The 7-eleven was uncomfortably quiet and very, very dirty.
Ray had to skip over a puddle of some strange drink that had been spilled on the floor, yet the worker didn't ever seem bothered to try to clean it up.
She approached the energy drink shelves, looking at the huge selection in front of her. There were many drinks that she didn't recognize, but didn't really want to try, so she just grabbed a small can of Dr.Pepper and decided to roll with it. Just then, Tommy appeared by the end of the isle, also skipping over the spilled drink and walking towards her.
"Uhm so I forgot my wallet, d'you have yours?" He asked, clearly a bit awkward.
Ray subtly nodded, and the two made their way to the cash register.
After paying the half-dead looking employee there, the two kids finally exited the shop, and a wave of fresh, autumn air immediately struck them.
"So... who was that on the phone?" Tommy asked quietly, clearly after a lot of thought and patience. He realized that the question probably wasn't proper, but couldn't really help his curiosity.
Ray pulsed her lips together, tightening the grip around the can in her hand. But before she could turn towards the boy and tell him to mind his own business, she walked right into someone's back.
The two stumbled, and Tommy quickly rushed to catch Ray's elbow before she could fall. As she stabilized herself, the rather tall and buff man whom she had accidentally bumped into turned around, a threatening look on his face.
"What the actual fuck is your problem?!" He half yelled angrily.
The two kids swallowed, vulnerable under his intense gaze.
"I-" Ray struggled, but quickly got a hold of herself. "I'm sorry sir."
"Sorry? Is that all you can say?!" The man yelled back, then raised a hand which held a glass bottle. "Half my fucking beer spilled!"
Despite feeling intimidated to death, Tommy tried to mediate the situation, quietly walking in front of Ray to face the man head on.
"She didn't do it on purpose. We're genuinely sorry." He spoke, as calmly as he possibly could.
But the man did not seem convinced. "I fucking hate unashamed foreigners like yourself." He closed in, and his breath stunk of alcohol as it fanned Tommy's face. "Think you can come in here and ruin it for everyone here. Why don't you just fuck off to where you came from? Fucking shrimp looking motherfucker." He spat.
The insult, as minor as it was, managed to offend Ray, who immediately pushed herself in front of Tommy. "What the fuck is your problem? We said sorry, didn't we? Why don't you just take it and go?"
As the man's expression became even more twisted, Tommy turned to Ray in worry. "Ray, stop i-"
"And oh shocker! You also came from where we came prick, you're not native to here either." The girl continued agitated.
"You fucking bitch, I'm gonna-" The man began, reaching for something inside his coat. But before he could reveal anything, Ray felt a hand around her wrist and a sudden harsh pull. She immediately stabilized herself, looking to Tommy in shock as he dragged her away in a run.
"What the f-" She couldn't even finish as they made a sharp turn, nearly knocking her over. She could hear the drunkard behind them, running and shouting insults at them.
So they ran. Ran and ran, past the empty streets, the entrance to a park, and past the dark pine tree forest. Ran until the thought of the man became distant, even after they couldn't hear him on their tail anymore.
And finally, upon reaching a large body of water, they stopped.
The two of them were heavily out of breath, bending over to try to calm down their racing hearts. Eventually, Ray gave in, falling to the soft grass below, closing her eyes and taking in deep breaths. Tommy followed suit, laying right next to her, mimicking her actions.
After about a minute, the two laid there in silence, just looking across the lake and towards the shining city of New York. They somehow found themselves right in Central Park, observing as the glimmering lights of the city reflected in the water beautifully, and how the noises of distant traffic could still be heard this far.
And suddenly, Ray burst out into laughter. It was joyful, radiant, and so long that the girl felt her stomach clenching in pain. Yet she continued laughing, almost to the point of happy tears.
Tommy turned his head, staring at her strangely until he also found himself chuckling.
That drunk man could've pulled a gun on them and shot them dead right then and there, but to both of them it seemed hilarious. They both had officially lost their minds.
Eventually, still hiccupping from the laugh attack, Ray let out a long breath and looked up at the dark sky.
"The person who called me was my father." She confessed, immediately causing Tommy to quiet down and his expression to change. He had long figured that their family relationship wasn't very good, and it came to him as a surprise when Ray remained smiling. "He wanted me to return home."
With a bit of hesitation, Tommy asked "and you said?"
"I told him to fuck off." Ray said quietly, following that by a chuckle.
Tommy couldn't really believe what he was listening to, but remained quiet, also turning to look up at the dark sky above them.
"He didn't really want me to be here in the first place," Ray started, unable to withhold the truth for much longer. "But I ignored him. And here I am."
