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 Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 7:22 pm
Backdated to late October 2023. Riker froze.
Which probably was the worst way to disappear in a crowd since it just made him stand out even more than if he’d continued walking.
For some reason, unknown to him, he’d agreed to go with Dawn to the local fair. He already had a hoodie on so he could hide himself easier, but that meant nothing when he made eye contact with people he knew.
Not just any people. People he’d been mean to before. People he’d tried upsetting before in order to be cool.
Just thinking about it had his stomach churning uncomfortably.
“Uh… uh, maybe… the other way,” he stammered in Dawn’s direction in his panic, reaching up to tug the drawstrings of his hood closed so more of his face could be hidden. Oh, but that probably drew attention to himself even more. It was difficult for Atticus to miss how Riker froze and nearly got run into by some lady pushing her stroller a little too aggressively through the crowd.
Atticus had arrived at the fair with Elliot a little while ago. They’d helped Myles get his craft booth set up, and then they met up with his cousin and their other friends. Énna was of course invited since they went to school together and they learned from Paris that he was probably in need of some friends his age. And Julian was also invited, because while they didn’t go to school together, Atticus really enjoyed spending time with him.
And they’d all been together before, even if they didn’t have to say it in so many words.
Even if Riker had said some questionable things to them before, Elliot didn’t seem to mind him, so Atticus lifted a hand to give a little wave. Oh… oh, but he looked like he was trying to hide.
“He’s on Elliot’s baseball team,” Atticus explained to Maisie as to why he was waving at some awkward teenager that looked much less confident in this setting than when they’d crossed paths before.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 8:33 pm
Dawn came to a stop a few seconds after Riker. Ahead of him by a couple of steps now, she turned with a quizzical look on her face.
“Was there a ride you wanted to go on?” she asked, then decided that couldn’t be it. Riker looked as if he were trying to hide — hard but not impossible to accomplish in the middle of a walkway, with people moving all around them.
Before Riker could answer her first question, Dawn asked, “Are you okay?”
Something had made him nervous. At first, Dawn thought maybe his mother had shown up, but a fair didn’t exactly seem like her style. Dawn followed the direction of Riker’s gaze and saw a group of teenagers through the crowd. By Riker’s reaction, she had to assume they weren’t friends of his.- Énna had been going along with the others, quiet and unobtrusive, pleased to be included but uncertain how to fit in. In a group, he was more of an observer anyway. He liked to watch and listen, only occasionally adding to the conversation when the subject was something he was well versed in.
He glanced in the direction Atticus had indicated and immediately frowned.
“Sorry you have to deal with him so much,” Énna said to Elliot. “Or is he less of a d**k to other athletes?”
Énna’s voice was still quiet, but with vague hostility in his tone. His hands curled into fists in the pockets of his cozy, oversized cardigan. The last thing he wanted while out with potential friends was to cause a scene, but he wasn’t going to welcome Riker with open arms.- Maisie had no such reservations. In fact, her lips stretched into a grin and her eyes sparkled with something that might have been mocking delight.
“Riker?” she said. Loudly, purposefully. “Oh my God, is that you? You didn’t tell me you were coming tonight!”
She led the way through the churning crowd, tossing another grin over her shoulder at the others. “Come on, me and Riker go way back.”
If half a year could even be considered way back. Whatever. Accuracy wasn’t the point. Maisie had seen an opportunity to get back at Riker for making fun of her the day they met, and she was going to take it. He was already trying to hide. And he was with a girl!
“Is this your girlfriend? You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend! Honestly, I thought you were a bit closeted— Oh, no offense or anything. Maybe I misread your vibe.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 10:38 am
Julian was much more of a follower than a leader, and he’d been content to tag along with the group. He was there for the experience more than anything else, and it was nice to be around people his age. He liked feeling wanted, even if he was little more than a wallflower for most of the day. He listened intently but didn’t speak much; it was so loud here that he couldn’t really bring himself to raise his voice enough to talk.
