Purple light filters in through an expansive knitted ceiling. Blankets line the floor, Shawn lays on his stomach, holding himself up by his shoulders resting on a pillow. The tip of his tongue pokes from the corner of his mouth as he focuses.
Shawn lets out a boyish giggle. "You suck Flynn!" he taunts, turning around to face his friend.
"Yeah whatever," he pouts. His face was hazy, blurred over by static. But for the first time since having this recurring dream, there were more details. Soft emerald eyes, a light tan, a friendly smile.
"Don't worry," Sarah adds from Shawn's smile other side. "He plays way too much anyway," she teases playfully, elbowing him in the shoulder.
The skater rolls his eyes, "so what if I do?"
Sarah scoffs, "it's my GameCube." She tilts her head at the console. "I got it for Christmas and those are my stickers unless you watch all those girl shows," she says slyly.
"Hey," Flynn argues, "I think Carmen Sandiego's cool."
"You would," Shawn butts in.
The three laugh. Another minigame starts and ends while they talk.
Shawn jolts awake but stays laying in bed. He wipes something wet from his cheek before groaning and slowly sitting up. Today's the day.
He gets ready for school quickly, bustling downstairs and into the kitchen. Chase and Karen are already at work. "Yo, right on, I don't even gotta tell you guys when to start working."
"That was Sarah," Chase replies looking over the ingredients unsure. "She woke us up before she left for work."
"Atta girl," Shawn says under his breath walking into the kitchen. "So then you've got everything under control here?"
Karen chuckled. "They're just cookies Shawn... well," she looks at the small laundry basket. Old dirty socks fill the bin. "Almost."
Shawn smirks, nodding before turning to leave. "Looks like you've got this then." He slips his bare feet in his vans, grabs his board and takes off for school.
School dragged on like never before. Shawn kept his distance well, he'd gotten much better at it lately. Eventually, he found himself in a car with Nathan with a few waterboys he didn't recognize, headed off to set up for the track party.
"Gabe you'll take Shawn with you to make some pizzas, show him around the kitchen," he says parked outside of a grocery store. He'd already sent the others in to go buy snacks.
"Sure," he says, not paying too much attention to their posh master.
Nathan waves to someone out the window before stepping out of the car and everyone follows. An older guy with a tough buzzcut and leather jacket walks up to Nathan's side. They could pass as brothers. If he didn't look so much grittier than Nathan, and if he had the icy light blue eyes like the rest of them they'd look practically identical. His eyes were a plain tired brown.
"This is Baxter, my cousin~" Nathan gives him a hearty slap on the back. "He'll be picking up our drinks," he says slyly. He nods to Gabe and he starts walking. Shawn skates behind him.
The skater watches him work on several pizzas at a time. "So," Shawn asks somewhat awkwardly, "how'd you end up working so... closely with Nathan?"
Gabe tenses slightly. "Oh, just needed the money I guess. I was lucky he gave me so many hours, it's the... side jobs that I don't like," admits the olive teen.
"Can't you just work somewhere else?"
He shook his head. "Nathan knows my brother goes to our school now and he'd end up wrapped around his finger in a second."
