𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 32 | 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗔𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁

"...Do you want to hang out?" He requested as if I hadn't been anticipating it.

"Yeah, sure!" I replied below my breath so the others couldn't hear, smiling widely with glee. Ari smiled back just the same.

➤ ➤ ➤

The two of us had been riding our bikes in the middle of Cloverland under the dark, black sky so often lately that it was starting to become our signature pastime. I was pretty happy about it; the fact that we had a little private activity of our own to share.

"What do you want to do?" Ari called out to me as we rode our bikes alongside one another, gliding down the road, surrounded by sidewalks infested with pedestrians enjoying their night out on the town. 

"What do you want to do?" I returned the question. It was only seven o'clock, so there were plenty of possibilities. The night was still young, as they like to say.

"Where do you want to go?" Ari reflected the question back at me as if we were having a conversational game of ping-pong.

"I don't know, you wanted to hang out," I teased him, getting an annoyed glare in return. I just grinned back cheekily as Ari rolled his eyes and sneered.

Our bikes guided us through the general marketplace part of town where we were able to catch glimpses of all the glowing signs and bustling restaurant turnouts of the several long blocks of continuous stores and eateries. Ari took a gander at the lively neighborhood, seemingly enjoying the sight of the active community. 

"You wanna do something stupid?" I suggested as we biked our way off main street and retreated back into the more secluded parts of town.

"Stupid, as in..?" Ari prompted, his interest peaked.

The fewer people I saw hovering around (particularly adults), the safer I felt talking freely to Ari. "...You wanna get drunk?"

"Wait, really?" Ari laughed, his brows questioning my intentions while his smile indicated curiosity, and perhaps a little excitement. "It's a bit too early, though."

"I have a spot," I informed him, nodding my head toward the distance. The abandoned building that the band and I would usually hang out at was just ahead, only a couple more blocks. "It's safe. No one ever goes there. We'll be alone."

Ari squinted his eyes to show his careful consideration. But eventually: "I'm down," he gave in, smiling and nodding his head. "Where are you gonna get the drinks?"

"I got a guy," I reassured, laughing to myself over the irony of the situation. My 'guy' would be a lot more familiar to Ari than he'd initially believed.  Then, I also remembered my 'guy' doesn't just supply me with alcohol. "...You wanna get high, too?"

Ari comedically turned his head over to mine at a slow pace the moment he heard those words come out of my mouth. He raised an eyebrow and smirked devilishly, making me laugh. "Say less," he mocked with a low, exaggerated voice, tilting his head suavely.

After a quick detour in the road, Ari followed as I pedaled over to Washington street, making a brief stop. Once I had pulled up in front of the corner store where Rian worked, the two of us hopped off our bikes and rested them against the side of the building.

Having been here more than once, I grabbed the handle of the front glass door and headed inside almost immediately. Ari took a second or two to familiarize himself with his surroundings, taking in the sight from the outside; the way the outer-window walls of the store displayed bright, neon signs, advertising company brands for beers and nicotine products, as well as lottery scores and ice cream posters. On the inside: radiant, humming fluorescents—hanging from all over the ceiling—gave the gritty, dirty old convenience store an angelic shine to it, illuminating the many shelves, stocked with rows and rows of colorful candies and unhealthy junk. Several ice boxes lined the far left of the store, containing chilled contents such as ice cream, ice packs, ice in general, and drinks of all sorts. It was a small, tight space, but enough to fit all the shit this place sold.