A smile hadn’t left his face for most of the day, but it did when he caught Énna’s words. He had been quiet for most of the day but hadn’t seemed like the sort to summon such vitriol. Of course, he’d met Riker before, too.
He thought he could understand Énna’s reaction, but it was surprising all the same. He blinked wide eyes at him, and then at Maisie because–oh, his stomach was absolutely upside down. Maybe it was the dread of some sort of conflict, or maybe he was feeling very heavy second hand embarrassment. He wasn’t sure. Probably both. He stayed with the group but otherwise stood almost perfectly still, like maybe he could just disappear from sight if he didn’t move. Unsure of where to look, and not willing to contribute to any looming disaster, he spotted a crushed flower on the ground and stared at it like he could bring it back to life.
-
Elliot heaved a dramatic sigh and trotted after Maisie. Riker was a lot to deal with but he wasn’t that bad! It was one thing to harass him while he was alone, but he was with someone. Elliot wasn’t sure he recognized her, though. He didn’t know who she was to Riker, but for all the sour faces and bitter words that came from him, Elliot didn’t want to see him hurt.
He’d given Énna a look, more of concern than reproach, though. How was Riker getting around to bother all of these people! He was putting too much energy into causing problems, he should be putting that into baseball. Maybe he was making friends? …Maybe all he needed was a girlfriend. She looked concerned for him, in any case. It didn’t matter what she was to him as long as she cared.
“Me and Riker go way back, too, but I don’t think it ever occurred to me to ask about his love life,” Elliot mused, but then–he wasn’t trying to push Riker’s buttons. He didn’t think there was anything wrong if Riker was closeted, but even if Maisie had said no offense, he was pretty sure she was trying to get him to squirm. It looked like it was working.
He didn’t want to be witness to anyone butting heads so he stuck his hand out to Dawn. “Hi, I’m Elliot. It’s nice to meet you. Sorry if we interrupted anything, we were supposed to be heading towards the petting zoo. And the baseball throw. I wanted to show off for Atticus. Have you been over there yet?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 10:44 am
Was he okay? He was absolutely not okay. He could tell what was going to happen way before it actually happened. He should have grabbed Dawn’s hand and ran. He should have never agreed to come with her to this place. He should have just stayed home. Having not been born would have been the best option to solve all his problems, but that didn’t work out.
He could feel his ears burn as Maisie loudly greeted him. His cheeks burned when she asked about Dawn. And even more so when she commented about maybe misreading his vibe.
“Yeah she’s my girlfriend, got a problem with that? You jealous?” he snapped, awkwardly releasing the hold he had on the drawstrings to his hood since he obviously couldn’t just… disappear any more.
He cast an apologetic look in Dawn’s direction. Oh, but Elliot was already greeting her. Great. Mr. Perfect was going to make things worse by highlighting just how awful Riker was when compared to everyone else.
“I didn’t think you had any friends, anyway,” he forced a scoff, glancing at his classmates and the other boy that he’d mocked before. What was Maisie doing hanging out with students from Azure? He didn’t know where the other boy went, but certainly not Crystal. “I’m Atticus,” he lifted a hand to wave to the girl with Riker when Elliot mentioned wanting to show off for him. He offered her a smile. “And Énna and Julian,” he introduced the others. He knew they could have done it themselves, but they seemed like they were content with just hanging out and not dealing with someone like Riker.
Atticus couldn’t blame them. He also expected nothing less of Elliot to try and smooth things over. He was so proud of his boyfriend for being a peacekeeper. Especially when Maisie seemed like she was getting Riker riled up on purpose.
But more importantly, he wanted to make sure his actual friends were okay. Sure, Elliot didn’t want Riker to get worked up, but Riker had obviously been mean to Julian and Énna before.
So Atticus turned to the two of them with a smile. “We’ll get out of here soon. Would you like to stop and get some ice cream later?” he asked both Julian and Énna, wanting to keep them engaged but also distracted from unnecessary drama.
