➤ ➤ ➤
I awoke to the sound of quiet mumbling, though I hadn't opened my eyes yet. Well, it wasn't necessarily mumbling, more like chatter, just muffled by the obstruction of a wall between me and the source of the sound.
Then, as feeling began to pour into the rest of my body, my sense of scent kicked in, and almost instantly, I was hit with the strong smell of something along the lines of incense and campfire smoke.
Oh, shit, it's Ari.
I opened my eyes and found myself tightly coiled around the Australian Shephard in the same spooning position we had fallen asleep in last night, my muzzle buried deeply within the fur coat of his neck. I felt my body freeze up in fear, fully shaking me out of the unconscious state I was previously in.
He's so warm. And his fur is so soft. He fits so well in my arms.
"Shut up! They're not that bad!" The muffled voice continued, pulling me out of my trance.
I raised my head out of curiosity, parting my face from the safe haven that was Ari's thick coat of fur. As my eyes adjusted to the bright haze of dawning sunlight, peeking through the windows of my room, I saw shadows and silhouettes moving just outside. Once I squinted my eyes and my vision cleared, I could see Eden and Rian, their backs resting against the window away from my bed, hanging out and chattering away on the level platform of the fire escape.
The morning sun was just now peeking over the skyline, climbing the rooftops of buildings and projecting golden beams of light through the windows and on the poster-covered walls of my bedroom. Eden and Rian sat there, quietly taking in the view. It occurred to me that it would be nice to join them.
Carefully, I snuck my arms out from over and under Ari's resting body and retracted them to myself, sitting up in the process, all while keeping a slow, steady pace. I looked down at the sleeping beauty and marveled at how peaceful he looked as he slept.
Yet again, I fell into another trance. Seeing him in this vulnerable, unshielded state was something that took me by surprise. For once, I could witness him through a lens undisturbed by the world around us. Everything about it amazed me. Him in that position, his arms resting by his face, his legs entangled, wearing only his oversized, blood-stained Lesley Gore t-shirt and his thin, scanty briefs. The way his hair fell on the pillow, messy and unorganized. The sound of his breathing, flowing smoothly in and out through his nostrils, making his whiskers ripple. All of it, the whole package, the entire image. He was something else. How could someone so hurt by the world sleep so peacefully?
Rest easy, Arizona.
Cautious not to disturb his well-earned sleep, I crawled over to the second window by my bed and gently raised it, climbing outside. The cold, dewy air hit me like a brick. Summer can't arrive any sooner.
Rian and Eden immediately stopped their talking and turned their heads, watching me as I emerged from the bedroom, planting my feet on the icy metal foundation of the fire escape.
"Oh, look who's up!" said Eden with a smile.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Rian greeted.
It took me a second to find my balance as I rose to my fullest height—this being my first time standing after several hours of pure, blissful, unadulterated sleep. My appearance certainly matched Rian's descriptive nickname, dressed loosely in my pajamas and all (which was just a mere tank top and boxers).
"Morning, guys," I croaked, patting down the terrible case of bedhead I was suffering at the peak of my skull.
"You don't mind us hanging out here, right?" Eden asked, just to make sure.
"You know I don't care," I brushed it off. "How'd you both sleep?"
Judging by the bright energies radiating off of the two of them, they must've had the best rests in the world. I stepped forward and joined the pair, sitting down in front of them as they were. Although it was extremely pretty to be out here at daybreak, I can't imagine they weren't freezing. I could almost see my breath wafting through the air in front of me.
"The floor was very nice, I must say," Eden cracked with sarcasm, nodding her head.
I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah, did wonders for my back, I feel perfectly bent out of shape," she joked, extending her limbs and stretching out her muscles.
"Your couch was wonderful," Rian complimented, earnestly, this time.
"Good to hear."
"You clearly slept well," Eden smirked, her eyebrows bouncing up and down promiscuously as she nodded her head in the direction of my bed and the other body that slept in it.
"Oh, hehe," I chuckled tensely, rubbing the back of my neck.
