“Yeah that’s right, get outta here! Get the hell out of my house and don’t come back!”

“You know what? I won’t!”

The man’s greasy gut jiggled as he laughed harshly. “You don’t have the balls, kid.”

“Watch me.”

Jacob painfully took in the scene as it unfolded on Austin’s driveway from his car. Brooke leaned forward from the backseat and rested her head on his shoulder. “Poor guy,” She said empathetically.

Jacob gritted his teeth and stared out the passenger window.

The man scowled. “I hope you know this is it; if you get in that car, you’re not coming back, not to me.”

Austin shouldered his duffle and turned away from him. “I wasn’t planning on it. Die alone, fat prick.”

The man smiled humorlessly. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours, and then you’ll be knockin’ back on my door, I’ll bet twenty dollars.”

Austin didn’t reply as he made his way to the powder blue 1969 Cadillac DeVille. He popped the trunk, tossed in his bag, and jerked the passenger door open, sitting heavily.

“You okay?” Brooke asked soothingly.

He shook his head. “Just drive.”

Jacob threw the car into gear and stomped the gas. “Gladly.”

“Twenty dollars!” the gross man called as they were driving away.

Austin carelessly stuck his middle finger out the open window. “Asshole…” he muttered to himself.

Jacob adjusted the rear view mirror to see Brooke’s piercing blue eyes staring back at him. An understanding passed between them. “Forget ‘em, bro” Jacob calmed, “You’ll be fine with us.”

Austin rested his head against the doorframe, feeling the warm California breeze ruffle his curly brown hair.
Jacob shook his shoulder. “Come on dude, cheer up. What do you want to do? We’ll do anything you want.”
Austin looked over at him. “Anything?”
“Anything.”
Austin thought for a moment. “Vegas.”
“Vegas?” Jacob echoed.
“You want to go to Las Vegas?” Brooke asked in disbelief.
“Vegas.” Austin confirmed.
Jacob met Brooke’s eyes through the mirror again. She laughed out loud when he started smiling. She knew that smile, it was his mischievous one. Good things happened when he smiled like that.
“What?” Austin asked, perking up.
“Let’s do it.” Jacob said.
“Do what?”
Jacob looked back at Brooke and then to Austin. “Vegas. Let’s do it.”
Austin paused, processing this. “As in right now, Vegas?”
“Vegas. Right now.” Jacob assured. He glanced at Austin who was dreamily staring out the window.
“What do you think?” Brooke asked.
Austin turned to look at both of his friends. “Let’s do it.”
Jacob grinned and ruffled his best friend’s hair as Brooke leaned back and gleefully laughed. He shifted into the on ramp lane for the highway; he was already heading that way, he knew what Austin would say.
Austin’s face lit up. “Okay, but there’s a condition! We need a pact!”
“What?” Brooke and Jacob asked in unison.
He leaned his back against the door and glanced back and forth between the two people he knew better than anybody else in the world as the wind snatched at his shirt. “We burn it down. No regrets.”
Jacob turned onto the highway, the setting sun blazing just above the horizon. He put on his sunglasses and clasped Austin’s shoulder. “No regrets.”