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2024 7:52 am
Dawn hardly seemed fazed when Riker called her his girlfriend. She blinked once, then glanced from Riker to the blue haired girl and back again. Dawn knew girls like that pretty well. They liked to tease and torment because they thought it was funny, only to act shocked and offended when other people were shocked and offended by it.
There was only one thing to do then.
Dawn played along.
“I’m Dawn,” she said, taking Elliot’s hand for a friendly shake, offering a smile to both him and Atticus. At least they seemed genuinely nice. “It’s alright, we actually hadn’t decided what to do yet. I didn’t know there was a baseball throw.” She paused to turn to Riker again. “Did you want to do that? I never really get to see you play.” Back to Elliot, she explained, “I cheer for Meadowview, so I’m busy with football in the fall and basketball in the spring and always miss out on dropping by Azure.”- Énna shrunk in on himself and hung back with Julian. He felt guilty, even if Elliot hadn’t meant the look negatively. Then he felt angry for feeling guilty, and bitter for feeling angry, and embarrassed by all of it. He knew if he looked in Riker’s direction he’d only end up glaring, so he cast his gaze off to the side and scuffed one of his shoes against the ground.
“We can do whatever you want,” Énna mumbled in response to Atticus. Having to be in the same general area as someone who’d previously made fun of him sucked out all the enthusiasm he’d previously had for today.- Maisie wasn’t actually expecting Riker to agree. For a moment, she didn’t really know what to say. The other girl, Dawn, didn’t contradict him, so he must have been telling the truth, which was… a lot to process, actually. Riker was… well, Riker. How’d he score a pretty girl like that?
“You’re joking,” she said, then decided she didn’t want him knowing he’d caught her off guard, so she wrinkled her nose and recoiled. “Ew, why would I be jealous?”
She ignored Elliot’s attempts at peacekeeping. Being kind and accepting was all well and good for him, but Maisie would never miss an opportunity to give Riker a taste of his own medicine. It was good for him. He should know how he made others feel when he made fun of their names and their hair and the drinks they liked or whatever else he made fun of people for.
Maybe one day he’d learn his lesson and stop being so Riker about everything.
“You know I have friends. Atticus is, like, my adopted second cousin or something though, so I guess maybe he doesn’t count since I, like, see him at family things and such, but I’ve told you about my friends,” she said, eyeing Riker meaningfully without dropping any other hints. “You, on the other hand, never told me you had a girlfriend. Don’t you think that’s important information to share with the class?”
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 12:21 am
No, it was not important information to share. Elliot kept a smile on his face even as he felt a wave of dread flush over him. Teasing Riker was not on his list of things to do today, no matter how much trouble he tended to get himself into. He cared more about making sure that everyone had a good day.
Which was hard to do when Maisie seemed to thrive every time she got Riker squirming.
…Certainly not at the expense of Énna and Julian, though. He could see them out of the corner of his eye and was glad Atticus was there. Well, he was always glad Atticus was there, but he just had a calming presence. Sometimes Elliot was too loud, too boisterous. Atticus was quieter, without even trying to be. It was a good balance.
He gave Maisie an almost helpless look, barely concealed beneath the smile.
“I hope you get to see a game sometime, Dawn. Riker’s a pretty intense player. I’m glad I don’t have to play against him.” He didn’t really know how their social circles all crossed over, or how so many of his friends knew Riker, but he gave him a quick, questioning look while he thought he could get away with it.
Meanwhile, Julian was grateful for Atticus’ social skills, it made things so much easier on him. Julian liked to talk, he just had a hard time warming up. Riker had already tried to pick on him before and Julian’s go-to was always just to drift off and ignore the conversation. Now, he was thinking he might be best to do the same. It was bad enough that he had his own anxiety, but now he had second-hand embarrassment to worry about, too. There was a lump in his throat and even if he didn't know Énna so well, he felt a vague camaraderie in their quietness.
“That would be nice,” Julian answered, though he hadn’t brought money for ice cream and didn’t actually intend to get any. It was just a convenient excuse to get them away from here and a decent distraction from whatever the others were doing.