"You two were snuggled up tight," Rian disclosed. "We had to climb over you both just to get to the window."
"Don't tell me you two did anything while Torrence and I were still in the room," Eden teased, eyeing me precariously.
"No, nah, don't worry. We're not really at that stage, I guess."
"I can't believe you two are at any stage," Rian expressed his disbelief. "Last night was a whole box of surprises."
"I know, right?" Eden agreed, laughing herself silly. "Harley and Levi, too?! Who saw that coming? I mean, I sensed it, but I didn't think it would actually happen. And so soon?"
"I can't believe you're into a guy," Rian scoffed, crossing his arms. "Not that I disapprove. It's, just... Wow. I've known you for so long and you dating a guy was the last thing I ever expected from you. I mean, you were crushing on girls since the day I met you."
I laughed and looked away from the wolf. "I can't blame you, I'm pretty shocked myself."
Eden tilted her head. "Still shocked, huh?"
"Yo, did you ever have a crush on me?" Rian asked, making my ears perk up with surprise. "I'm... not trying to be an asshole, I'm just genuinely curious where this all came from."
"Nah, man, this is new. I never liked any guys before Ari."
"Harv, c'mon, tell us about it!" Eden reached out and smacked me lightly against the leg.
"...What do you want to know?"
"Everything!"
"Well... what is there to know?"
Rian spoke up: "Are you guys officially a couple, or—"
Then Eden chimed in: "Do you guys love each other—?!"
"Woah, woah, okay," I raised my paws, hoping to ease their excitability. I pointed at Eden first. "For the record, no. And to answer Rian's question, we've just gotten into this, whatever this is. We're not using labels. We're just trying things out for now and seeing where it goes."
"Do you expect it to go anywhere?" Eden wondered.
"...I don't know."
Rian then butted in— "Okay, Eden, we're being a little intrusive—"
"I'm sorry, but these are my best friends, so of course, I'm gonna be a little intrusive!" Eden countered Rian's claim, only to turn her attention right back over to me: "How intimate do you guys get?"
Even in the early chill, I began to feel overheated all of a sudden. "What... does that mean—"
"Have you ever gotten past second or third base? Have you even gotten past first?"
"No—I mean, yes, we've kissed before, but, third base, no."
Eden slid in closer, eager to know the details. "What about second base? Do you guys get... you know... touchy?"
"Uhh..."
Just as I was beginning to tense up even more, my jittering nerves were relieved once I heard the sound of the window sliding up as another person entered the scene. But, my nerves returned immediately once I saw who it was.
"Hey, guys," Ari greeted, entering with the blanket to my bed wrapped around his shoulders.
"ARI!" I sprang to my feet, almost losing my balance and tipping over the railing, falling several feet.
"Woah, relax, psycho," Ari chuckled, approaching me and petting my shoulder gently. At once, I could feel myself melt under his feathery touch.
"How'd you sleep?" I asked him, more calm this time.
"Good, yeah," Ari smiled, gazing up into my eyes as he brushed a few messy strands of hair behind his ear. "You?"
I smiled and lowered my voice to a softer volume. "Slept great."
It was almost like Eden and Rian weren't even there.
"That's good," Ari cooed, touching my bare shoulder and fondly rubbing his thumb against it. "What are you three doing out here?"
"Just enjoying the open air," Eden answered his question, reaching out to him with open arms and offering him a hug. "Hey, bestie."
"Hey, babe," Ari responded, dropping to his knees and giving the collie a big, warm hug. "Slept good?"
"You know it," she smirked.
Noticing that the blanket had fallen from his shoulders, I dropped to my knees as well and draped the sheet right back over him like a watchful parent.
"Morning, Ari," Rian spoke up.
"Good morning, Rian. Couch was nice, I take it?"
"Very."
"How was it sleeping in the same room as those other two lovebirds?" Ari joked in referral to the goofball Harley and his little pet fox, Levi.
"Luckily, they passed out the moment they hit the cushions."
"You know..." Eden started her sentence and mischievously paused to create suspense before finishing it. "...I actually think they've had sex before."
