In a city of sheep ruled by wolves, she became the python that pulled them apart.
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Sage Black is a girl of little opportunities, forced to see the seamy side of life growing up in New York. Witnessing what lengths billionaires will go through t...
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"You want us to take the subway?" Tave moves his hands in the pockets of his soot wool coat, matching the question on his incredulous face.
A laughing group of tourists amble among us, their conversation loud enough for us to hear for a fleeting second. You can tell they're tourists by the extra heavy clothes and the slow stroll in their walk as their eyes take in the city, very different from a local's quick-paced rush of knowing where you're going. People don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk here.
Marli and I stand in front of a subway station, facing Tave, Theo, and Zain. It took a little—more than a little, actually—of convincing to get Marli to finally agree on doing this 'Escapade' on a school night. There's the whole perfect record thing, then the fact that she's more introverted than I am. But finally, she budged, and so here we stand an hour before the sun will set, still unsure of how we will embark on this journey.
"Yes," I say with a pointed look. "We're going to take the subway. Didn't you ask for an adventure?"
"Yeah, but not this kinda adventure. Why use a cramped subway when we can use our cars?"
Zain nudges his shoulder with hers. Big silver hoops dangle from her ears when she moves and she wears a leather jacket with pockets that reminds me of a heroin's love interest from an '80's movie. "Come on, don't be a wimp. Let's go all out," she squeals. "This is gonna be so much fun!"
"Yup," Tave grunts, pulling something from the inside pockets of his coat. A whiskey flask. He twists open the metal cap and takes a long swig, his Adam's apple bobbing greedily. "So much fun."
Theo shakes his head with a small smile. "You got booze with you?"
"You thought I was gonna go on an adventure with this one"—he points to Zain—"sober? When pigs fuckin' fly, my friend."
"What are you getting at, Octavian?" Zain asks as she starts to walk down the stairs with Tave, seeming to have already made up her mind. It reeks of comfort: dampness and urine. Marli, Theo and I follow. "You calling me a pain in the ass?"
"I'm calling you a pain everywhere." They start bickering.
Marli looks at me with an alarmed expression. "Are they always like this?" she asks in a hushed tone, their squabbling slightly echoing against the stairs.
"You haven't seen the best of it."
"So, like how does this work?" Zain calls out. "Are we going to pay for tickets? Orrrr, get, like, one of those, you know, metro cards or . . ."
I don't answer her, deciding that it's best she finds out on her own, the yellow light in the underground growing brighter as we walk deeper down the stairs, getting closer and closer to the beginning of an unknown adventure.
༺༻
The whiskey flask in Tave's hands ends up to be the little kick that makes this escapade complete, or at least a little appealing.