The temptation to look at what the others were doing was strong, but he held firm and focused only on Atticus. If things didn’t ease up soon, he might have to come up with an excuse to disappear for a moment. The only thing keeping him in place was the threat of losing his friends in a large, fast moving crowd.
His eyes darted from Atticus’ face, to Riker’s, to Maisie’s, and then to Énna’s. He forced a smile but it was neither convincing nor reassuring.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 1:02 pm
Oh… oh thank goodness. Dawn went along with it, and Riker had to do his best to keep holding his breath in case she changed her mind. But no, she wouldn’t betray him like that. He hadn’t been mean to her like he, well… like he’d been to the others.
He could already see the three pretty boys shrinking off to talk amongst themselves, and that was fine. He didn’t need to talk to them. He didn’t want to talk to them!
But then when things were pretty bad already, they only ended up getting worse.
At first he scoffed at Maisie for saying she’d told him about her friends, but before he could answer, or even think about Dawn as his (not) girlfriend, he took a moment longer to stare at her.
She definitely hadn’t told him about any friends. Why was she looking at him like that? Unless…
He glanced over at the others once more. At Elliot, who was giving him a questioning look as well, and Atticus and the two others who hung around them and--
Riker felt his face drain of color. He felt like he was actually going to be sick.
“No, we have to go,” he suddenly insisted and reached for Dawn’s hand. He knew Maisie would probably still try to harass him, but if he calculated things correctly, and Maisie knew them and were her friends… Atticus didn’t want anyone’s feelings to be hurt, but if he was to be asked honestly, he would rather hang out with Énna and Julian instead of listening to Maisie bug Riker.
Did Riker kind of deserve it…? Atticus didn’t want to say yes because he didn’t know him very well, but what he did know was that Riker made his friends uncomfortable.
He cast a sympathetic look at Elliot, and then took a step closer to him so he could link arms, and then weave their fingers together. He didn’t want Elliot to feel as though he wasn’t supporting him, either. He knew Elliot knew Riker more than the others -- although apparently Maisie knew him pretty well -- but they’d gone there with their other friends.
Atticus felt guilty that he was kind of relieved that Riker decided he and Dawn should leave. Maybe if he apologized and tried to make amends with the other two, it would be different.
“Oh, my dad bought us a whole book of tickets for rides and food, so you’ll both have to help us go use them up so they don’t go to waste,” Atticus said, reaching into the little bag he had with him to show the two the large booklet of ride and food vouchers.
While it had been his dad’s money, it was Atticus who thought to prepay for everything. And his intention was to use his own money until the website asked him for a credit card, but then his dad refused to let him use his allowance for this. But this way the others hopefully wouldn’t feel like a burden if they were just helping him go through what they already had! In theory.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:02 pm
Oh, yes, Elliot was nice. Dawn liked him immediately, even if they hadn’t exchanged more than a few sentences. He seemed genuine and intent on making sure everyone was comfortable.
Too bad the blue haired girl had to ruin his efforts.
Dawn looked back at Riker when her hand was grabbed. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze in return. He looked pale, maybe a bit green around the edges. She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his friends either. He could always explain it to her later.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t mind either way.”- “Wait, don’t go,” Maisie complained. She was a bit thrown by how Riker’s face paled. Her own expression wrinkled a bit in confusion. “What’s with you? You know me and Elliot, right? And I assume if you know Elliot then you know Atticus, too. They’re kind of joined at the hip. The other two’re fine. Just shy, maybe.”
She didn’t feel bad. As far as Maisie knew, there wasn’t anything to feel bad about. Was Riker afraid she’d share his secret? Why would she do that when holding it over his head was more fun?