"You mean it?!" Ari's jaw dropped. Rian and I looked at one another, our eyes bulging with shock.
"Yeah, apparently they hooked up once and that was how their entire relationship began. At least, that's what Harley was hinting at."
"Wow," Ari scoffed. "I can't imagine Levi not being a virgin. He's so innocent."
"I can't imagine anyone having sex with Harley," Eden laughed, her face scrunching up with disgust as the image infiltrated her mind. "It terrifies me too much."
"Poor Torrence, he had to witness that first hand," Rian recalled, laughing at the fond memory.
"Yikes, I remember that," I shook my head and laughed along with them. "I just can't believe Levi lost his virginity before I did."
"I mean, it's not confirmed, so don't take my word for it," Eden reassured me, "but, if so, wow, Harv. You're the only virgin here."
"Don't remind me."
Rian eyed Ari maliciously before asking: "Ari, are you gonna change that?"
In an instant, Eden swooped in with a swift smack to the back of Rian's head. I erupted into nervous, panicked laughter and looked away from the group with embarrassment, Ari included.
"I dunno," Ari replied nonchalantly, not even fazed. "Depends on if he lets me or not."
"Oh-ho-ho!" Eden cackled boisterously.
With my hands covering my face and my body leaning away from the rest of the group in avoidance, I peeked at Ari through my fingers and coughed up a feeble response: "I'll get back to you on that."
"Oh my god, I just realized I've never seen you two kiss!" Eden burst suddenly, bouncing up and down excitedly like a toddler expecting to be treated to a handful of candy. She was met with an awkward silence, garnering not a single response from anyone in the room.
"...And?" Ari inevitably broke the silence, as he usually does.
"Could you..." Eden touched her fingers together, crafting a naughty idea. "Could you maybe..."
I rolled my eyes. It was up to me to finish her sentence. "...Kiss for you guys?"
"Yes. Please."
"Only if you're comfortable with it," Rian added.
"Oh, you wanna see us kiss, too, Rian?" I challenged the wolf, who surprisingly surrendered.
"I... Hell, I'm interested."
"Nobody here is straight, I swear to God..." Ari mumbled to himself, cracking me up.
"C'mon! C'mon, c'mon! I wanna see it!" Eden begged, grabbing Ari by the arm and shaking him desperately.
Ari then looked over at me, shrugging. I smiled, all red and flustered, returning the shrug; but not in the same mild and collected manner as Ari had done. I could never match his style.
"I mean, why not?" Ari eyed me flirtatiously, igniting that spark inside of me that seemed to go off every time Ari toyed with my feelings.
I turned to Eden. "...What kind of kiss are you looking for?"
"Whatever you guys are comfortable with doing," Rian tried to respond, only for Eden to barge right through with— "A BIG HOT SEXY ONE! Tongue and everything!"
"Edie." Rian had to warn the collie to watch herself.
"I'm fucking excited, okay?!"
Ari turned to me. "Small one or—" he cleared his throat "—big hot sexy one? Your choice."
"U-Uhm..." I stammered nervously, unable to think straight while under the gleam of Ari's watchful eyes. I could almost feel a bead of sweat drip down my forehead, which ran cold immediately in the chilly weather. "...Maybe just a small one for now."
"NOOOOO!" Eden screeched excruciatingly loud, nearly waking up the entire neighborhood. "No fair!"
Rian frantically clasped his paws over Eden's mouth, shutting her up."Jesus, Edie!"
"We'll do one in the middle, how's that?" Ari compromised, quenching Eden's desires.
"Works with me," I complied.
Eden fought Rian off and channeled her behavior, crossing her arms with a grumpy look on her face. "Hmph. Fine."
Ari spun his smiling face over to me, prompting us to perform our promised presentation that Eden so desperately desired. Ari shifted in his seat on the floor, facing me with his entire body. I cleared my throat and held my paw over my muzzle, catching a quick whiff of my breath. Didn't smell too funky, which was a blessing considering that morning canine maws needed quite the brushing in order to smell somewhat pleasant. Thankfully, it would be quick with no mouth stuff.
