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Wanted Dead or Alive
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May 4th, 1989. East Lake, Florida.

NO ONE HAD BEEN ON THEIR TAIL, YET. That was a good thing. Though, they weren't exactly out of the woods yet. Three days after the initial murder and robbery, the two agreed that it would be best to stay on the downlow for a little while. Although they were in East Lake, they weren't in the fanciest of places. A motel, brown walls, sort of have off the vibes of a cabin. At least it had windows, a cool fan, and a television set hanging in the corner of the room. It wasn't much, but it'll do.

Florida was called the Sunshine State for a reason. Ten in the morning and the sun is fully up by now. It shone through the windows of the motel. Henrie couldn't fully open her eyes due to the sun's beams. Her hand attempted to shield her eyes, but to no avail. She slightly sat up, almost immediately noticing the empty presence. It wasn't until she had heard the faucet running in the nearby bathroom that she relaxed.

Frankie poked their head out the door, the new toothbrush they had bought from the nearby CVS hanging out from the corner of their mouth. It doesn't take them long to take it out. "You're finally awake, huh?"

"If it weren't for the goddamn sun, I would've slept longer," Henrie mumbled, before turning over in the direction of the bathroom. She had gotten a glimpse of Frankie they moved their head to spit on the sink. Dyed blue hair at the roots, black at the bottom. Without makeup, they're an entirely different person. Henrie jokingly called them a shapeshifter, and it built up Frankie's confidence. They're much taller than Henrie. One of the features that she liked the most.

Henrie watched Frankie finally walk out of the bathroom. Their dyed hair, stringy──most likely due to them using the shower. They're in some random band t-shirt and basketball shorts, courtesy of the Walmart that was near the CVS. Henrie had seen Frankie in this form before. Done up or not, she always found herself not being able to look away.

Henrie ran a hand through her messy, brown hair. She turned her head over to the alarm clock. Fifteen past ten. She raised an eyebrow. She could've sworn it was just ten on the dot. Henrie turned her head away, finally realizing what day it was.

"May the fourth be with you."

This made Frankie look up from what they were doing. "Ah, so you remembered," they chuckled, "was starting to think you got your days mixed up there."

"How could I forget such a day? You won't let me," Henrie replied back, a giggle falling from her lips, "If we weren't in this stupid motel, we would be watching the movies over. But ... Things got in the way."

"Well, there's always next year," Frankie said back, "one year of missing movies won't hurt."

Henrie shrugged, arms hugging her knees that were wrapped up in the blanket. "Yeah, but I still feel bad."

"You have nothing to feel bad for," Frankie reassured, "don't feel bad. Trust me, honey, getting you out of that situation is much better than anything else."

It made her feel a little better. Though, she didn't intend for them to be hiding away. Henrie knew Frankie said it was just to make sure the cops died out and gave up on the case. To be perfectly honest, she didn't know when that would be, and neither did Frankie. Both of them just wanted to get out of this safely.

Frankie sat down next to Henrie on the edge of the bed. "It'll pass," they said, "once the investigation is over, we'll go back to our normal lives again."

"Shoplifting and speeding?" Henrie joked.

Frankie chuckled. "Yeah, that."

Henrie's head made a home on Frankie's shoulder. She's immediately met with the scent of peppermint, a little bit of lemon mixed in. It wasn't unusual. It was always in the shampoo and body wash they used. The two scents mixed together quite nicely in her opinion.

Frankie ran a hand through the woman's hair, moving it away from her face. Another smile crawled onto their lips. "C'mon, you can't fall asleep now, you're already awake," they told her.

"Well, you're comfortable," Henrie said, "and you smell nice. Two things that make a person want to fall asleep." She then looked up at them, chin now on their shoulder instead of the side of her head.

"The only thing that'll keep me awake is a little bit of sugar."

"Don't tell me," Frankie said, "you need one of those Steak N' Shake milkshakes."

Henrie smiled. "You know me too well," she told them, "can we?"

Frankie sighed. "Henrie ..."

"Please?" she begged, "I just want a milkshake, that's all. I promise."

Too sweet. Eyes colored like coffee on a Monday morning staring right into their gloomy gray ones. Frankie could deny those eyes, not even if they tried. Did they think it was a good idea to go and get a milkshake right now? Absolutely not. But whatever Henrie wanted, Henrie got. And right now, she wanted a milkshake, and that wasn't much to ask for.

Frankie playfully rolled their eyes. "Fine."

"God, you're the best," Henrie said, hugging them afterward.

"But," they started, "you have to wear those sunglasses."

"Deal."

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" WAIT, HOLD ON, TURN THAT UP. "

THE TWO WERE NOW BACK IN FRANKIE'S van, the windows closed because the air was blasting. Henrie leaned forward, turning up the volume to the radio. Frankie's eyes squinted, listening to the words that the Radio DJ was saying.

"Richard Selwyn was tragically killed in his home Thursday evening. Selwyn was currently the prosecuting lawyer of the Tampa Bay Butcher. Police say that almost ten thousand dollars were stolen from the home."

"Good riddance to that man," Frankie mumbled. Henrie shushed them, gently hitting their arm as they drove.