“I’m Maisie, by the way,” she said for Dawn’s benefit. Had she already introduced herself? Had someone else? Why did she always forget those things? Oh well. She refused to feel awkward about any of it. “Come on, we can do rides or that baseball throw or whatever. Unless hanging out with us’ll kill the vibe of your date.”- Énna caught Julian’s smile but couldn’t force one of his own in return. This entire situation was painfully awkward. Elliot, Atticus, and Dawn tried valiantly. Riker wasn’t being too terrible (maybe because he had his girlfriend to impress), and Maisie was… Well, Maisie was an instigator for sure. If Énna didn’t already have a negative opinion of Riker it might’ve been amusing. At least Julian seemed as lost as Énna felt. Énna wasn’t completely alone in this.
But he was also keenly aware that he might be the cause of some of the awkwardness. Even if he hadn’t said much. Even if he hadn’t done more than hang back and glare. There was tension hanging over them that wouldn’t clear up until they split off or Énna managed to suppress some of his silent hostility.
“Sorry,” he mumbled to Atticus and Julian. “This is just—...” No, if he talked about it, that would only make things worse. “Rides sound like a good idea,” he said instead. “I wanted to see what the city looks like from the top of the ferris wheel.”
Énna managed to keep his voice steady. His throat felt tight still, and his posture was a bit tense, but he took a breath and settled himself, shoving his balled up fists deeper into his pockets. He wasn’t going to be the one to ruin their time here. Tolerating Riker’s presence wouldn’t be the same as welcoming him with open arms.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:07 pm
Julian was acutely aware of how uncomfortable both Riker and Énna appeared; they both seemed to be radiating unease. Though he didn’t want to show it, the sensation was contagious and he felt like he was absorbing every ounce of discomfort. He felt like something scratching in the pit of his stomach, trying to claw its way out. He didn’t have to know why Riker suddenly looked sick, he didn’t have to know what Riker had done to upset Énna before now.
They were uncomfortable, so he was uncomfortable.
He walked on eggshells regularly, so being cautious and alert wasn’t anything so different. Tension hung in the air like a spiderweb, catching each and every worry on its sticky strands. It wasn’t just that they were surrounded by crowds of people, it’s that everything felt heavy. His mouth was dry and he had twisted a bit where he stood to try and relieve some of the malaise. He tried not to draw attention to himself; he paid close attention to how much space he took up in any situation. He wasn’t clever like Elliot, or bold like Maisie, or warm like Atticus. He didn’t know Dawn well enough to compare himself to her but she seemed friendly.
“Do you think it’ll go that high?” he asked, and had to clear his throat after his voice came out only a whisper. He hadn’t been able to hear himself so he doubted anyone else would have.
Elliot’s brows furrowed again as he watched Riker’s face distort. Why was he acting so weird? A switch had flipped, though; Maisie was being social and not harping on Riker like she had been before. Had that been some secret code of theirs?
His posture relaxed but he still didn’t quite understand what was going on.
He squeezed Atticus’ hand, and though he didn’t say it now, he was proud of him. Charming and sweet and considerate–ugh.
He turned to face him, and bumped hips with him. His expression had softened and reset so when he looked back at Dawn and Riker, he was smiling again. He didn’t have to say anything; Maisie had made the offer and he had no objections.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 7:28 pm
Riker had screwed up, big time. If what was being implied was true, he’d basically ruined everything. He felt sick and uncomfortable and he wanted to make a run for it. Like a coward. But that wasn’t anyone’s problem to worry about but his.
They would probably shrug it off and say it was expected for someone who was so purposefully mean to slink away like the loser that he was.
Maisie didn’t want him to go. But he knew the other two did. Énna and… did he even know the other kid’s name? He couldn’t remember. He thought it might be Jules or something, but he hadn’t been focusing on his name when he was worried about himself.
He was pretty sure his heart was going to stop. He had no idea what to do. Tuck his tail between his legs and beg for forgiveness? Would they even believe him?
Elliot seemed okay with him staying with them. Énna agreed that rides sounded good.
“Okay…” he said weakly, not letting go of Dawn’s hand. He was sure if he was making the wrong decision, they would tell him he wasn’t welcome. Seeing his friends look so uncomfortable troubled Atticus a lot. He wanted to hug Julian. He wanted to hug Énna. He wanted to cry on Elliot’s shoulder -- oh, but he should probably try to keep his emotions steady for now.