"C'mere," Ari mumbled under his breath as he reached for me, grabbing ahold of the back of my head and pulling me in. Bracing for impact, I shut my eyes and puckered up, feeling his lips brush up against mine almost instantaneously.
We shared a single kiss; it was short, it was sweet, and there was nothing else to it. Nothing too passionate, but nothing too stale. It was tame and honest. Neither of us wanted to break it off immediately, so we held it for a solid second or two, allowing Eden and Rian to get their money's worth. With a faint smack and a pop from our lips, we ended the kiss and retreated from one another, bashful grins plastered on our doting faces.
I then realized that was the first time Ari and I ever kissed in front of an audience (intentionally, of course). Once the kiss had ended, I found myself feeling quite timid, like a nervous feline or a camera-shy introvert. I was afraid to take my eyes off Ari—I didn't want to see the other two spectators, even though they were two of my closest friends—so I kept my sights still on the canine that had stolen my heart. I even grabbed him by the shoulder and lowered my head, hiding behind his back as Eden began to squeal and applaud loudly.
"Awww! You guys are so fucking cute, come here!"
Eden then pounced on us, yanking me out of my hiding spot and pulling us both into a loving hug, which there seemed to be no shortage of since last night.
"I gotta admit, it does make me a little emotional to see you finally kiss someone, Harvey," Rian chuckled, patting me on the back. "I feel like a proud dad or something."
"Shut up," I mumbled shyly.
"He's new to it, but he's learning the ropes," Ari notified Rian as Eden squeezed harder, her lovesick whining almost morphing into quiet sobs.
"Two of my closest friends, coming together as one, it's like poetry," she continued to howl.
"I think you mean 'it's poetic'," Ari corrected.
"Same difference."
"Not really. But hey," Rian chirped, making eye contact with both Ari and me as Eden released her constricting grip on us, allowing the blood in our veins to circulate again. "I'm happy for you guys. I'm happy for you, Harv. No offense, Ari, but I feel like I've known Harvard forever. It's, just, good to see you happy, man. And... you made a good choice."
Rian nodded his head in Ari's direction, making it clear who he was referring to in that last sentence. Ari squeezed his eyes shut as his smile grew wider, not knowing how to approach the feeling of being appreciated.
"Hey, what time is it?" Rian then asked, looking at the sun as it rose further in the cloudless, pink and orange sky.
"Uhhh..." Eden reached for her phone in her pocket and read the digits on the home screen aloud: "7 AM, why?"
"Levi's officially eighteen," Rian declared. "Should we wake him up?"
"Mm, I wouldn't wanna disturb his birthday sleep," Eden shook her head.
"He'll probably be hungover," I estimated, rubbing my fingertips into my sore eyes. "Same for the other two. We'll give it time. Either way, we're not in any rush. It's just gonna be a chill day today."
"What are we doing again?" Ari wondered, failing to recall today's plan.
"Mall trip," Eden and Rian spoke in unison.
➤ ➤ ➤
"MALL TRIP! MALL TRIP! MALL TRIP!" Harley and Torrence chanted over and over, beating their fists into the roof of Rian's van—which did nothing but aggravate Rian even more.
"Everyone buckled in?" Rian called out over the commotion, peering over his shoulder at Eden and I in the second row of seats behind him, as well as Torrence, Levi, and Harley in the very back, with Ari in the passenger seat. The interior of the van was much more spacious when not having to deal with band equipment.
"FUCK SEATBELTS!" Harley howled, eliciting a jovial 'YEAH!' from Eden.
"No, Harley, just—Fuck it, nevermind. If you wanna fly forward and bust your skull and get a brain injury, fine with me, not my problem..." Rian mumbled to himself, completely giving up on the rascals parading in the back of the van. Ari chuckled quietly in response to his grumbling.
"AND OFF WE GOOO!" Eden yelled excitedly as Rian cranked the gear and put the van in drive, pulling away from the sidewalk and embarking on our little road trip.