"Do you think you'll regret your choice?" Tommy asked gloomily, and turned to see her shaking her head.
"No." She stated confidently. "Not now, not ever. This is the first time I don't feel like I'm cuffed to a huge, heavy ball classifying me as a heiress in a rich family." She paused, swallowing. "It feels nice honestly."
Tommy sighed, nodding along to her as she continued speaking. Ray turned her head, just enough to catch a glimpse of his side profile, which was barely being illuminated by the distant bright lights.
"I don't know if I should say this, but I think I've always felt jealous of you in some ways."
"Jealous?" Tommy asked confused, turning his head and meeting their eyes. "Of me?"
"Yeah." Ray laughed. "You're super easy going, funny, and you have this sort of vibe that instantly attracts the people around you. You look like someone who lives with no effort, no regrets, and the freedom that many people wish they could have. I don't think I've ever felt the confidence that you exhibit, not even close. And I guess I wanted to be a person like you. To have a taste of the freedoms that you have."
Tommy couldn't help but snicker, as he laid back down on his back. "If you think that I am like that means that you know nothing about me." He exclaimed. "Everyone's got their own insecurities, even me, as unbelievable as it may sound."
Ray chuckled, also looking back up to the towering sky scrapers on the horizon.
"And no matter what, I will never be free myself either." Tommy sighed. "When you put yourself out there on the internet and make a career out of it, you're chained to another heavy ball, although it's different than yours. When you're a youtuber or influencer as some might say, every word you say carries a sense of responsibility. One step out of line and you could have your whole life crumbling in front of you. Also, stepping outside to just live your life off camera is barely possible, considering that anywhere you go you might get recognized and caught being... human I guess."
"So to say, your life isn't as much of a dream as I thought it was?" Ray asked in a teasing voice, and Tommy laughed.
"Don't get me wrong, being a streamer is a dream come true for me. It's my passion and I'm able to bear all the consequences coming with it to be able to progress. It's all about looking at the positives, you know?"
Ray smiled, nodding along to what he was saying.
"So what I mean is, you should do whatever you want to. Fuck the heavy balls of family or responsibility or whatever and just live your life. That is the only advice I can give you honestly."
The girl couldn't help but chuckle. "Since when are you a philosopher, mister Innit?"
"Hey, I'm being serious!" He replied in an offended tone, which sent Ray into another short laughter fit.
"Sorry, sorry." She exclaimed through chuckles. "But honestly, thank you for this." She continued, getting up into a sitting position.
Tommy followed her, looking at her. "What do you mean?"
"I've never talked about my situation to anyone, but I guess you even managed to make me comfortable around you." She told him, looking him in the eyes with a type of softness and gratefulness in them.
The sudden ticklish sensation kicked in at that moment, and Tommy was forced to look away, damning himself for not even being able to look at her without his body freaking out about it.
"No problem," he cleared his throat, before he decided to quickly divert the conversation. "So... you and BoomerNa...?" Tommy asked cautiously, finally being able to voice yet another question that had been bothering him.
"There's nothing going on." Ray laughed. "Besides nothing can happen either way. I'm a minor."
"Right, right. It's kind of stupid isn't it?"
"Absolutely."
A short time of silence ensued, as the two stared at each other. Tommy admired the ways that the light reflected off of her green eyes, and how her now messed up hair still fell into a nice hairstyle effortlessly. On the other hand, Ray was still thinking about the way he had put himself in between herself and potential danger, admiring his bravery and a weird feeling swelling in her stomach.
"Uhm, so." Tommy began, hastily getting up. "We should probably be getting back. The other's might get worried. And I don't have a phone to call them."
"Oh shit, I turned off mine." Ray exclaimed, subconsciously grabbing Tommy's hand as he helped her get up. The two then stood there, still hand in hand, but Ray didn't seem to notice it as she was more focused on her phone in her other hand.
But eventually, she did kind of notice that Tommy was hesitant about letting go, and upon looking up at him, he instantly let her hand drop. This forced her to pulse her lips together, eyes following him as he awkwardly looked away.
'Okay that was kind of cute.'
She admitted in her head, before looking back down at her phone which didn't seem to want to turn on.
"I think it died." She admitted, before sliding it into her back pocket. Suddenly, she got a good idea and smirked. "Let's go before they think we ran away to announce our secret marriage or something."
The sentence made Tommy's head shoot up, staring at her wide-eyed as the girl began walking away. "W-what? You and I?!? PFF what are you thinking?!" He yelled after her, but the girl simply walked away with a proud smile, Tommy following her shortly.
bro this was so long