“I hope it does,” he said to Julian with a smile. Being one of a quiet nature meant he was always listening for others who were quiet and make sure they know they were heard. Even if he couldn’t hear Julian very clearly, he suspected he knew his question.
“Let’s go there first. If that’s okay with everyone? I have enough tickets for both of you, too,” he insisted with a smile at Dawn and Riker.
He kept his hand in Elliot’s and returned his smile. Atticus had noticed Riker’s change as well. He was being quiet now, and looking ashamed. Maybe he realized just how mean he was being before? He wasn’t sure. But he hoped Énna and Julian didn’t think that they would pick a bully over hanging out with them.
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Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 7:29 pm
Énna didn’t think the others would pick a bully over him if he put up enough of a stink about it, not really, but there was also a part of him that wouldn’t have been surprised if they did. That was sort of par for the course when it came to his life. The universe had it out for him, or something.
Since he’d made the decision for himself, he didn’t have to feel awkward or disappointed. Unfortunately, he felt those things anyway. Doubt ate at him, and a sort of self-loathing, but he wouldn’t show it. Not if he could help it.
“I think—... The really big one,” Énna said.
He turned away in the hopes that no longer having Riker in his line of sight would make things a little easier, looking through the thronging crowds to reorient himself before leading the way through. He wasn’t all that familiar with the layout, but he had a rough idea of where the rides were, and they couldn’t possibly miss the giant ferris wheel once they saw it.- Maisie kept giving Riker an odd look.
“You’re being weird,” she said.
Then again, he was always kind of weird. Maisie didn’t really get it, but she didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. If he and his girlfriend were going to come along after all, maybe she’d get it out of him eventually. Maisie spared another look for the girlfriend in question, but turned away to follow after Énna before she let herself worry too much about a cheerleader in their midst.
Ugh, she was probably super popular at Meadowview.
“If we run out of tickets, Dad gave me plenty of money for more. Or if anyone wants souvenirs and stuff.”
On the way, she looped her arms through Julian’s and Énna’s. If Elliot and Atticus and Riker and Dawn were going to hold hands, she wasn’t going to be left out and made into the fifth wheel without taking the sixth and seventh wheels along with her.- Dawn kept a pleasant smile on her face. She thought that had to be the best way to calm tensions. Just be friendly. Be patient. Things would work their way out eventually. She gave Riker’s hand another squeeze, hoping he didn’t think he had to go along with this. Maisie was pushy, but Elliot seemed understanding.
“That’s so nice of you, thank you,” Dawn told Atticus. “Do you guys come here a lot? When it’s the time of year for it, I mean. I know the fair’s a really big thing for some people. This is my first time coming this year. I don’t know if I’ll have the chance again before it shuts down for the year.”
She kept her hand in Riker’s as they began to walk. It wasn’t really all that awkward, even if they’d never held hands before.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 1:05 pm
Julian startled when Maisie’s arm hooked onto his own. He relaxed quickly, but he’d been so ready for something to go wrong that even such a simple, friendly gesture had withered his nerves. He smiled quickly, as if to apologize without actually voicing the words. He’d been fussed at for his overuse of the word ‘sorry’ too often and he was trying to keep that in mind.
He even managed to lean into Maisie a bit, and not just to make himself seem smaller against the crowd.
“I don’t remember the last time I was at the fair. Or on a ferris wheel.” Had he ever been on one? He was nervous, but excited. And if everyone else wanted to do it, he would too.
Elliot kept his eye on Maisie and relaxed when she linked Énna and Julian together. He hadn’t been able to see Énna’s reaction very well, but Julian was smiling and seemed to have a little skip in his step so he assumed–hoped–that was a good sign for the group.
“I don’t know about everyone else, but Atticus and I will probably be back. Our parents will want to visit at least once. And one of our friends runs a booth so we’ll probably come back just to visit him. He’s fun, he sells a lot of candles and has really bright hair. We’ll see how the cards fall, there’s a lot to do this time of year.”
