seraphina awoke to a shove on her shoulder and when she fluttered her eyes open, she jumped back immediately.

ash stood above her, laughing as he watched her fall off the bed, an annoyed grin on her face. "what the hell? what are you doing in my house?"

"yo, you do realise you in my house, sitting up in my bed," he pointed out, holding his hand out for her to grab. seraphina took it and stood, fully realising she actually was in his house.

remnants of last night filled her brain. from the knocking on the door, to her and ash hiding in the bedroom and getting high. and that's all she could remember.

"my uncles gonna kill me," she gasped, grabbing her trainers and slipping them on her feet. "relax, he messaged before, doesn't seem to care much."

ash muttered the last bit in a sort of concerned tone, but tried his best to hide it. but seraphina caught on, deciding to not bring it up in their conversation.

"i should probably go home and let him know i'm okay," she sighed. ashtray nodded and walked her to the door, offering a lift.

"nah, got a car out there."

"you have a fucking car?"

"it was my dads."

he didn't press the thought that was playing on the back of his mind. he knew what happened that night, practically everyone did in east highland.

before seraphina walked away, ashtray shouted, "wait," and when she turned around, he wrapped his arms around her.

"what's that for?" seraphina chuckled into his neck, smelling his familiar aftershave that made butterflies whirl inside her.

"just, thanks for being nice to me, y'know?"

•

pulling up outside her home, seraphina rolled her eyes when she spotted her uncle outside, walking up and down on the phone with an angry look on his face.

slamming the car door, she tried her best to avoid her uncle but he stopped her almost immediately. "what the fuck, phina?!" he shouted, causing her to actually look over at him.

"what?" she hissed, blood boiling at the man she called her uncle. the person who didn't deserve that sort of special title.

"you've been hanging around with fezco? and his stupid brother?"

"they're not stupid, they're my friends!" seraphina defended them, hating the way her uncle spoke about them. "really, seraphina? fucking drug dealers?!"

"that's a bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

her uncle scoffed and his eyes softened for a second before he opened his mouth to speak. "just-don't me getting mixed up in their dealings, right? it's dangerous, kid."

oh, if only he knew that she already had gotten mixed up already. and if only he knew that one of the guys who had shoved her in a closet was buying drugs off of him.

•

"so, seraphina, huh?" fez said, making small talk as him and ash ate their dinner. faye was passed out on the couch, needles scattered around her.

"what about her?"

"just, you seem to like her, ash. i ain't so sure that's a good thing."

"yeah, she's my friend. we're buddies."

fez stood from his seat and took his bowl to the sink, dropping it in and standing with his back to ashtray.

"you do realise what happened with her family, right?"

"yeah, half the fucking town knows, s'not a secret," he spoke lowly, spoon hitting at the sides of his bowl as he thought about seraphina.

she was so nice. probably one of the only people who treated him genuinely, and one of the only girls who didn't hang with him for some free gear.

as fez lit up a blunt, ash began to get defensive. the way his brother spoke about their relationship kinda annoyed him. "bro, it doesn't fucking matter who she is, she's dope."

turning around, fez raised his eyebrows at ash's little outburst, hands raising in a mock defensive ways.

"bro, i heard you, chill. don't be getting messed up with that family though, i tell you."

"yeah," ash scoffed, leaving the room and going to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. was his and seraphina's relationship weird?

no.

yes.

no.

yes.

"shut up," ashtray hissed, dunking his head under his covers as he tried to shut out his inner voice. fuck everyone who tried to tell him what to do. if he liked seraphina, who were they to stop him from pursuing something?