped as he turned to look at her again. She'd gotten a lot closer now, almost right up beside him, and as he locked eyes with her wintery gaze the hairs on the back of his neck stood up like needles.<em>Something</em>was off about this girl...but damned if he could figure it. And whatever it was, it didn't change the fact that she really did seem to need help, and Reggy was the only one around to give it. He sighed heavily and walked the bike back into the rack, shaking his head at what he was about to do.<br/><br/>"I...guess, if you're really stuck for a place...but obviously we're not both going to fit on my bike...do you have a pho-...no, you probably don't, do you?" He asked, cutting himself off as he remembered the poor girl's disheveled state. "Alright...what we need is a car..." Reggy looked around at the spate of locked doors and closed shops lining the street until he spied what he needed. Out in front of a building a couple doors down stood an old phone booth (well, a kiosk, really, since it had the little privacy wings rather than an actual glass booth) with a mostly-shredded phone book tethered to the base. Reggy gestured for the girl to wait where she was and jogged toward the phone, still clutching Silas tight against his body inside the bag.<br/><br/>He patted his pockets to check for change, but came up empty. Another sigh escaped him, and he realized he'd have to try his luck with a more indirect method. It had been quite a while since Reggy had had to use this trick, and he grimaced as he tried to recall the right numbers. Likewise he wasn't sure the old phone was even still in service, but a small, triumphant grin passed over his lips as he put the receiver to his ear and heard its sweet dial-tone. Thankfully, Cape Merrin was still a few years behind the times and hadn't gotten around to dismantling or updating its older public utilities programs. His fingers flashed over the metallic keypad, trying multiple number strings before the correct one connected. Again, the city's apathy toward obsolescence came through as Reggy found himself listening to a tinny, mellow recording asking for his desired listing.<br/><br/>"Black Flag Cabs," Reggy said, carefully articulating the company name. The line started to ring on the other end as his call was connected, and he gave the air a quick punch in celebration as a supremely bored-sounding lady picked up. "Black Flag Cabs, what's your location?" "Um, yes, I need a cab at Cobb Theater, on --" "We have the address, sir; we'll dispatch one of our units immediately. Thank you for choosing Black Flag for your metro transit needs." "Uh, thank y-"<em>*click*</em><br/><br/><em>'Well, at least we'll have a ride,'</em>Reggy thought as he turned and walked back to the girl. "Alright, we'll just need to wait here for a few minutes, then we can get out of here..." He said, moving back under the theater awning. He made a gesture of stepping aside, allowing room for her to join him out of the rain, and tried to ignore the way his heart started pounding at the thought of sharing his personal space with a beautiful girl. A beautiful, almost naked girl. A beautiful, almost naked, unusually creepy girl. Wearing his raincoat. Reggy wasn't certain the last detail mattered so much, but it definitely wasn't helping his state of mind any.<br/><br/>As it happened, the cab didn't take long to arrive; BFC must have increased its after-hours services recently. The ride home was short, too, and rather quiet. Nothing like the convenience of a car to show what a pain in the ass a bike was, Reggy supposed. The driver kept his eyes on the road and didn't appear curious as to why two kids were hanging around out in the pouring rain so late at night, and as he shivered in the backseat Reggy didn't know whether to be grateful for the 'no questions asked' attitude or incensed at the man's casual disregard for young people's safety.<br/><br/>The lights were off at the Barker abode when the cab pulled up to the drive, and Reggy pulled out a scratched and worn-thin leather wallet from his back pocket to pay the driver. The two climbed out of the car and Reggy led the girl up the weather-beaten porch steps, carefully directing her toward the solid planks and away from the squeaky ones. The front door was unlocked as always ("Ain't got shit worth stealin' in this damn house, anyhow," his mother was so fond of complaining) and swung open without a sound. He waited a moment, listening intently for signs of movement inside, but the house was silent. If his mother was still awake, he'd have a hell of a time explaining things.<br/><br/>Reggy took a couple steps inside, then a couple more. He glanced back to see the girl still standing outside, as if she weren't quite sure if she should enter or not. "Hey...come on," he whispered, "it's alright...you can come in...just, watch your step is all..." As she stepped through the door, Reggy swore he could feel a tingle of static electricity wash over his skin. He shrugged off the sensation; hell, he was so nervous already for a dozen different reasons, he probably should have been glowing.<br/><br/>"S-sorry, about the mess..." He whispered over his shoulder as the pair tip-toed over scattered piles of clothes, the occasional TV dinner tray, and scads of empty beer bottles and cans. Snores rumbled from the living room, and Reggy peeked in to see his mother soundly zonked out in her threadbare recliner, probably thanks to her usual liquor and sleeping pill cocktail. He sighed quietly in some relief; she probably wouldn't wake up until around noon, at least. Reginald nodded his head toward the back stairs and led her upstairs to his room.<br/><br/>"Um, the closet is over there in the corner, if...I mean, you know, if you want some dry clothes, you can just...well, take whatever fits, I guess...or if you'd rather just get some sleep, you look tired, you can just take the bed there, I'll...sleep on the floor, or something...Oh, and I'll get us some towels...uh, but first...I think I should probably see to...this little fellow..." Reggy stammered and gently sat the satchel down on the mostly cleared dresser and opened the flap to retrieve Silas, who definitely appeared in poor shape. As he untied the makeshift bandage and rummaged through his sock drawer for a clean handkerchief, a thought popped into his head.<br/><br/>"I just realized...I don't think I know your name...I mean, well, I guess if you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but...I'm, I mean...my name is Reginald, Reginald Barker...you can call me Reggy...if you want..."