He didn’t want Atticus to get burned out and overwhelmed by how many people there were. He squeezed his boyfriend’s hand again and walked in step with him while they followed the three in front of them. The ferris wheel was beginning to tower over them, and Elliot’s expression lit up with excitement as they neared it. “The lights are really pretty up there. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” he asked, tilting his head just slightly to see Riker–who had been acting strangely.
He didn’t know what had set him off and he wasn’t going to needle him for answers, but even if Riker was a bit of a pain, he was still going to worry about him. They might not be in the middle of a game but they were still teammates.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:37 pm
Riker was very aware that he’d never held Dawn’s hand before. He’d really only held someone’s hand as Reims, and that person--
Oh… oh he was going to be sick if everything really pieced together like his mind was trying to make it. Maybe not. Maybe he was just suffering from an overactive imagination. He couldn’t recognize any of them, but… if he counted… and Maisie knew them. Told him about her friends.
What did that mean? Maybe he was just forgetting her talking to him about them. No, he would have paid attention so he would have not done anything stupid around them. And they’d worked together--
No… if they were who he was thinking.... Imagining…? Then… he’d really ******** up.
He kept holding Dawn’s hand, but he kept his eyes on the ground in front of him. He still had his hood up so maybe no one else would recognize him. The last thing he wanted was for anyone else to harass his friends--
They’re not your friends…
They would have been Reims’s friends… Would have… because if they ever found out who he was, why would they bother talking to him ever again…?“I’m not afraid of anything when I’m with you,” Atticus said low enough to Elliot so he wouldn’t be teased by… probably Maisie… maybe Riker… for saying sappy things. But it was true! He wasn’t afraid of heights or youma or anything as long as Elliot was with him.
Well, that wasn’t true. He was afraid of Elliot being hurt, or worse, but that was different.
The large amounts of people was a bit overwhelming, but as long as he didn’t get separated from Elliot or the others, he knew he would be fine.
“Oh, they can fit up to eight in each carriage. We can all go together if that’s okay with everyone?” More than just all being together, he thought it was less of an inconvenience to others who were also wanting to ride.
The line wasn’t too long, thankfully. And he turned to offer smiles to Julian and Énna, hoping they weren’t feeling too out of sorts.
“You should come meet Myles at some point. That’s our friend Elliot was talking about. He lives with his brother near us, so even if you don’t meet him tonight, you’ll have to come over so our dads can spoil us with a cookout. My dad was talking about maybe building some kind of clubhouse for us. To get out of the house but be close by. No adults to bother us, kinda thing. Oh, here’s the tickets,” Atticus offered the attendant, surprised at their luck for getting in line as the ferris wheel was filling up.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 8:00 pm
Énna stumbled a bit when an arm looped through his, but quickly caught himself and gave Maisie a long-suffering look, then glanced past her to Julian with a sort of ‘why us?’ crinkle to his nose and brow. Énna didn’t mind, but he was always concerned that Maisie was two seconds away from saying or doing something meant to purposefully make someone uncomfortable, and he’d rather that not be turned on either him or Julian.
He allowed the linked arms until they got to the ferris wheel, then slipped out of her hold as gently as he could, in case being too rough turned her on him.
The conversation continued around him without much of his input. Énna thought it was better that way. He hadn’t been to the fair since… Well, he didn’t even want to think about it, because he’d only be sad, and being sad would bring the mood down, and then no one would have a good time and it would be all his fault.
So he hopped into the carriage and took a seat by one of the windows, leaving ample room for everyone else.- Maisie didn’t mind that Julian leaned into her, or that Énna inevitably pulled away. She might not know Julian all that well, but physical contact among friends, even casual ones, wasn’t out of her realm of comfort. Sure, she might be more used to hanging around a bunch of girls, but… Well, if she said what she was thinking, someone somewhere would probably fake a gasp and act all offended about it. Suffice it to say, she didn’t find hanging around these guys all that different, except that Julian and Énna were a lot more quiet than she was used to being among her girl friends back home.