"Selwyn's fiancée, Henriette Jones remains to be seen," the Radio DJ reported, "Some say they saw her feeling with another person. Any whereabouts as to where they are please contact the Pinellas County Police Department."

Henrie's heart sank. Not going back to Richard was a blessing, but possibly going to jail was a curse. She almost felt sick, not because she felt bad, but because she simply thought about it. She ran her hand through her hair, almost pulling at it. A nervous habit that she's had since she could remember.

"They have everyone on a wild goose chase for me," Henrie said, "for us."

"Henrie ..." Frankie cooed, "I won't let anyone turn you in, you know that."

"I know. But I just──"

"Hey," they said in a hushed tone, "don't think about it, okay? Right now we're goin' to get that milkshake you want, okay?"

Henrie sighed, giving a nod. "Okay."

Both of them made it to the restaurant. Unfortunately, the two of them don't stay. They get their milkshakes and they go. The stares don't go unnoticed by Henrie. It was making her really nervous. Frankie noticed her nervousness, and they playfully ruffled her hair. Henrie would try to move it away, but they would raise it up, and then ruffle it again. When they were done doing that, Henrie ran her hand through it, trying to fix it up again.

When they arrived back at the motel, the two of them decided to pack it up. Frankie decided that they should flee, go to a different county. Henrie immediately agreed upon it, considering that the Pinellas County Police would be looking for them. The good news was that the other counties weren't notified yet. Which meant that it was only a county wide search.

"You got everything?" Frankie asked.

Henrie nodded. "Yeah, I got everything. You?"

"Yeah," they answered, "let's get the hell out of here."

And off they went. Back in the fan they were. Henrie had a feeling that they were going to be ripping and running for a while. But, as long as they didn't get caught, everything would be fine. She was cut off from her thoughts when she heard her stomach growling. Henrie groaned, carefully laying her head onto the dashboard.

"I forgot we didn't have breakfast," she said.

"Yeah, I'm starving, too," Frankie mumbled, "we'll eat when we get to the next county, okay?"

"Okay ..." Henrie replied quietly, lifting her head up to lean it back on the seat. She looked out the window. The sun was beaming as if nothing. As if her life wasn't as gloomy as it was right now. It was quiet in East Lake. Nothing really happened, which was exactly why Frankie chose it to be a hiding place, but now they had to get out.

Frankie noticed the silence. It wasn't unusual. Sometimes it did bother them. Not knowing what she was thinking. They're worried, mostly. They took a quick glance at her before their eyes went back to the road. "You alright?"

Henrie turned her head toward Frankie. "Fine," she answered.

"That didn't sound fine," Frankie replied back.

Henrie didn't answer back. Frankie was a little bit of a worrywart sometimes. That's what she loved about them. But really, she was alright. She just didn't have the words to say what she wanted to say to them. Her brain was going a mile a minute.

"You regret it?"

Henrie immediately shook her head. "No," she answered quickly, "no, I don't regret this at all!"

"Then what, Henrie? What's going on up there?" Frankie asked.

"I just── what if it was all for nothing?" Henrie asked, "you killed him and I took his money, and it was all for nothing?"

"Henrie ..." Frankie cooed.

"And Richard──"

"Richard was a bastard who cared about no one but himself," Frankie told her, "you know it, I know it, and Aimee knew it."

"But Aimee didn't come up with the idea of killing him and stealing 10k!" Henrie said back.

"Henrie you wanted me to," Frankie said softly, "when you came to my apartment sobbing and bruised, that just fueled it. And when you said you wanted him dead ... We planned the murder together."

Frankie remembered that night. It was three in the morning, and Henrie knocked on their door. When they opened it there she was──bloody, bruised, and a sobbing mess. They remembered taking care of her that night. How they listened to her cry and rant about how much of a narcissist he was. How he only cared about himself and his money. They plotted that night. Frankie was willing. They didn't want her to be in pain anymore.

Henrie nodded. She knew that. She didn't regret it. Not one bit. But the guilt was eating her up. She didn't know why. The brown-haired woman shrugged, slightly sinking down in her seat. Just like the hot guilty seeping through her stomach.

"I don't regret that he's dead. I just feel guilty," Henrie whispered.

"Don't," Frankie told her, "he had it comin' for a long time. Whether we did it, or one of the people he sent to jail did it. Either way, he would've died. He would've been put down."

"I brought you into this──"

"You brought me into nothing," Frankie said, slightly squeezing their steering wheel. "I was a willing participant. And I'm glad he's gone. I'd do it again if it means keeping you safe."

Henrie's eyes softened. "You would?"

Frankie glanced at her again. "Hell yeah, I would," he murmured, "I would do anything for you."

For some reason that warmed Henrie's heart. She's never had a friend so fierce and protective as Frankie. She's always been grateful that they were in her life. They've been friends since childhood, and it only seemed to grow into something stronger in their most recent years, while Henrie was still with Richard. Nothing ever broke them apart, not even their own parents. Henrie looked up at them. Her frown eventually curled up into a smile.

"I appreciate you, you know that, right?" Henrie asked.

A chuckle feel from Frankie's lips. They nodded, their hands finally relaxed on the steering wheel. "Every day it's implied, Hen."