The music of Dyna's ringtone cut sharply through the silence of her bedroom. She sighed, getting up from the black bedsheets of her mattress, and strode to her dresser to answer her phone.
"Dynamite," she said, holding the device to her ear.
"Howdy, bitch," came a rough voice from the other end. Dyna would have been offended if she hadn't known who was speaking.
"Hey, Carlo," she grinned, bringing the phone back to her bed. "What's up?"
The dark-haired girl listened while her energetic best friend spoke quickly. "Listen up, Dyna," he said, sounding jittery and excited. "Y'know that bastard in our year, Michaelo?"
"Duh," Dyna replied, rolling her eyes. "He beats us up every second day, dude."
"Exactly!" Carlo laughed. "And I have a solution. Can I come over?"
Dyna glanced at the clock - it said 10:45 in the evening. Mom and Dad were asleep and Jimmy, Dyna's big brother, had gone AWOL two days ago. She smirked and unlocked her window. "Sure. Use the window. I'll be here."
Carlo hung up and Dyna spread out on her bed. Carlo was her best friend, but sometimes he could be a little insane. He once had a 'plan' that involved drugging a chicken and putting it in a dress - Dyna mysteriously couldn't remember the context. They may have been drunk. Needless to say, they hadn't gone through with that plan, but Carlo had still thought of it.
A tap at the window pulled the girl from her thoughts. She strode to the glass and grinned at the pale face of Carlo. She unhinged the window and pushed it up, letting the boy in.
"Hey, Dyna," he chuckled as he fell into the room. "You look ravishing. Y'know what would look even more ravishing?"
"What?" Dyna laughed, sitting in her desk chair.
"Michaelo's dead body, bleedin' all over the goddamn floor."
A stunned silence filled the room, the type that leaves you in shivers for hours. "What the hell?" Dyna chuckled assuming it was a sick joke. Carlo didn't laugh and slap her shoulder and say, 'Just joshin' ya!'
Dyna's best friend stared straight into her eyes, not an ounce of humour on his face. "I'm serious, Dyna. Guess what I found in my old man's dresser?"
Without giving her a chance to guess, Carlo reached behind him and pulled a .45 from the back of his belt. Dyna gasped softly, putting her hands to her mouth. "What the fuck..."
"Dad was keepin' it as protection," the boy explained, "but he didn't even put it in a safe. The bullets were in it, ready to use. And one of 'em has Michaelo's name on it."
---
Whether Dyna wanted to or not, she found herself hugging her shoulders in the cold winter air, standing beside her best friend in front of Michaelo's house. "Are you seriously gonna shoot Michaelo? Like, I know he's a dick, but honestly-"
"Hush, Dyna," Carlo whispered, "I need to call 'im out here."
Dyna pressed her lips together - which was difficult, given how cold she was - and watched as Carlo knelt down, picked up a pebble and ditched it at Michaelo's bedroom window. The girl didn't think anyone would go and meet the person they'd been bullying for years in the middle of the night, but before the thought could finish processing, Carlo ducked into the bushes, leaving Dyna by herself.
Michaelo's face appeared through his curtains and confusion crossed his face. Dyna swore, but played along, beckoning him with her finger. Michaelo smirked and left his bedroom. Moments later, he opened his front door.