“Your dad as in Michael?” she asked Atticus, but she didn’t wait for an answer before mumbling, “He would.” Uncle Beau used to like building things; Michael must’ve got that from him. Probably not the best topic to bring up right now, though. She was pretty sure Atticus never even knew Uncle Beau anyway.
Maisie tossed a look at Riker over her shoulder, half expecting him to react to the “our dads” bit and the lack of a mention of any moms. He was being too quiet. Had he not understood the look she gave him when she’d reminded him of her friends? Or was he weirded out to be around them without knowing exactly who each of them was? Maisie thought it was pretty easy to figure out, but maybe that was because she already knew. Magic was weird like that.
“Do all of your friends, like, live in the same neighborhood or something?” Maisie asked Elliot and Atticus.
She hopped into the carriage, helping Julian along if he needed it. The carriage kinda swayed a bit when she stepped on. Not a lot, but enough that someone less steady than her might find it just a tad disorienting. She sat across from Énna instead of beside him, curious about who would sit where and what would happen when they did without the fifth, sixth, and seventh wheels all taking up the same side.- “They seem nice,” Dawn whispered to Riker. Not being part of the group under normal circumstances, she didn’t want to intrude in their conversation about clubhouses and cookouts, even if her question might have led into the topic. She did, however, smile and shake her head at Elliot’s concern about any of them being afraid of heights. She certainly wasn’t, although she didn’t know about Riker.
They brought up the rear of the group, lingering behind only a few steps, close enough not to get separated in the crowd, but not so close that they were all on top of one another. She gave his hand yet another squeeze. Dawn might not understand what was going on, but she’d do her best to ease tensions where she could.
“Hey,” she said, keeping her voice low. “We’re fine. I don’t mind this. We can talk about it later if you want. Or… we don’t have to talk about it at all if you’d rather not.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 11:33 pm
Julian accepted Maisie’s help up, but seemed squeamish beyond that point. He didn’t know where to sit and wished that he had come in last, if only so he could make sure that everyone was where they wanted to be. He didn’t want to be by the window. Maybe seeing the lights was a nice idea, but he didn’t really want to see how far up they got. He was very happy in the middle of things.
Thankfully, Elliot had decided to sit next to Maisie. He pulled Atticus close and was more than willing to change seats with him, but of course he’d be a bit biased and want him to have a window view. It seemed risky to let Dawn or Riker be close to Maisie in such close proximity, and there wasn’t enough space for him to sit next to Riker and Atticus.
Julian took a seat next to Énna and folded his hands into his lap. He gave him an apologetic smile and tried to shrink in place to make space for the other two. Earlier, he had nodded when Atticus suggested they meet his friends or come over; his interest extended more than just as a people pleaser. A clubhouse sounded so neat, of course he was interested. ‘No adults to bother us’ registered strongly with him, and then he quickly felt guilty about it. He wore a tight smile and had to force his face to relax.
When they were seated, Elliot shamelessly pecked Atticus on the cheek. He didn’t care if anyone wanted to tease him but he did trust his friends. And what was Riker going to do, be homophobic in front of his girlfriend?
“No, not all of them. You all don’t,” Elliot pointed out. “We just got lucky. Michael lived there first, my parents and I used to be a few blocks away. But then our house exploded so we had to move. Did you see pictures? I showed you pictures,” he looked at Riker briefly, just because he knew something was weird with him. Elliot kept one hand laced with Atticus’, but he pulled out his phone like he was ready to show anyone else.
Julian looked horrified, so naturally Elliot started scrolling to find the pictures. Well, if he could. There were a lot of selfies of him and Atticus to get through, first.
Dawn hadn’t seen them either, who wouldn’t want to look at the totally demolished remains of a well-loved family home?
“Jeremy and Myles moved just down the road a little while after that, maybe because Michael kept talking about what a great place it was.” And because he probably paid for it. “A lot of things are within walking distance from our street, it’s a good place to be. Why, are any of you looking to move?”
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