Give Them Hell

Dakota's Gossip

"So how's your old man?" Nikki wonders as he sits down at the bar.

"Died about three years, driving drunk and wrapped his car around a tree." I admit. "Somewhere in Mississippi."

"Sound like you didn't have that much to do with him." He says and I nod.

"I haven't talked to him since I was eighteen." I admit. "Actually younger than that because I moved out as soon as I graduated high school."

"Where'd you go?" Nikki asks.

"North Carolina." I smile.

I moved back in with my grandparents for the summer and at this point Dakota was still living at home, she didn't move to Los Angeles until September of 1980. She started to date CC in January of 1981, June was born shortly after.

Anyways, I moved back in with my grandparents for the summer. Dakota and I hadn't spent a summer together since the summer before ninth grade. We ran wild that summer and nearly drove our grandparents to drinking. We helped on the ranch all morning then after that we could run as we please. Our favourite thing to do was go swimming, we'd jump of the rocks or the bridge at the quarry. On the Fourth of July we watched the fireworks and it was easily one of the best summers of my life.

I had my dad and Mackenzie convinced to take Nikki with us when we went that summer. But we moved away then spent all summer trying to get settled in Australia.

"Remember when I took you down to the drag races that one night? Your old man smelt smoke on you and you were grounded for two weeks." Nikki laughs.

"I'm surprised they let you down there." I say and he smiles.

"What? Because of that piece of shit I used to drive?" He asks with a laugh.

"Well I wasn't going to say that but yeah." I laugh. "From that time on when we hung around those guys you'd make them stay away from me while they were smoking because 'my daddy wouldn't let me come and hang out anymore if he smelt that'."

"Your old man hated me so much." Nikki laughs. "Princess didn't hate me but he definitely didn't like the idea of you and me together."

"He warmed up to the idea though." I remind him.

"Right, he just kinda put up with me." Nikki smiles.

Nikki

Dallas is running around taking orders again and I sit at the bar with Vince, Bret, and Bobby. Dakota is working behind the bar talking to us.

"Okay, I've got a question." Bret tells Dakota. "And don't take this the wrong way and hit me with something."

"Okay." She say kinda worried.

"Dallas is hotter than all hell and could easily pull any guy at the bar, why the hell is she single?" The singer asks.

"If I had to guess she's hung up on her ex." Dakota guesses.

"Did she date a lot?" Vince asks and smirks at me.

"Not a lot. She dated this rugby player when she lived in Australia but it didn't last long. She dated a Lacrosse player at NC State for maybe three months. I think she's hung up on this Frank guy she dated in Seattle." She explains and I smile. "He was literally all she talked about for years after she left Seattle, she was crazy about him. He made my uncle and Mack crazy but Dallas really loved this guy."

"Bet I could make her forget about him." Bobby laughs and I shift.

"I doubt that one, Bobby." Vince laughs.