chapter 9

"Hey Tony, I wanted to ask you somethin'"

  "Yea kid, shoot." Tony replied as he continued his cleanup.

  "I know you moved here from Pittsburgh, but... I'm just curious why you chose to move here? Our city doesn't exactly work very hard to attract residents, as you can tell with all the potholes. Is yer family from Pittsburgh? What's yer last name again?" Dillon asked.

  "Needed a change of scenery. Plus I wanted to strike out on my own, y'know? I lived in Pittsburgh for a couple years before I moved here, but I was born in Dresden, Tennessee." Tony explained, still with his back to Dillon. "Oh, It's Gerace."

  "Yea, I definitely feel ya there. I'd love a change of scenery from all the 'city' around here. I figured you were from there when you said you repped the fuckin' Titans. Must'a been nice down there, though."

  "Sure, it was a'ight. Nothin' remarkable. I like it up this way. Aside from the cold. Fuck the cold." Tony said. Dillon thought he sensed the slightest bit of hesitation, as if he was close to a sensitive topic.

  "That's good, I'm glad. We might not be the nicest hood outside Philly, but the people are usually cool, and the food is dope as hell!" Dillon said with a bright smile.

  "Yea, I'm startin' to see that. I met you after all. With my work schedule, I don't have a lot of time to make nice with the locals." Tony said with a thin smile. "All I really got is my job, my friend Adrian that got me said job, and you."

  "Thanks man, it means a lot. Really. I always got yer back! So was it Adrian that got you to move out here? Tell me if I'm askin' too much." Dillon asked. 

  "Nah... nah, yer good. Yea, I guess you could call Adrian a family friend. He lives like fifteen minutes from here. I called 'im up and asked if he had any work for me, and he recommended me to the owner. Showed 'im I could do the job then he hired me and I moved out here a week later." Tony finished as he scratched his cut jawline.

  "Man, you been lots of places for a twenty year old. I'm kinda jealous." Dillon grinned.

  "Hmph, well, I've been movin' around my whole life pretty much. It gets old after a while. Trust me. Don't take stability for granted." He responded casually.

  "Hmm... Yer pretty wise, Tony. I'll take that advice." Dillon gave a narrow eyed grin.

  "N-no shit? Haha, thanks, brother." Tony chuckled.

  Something occurred to Dillon. Tony had many wise moments like these. He must have seen a lot in his travels. Dillon realized he had started to look up to Tony. He seemed like a really stand-up guy and Dillon liked the example he set. Just a down to earth hard worker that loved his friends, cars, and all things Marvel. 

  He himself had been raised as an only child. Well, he did have two elder brothers. He and his brothers were seperated when his parents split. He went with dad, his brothers went with mom. So for all intents and purposes, he was raised as an only child, since he was way too young to remember any of it. So to have a male figure closer to his age to look up to was new and cool to him. Tony was almost... like a brother, actually. 

  Eventually, Tony finished his cleanup, and hit the switch to close his garage door. This shop had to have been pretty new for it to look this nice and be so modern. It was an unusual sight for Dillon, who grew up in a lower class neighborhood where everything was old and decrepit. It was around quarter after four and there were still a couple mechanics and a receptionist there, so Tony was able to leave. A lot of times, Tony was the last one out and had to lock up. Once they were both outside, Dillon made to shake Tony's hand. He assumed that was a good first start, and didn't want to appear clingy. He stopped mid-handshake when Tony raised his brow. 

  "Yo where you goin'? C'mon s'go!" Tony smiled wide. 

  "Uh- yea sure!" Dillon beamed.

  "I'd take you on Harley, but I don't have a 'Baby On Board' sticker to slap on yer back yet. So instead, we'll take my lovely '94 Bronco. Her name's Big Bertha. She's built like a tank!" He explained. He was like a little kid when he talked about any vehicle. It was cute. Dillon didn't miss the smartass comment about the sticker though.

  "Oh, real cute, asshole! Ahaha! So, where we be goin'?"

  "I was just gonna ask you that. Any ideas? I don't know the good spots 'round here." He shrugged.

  "Mind a bit of a drive? You ever heard of the King of Prussia mall? It's one of the largest malls in America. It's pretty dope- and dude! The food court! Bourbon Chicken from the Chinese place! Bitch, fuck me up!"

  "Yea, I was down the second you said food court, haha. So how far is a "bit of a drive"?"

  "Like a half hour, maybe? But it's worth it! Think of the food! That's what our tired bodies need, and I'm a teenager so I'm immune to fullness." Dillon slapped his belly.

  "Hahaha, dude you really love your food, eh? How are you not six hundred pounds?"

  "Of course I love it! I'll eat anything that's delicious, no matter how much! Besides, I burn a ton of it off in the kitchen, where I happen to be a chef!"

  "Ain't you one o' dem there diabetics?" Tony asked.

  "Oh fuck you, hahaha. Yes I am and proud of it! I keep the insulin manufacturers in business with my infinite appetite." 

  Tony and Dillon had their usual back and forth banter and it was fun. Except for Tony's insistence that Superman had any place amongst any hero lineup, Marvel or DC, ever. Loser! Around five o'clock, they arrived at the King of Prussia mall. Dillon had never been a mall person because of all the people and the ungodly prices. The KOP mall however, was pretty dope, especially around the holidays. Even though that time of year had the most people and the worst prices. However, it had incredible Christmas decorations and some of the wildest food Dillon's ever had.

  As usual, it was a great time. There were a lot of sights to see. Dillon realized it was the perfect thing for new friends to do, too. A giant building of potential interests and hobbies that they may share is a great way to get to know someone. Tony was drawn to places like the fucking lego store, and the cigar shop, whereas Dillon liked places like EB Games and the food court, of course. They had a heated argument in EB Games about which 'Final Fantasy' was more popular that devolved into a near fist fight. They got kicked out because Tony wouldn't just admit the tenth 'Final Fantasy' was the best and grossed more than all the others combined. It was an established fact! What could they say? They loved their games. 

  Tony had chased him the rest of the way to the food court because he tried a couple times to shoot rubber bands into the crowd. Once he had finally caught up, Dillon turned around and shot him in the ear. Then after they got their food and sat down to inhale it, Tony almost fainted when Dillon took his insulin shot. It was always the manly tough guys that were deathly afraid of needles. Once they'd eaten the best meal they'd had in weeks, Dillon pulled out his phone to see if his mom had gotten back to him. It was a quarter of eight already? He swiped his phone open and saw he had two missed texts.

  Kat 3:18 PM: Have fun, Dill! Be careful and be yourself. And yes, you can use me as the girl yer currently with should the need arise. You're welcome :) <3 

 He rolled his eyes and smiled.