We slowly made our way onto the highway and transitioned into a more semi-urban area, spending the remaining minutes left on the ride listening to music playing over the van's AUX system, as well as Harley and Torrence's obnoxious clamor.
"Oh, bitch," Eden cackled once she got her hands on the AUX, hooking it up to her phone. "My turn now, about fuckin' time."
"What are you playin', Edie?" I asked, noticing her delusional, hyperactive state as she searched for the right song to bump over the speakers.
"Only the greatest song of all time," Eden laughed maniacally, tapping on her phone and playing her song of choice. Instantly, the dirty, grunge opening to Eden's favorite song, 'Wake Up' by Arcade Fire, filled the van.
"Oh, boy," Ari rolled his eyes, having had experience with Eden and this song before. From what I remember, it was a song they loved to sing together.
"Awh, yeah!" I smiled, rocking my head to the beat. Rian nodded in approval of her choice.
"NO, I FUCKING HATE THIS SONG!" Harley expressed his disapproval loudly, to which Eden fired back: "SHUT THE FUCK UP, TWINKLE TOES!"
"YOU PLAY THIS SONG ALL THE FUCKING TIME!"
"BECAUSE IT'S THE BEST SONG EVER, CUNTFUCK!"
"Ayo, let her enjoy the song," I objected in Eden's defense.
"It's her favorite song," Torrence added.
Harley did not stand down. "It fucking SUCKS!"
Neither did Eden. "YOU SUCK AND SWALLOW!"
Then, just as the drums kicked in and the strings of a harp rippled and built to a climax, the song catapulted into the main chorus, prompting Eden to jump out of her seat—seatbelt included—and belt the signature triumphant melody of the background choir:
"OHHHHH-OHHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-OHHHHH-OHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-OHHHH-OHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-Ohhh..."
"Eden, seatbelt—" Rian attempted to warn her, but it was too late. The girl was already lost in the music.
She grabbed ahold of the seat in front of her (Rian's) and swung her body and her head back, her hair whipping around and smacking Harley in the face. She then held her fist to her mouth to mimic the holding of an invisible microphone and began to sing, both passionately and theatrically, the beginning verse:
"Something... filled up... my heart... with nothing..." she sang, her body convulsing and maneuvering with fervent emotion and pleasure as if the song itself were a ghost possessing and taking over her body. "Someone... told me not to cryyy..."
"Oh, God, someone stop her," Harley whined.
"Now that... I'm older..." she continued, spinning around and leaning forward, shoving her face into Harley's and violating his personal space. She kept on singing: "...my heart's... colder... and I can... see that it's a liiiieee..."
She then made her body go limp, allowing herself to fall gracefully into my lap just as the chorus returned. I yelped once she'd collapsed, only to laugh as Eden dramatically bent her head back and arched her back, perilously singing out— "OHHHHH-OHHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-OHHHHH-OHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-OHHHH-OHH! OHH-OHH-OHH-OHH-Ohhh..."
Eden rose once again and reached for Rian this time, clamping her paws down on his shoulders and shaking him a little as she screamed: "Children... WAKE UP!"
"Jesus, Eden, I'm trying to drive—!" Rian panicked, struggling to remain focused on the road ahead.
"Hold your... mistake up!" Eden carried on, reaching for Ari this time, grabbing him by the chin and turning his head to face her, dead-on.
Ari, having been in this situation with Eden before, laughed and shook his head before casually joining in. The two of them looked into one another's eyes amorously and leaned in close—so close that their muzzles were literally inches away from kissing—and sang together in harmony: "Before they... turn the summer into dust!"
Eden then slowly dragged her finger down the side of Ari's muzzle, landing her fingertip on his bottom lip before looking at me and winking with a seductive nature. With a heated, reddened face, my eyes darted away instantly. If there was such a thing as bisexual panic, this was definitely it.
"If the children... don't grow up..."
Eden released Ari from her grip, only to craft a destructive new plan. Up until that moment, we were fairly enjoying her performance, until she began climbing over into the front seats. My face shifted from 'entertained' to 'what the fuck' in a matter of seconds.
"Edie, what are you doing?" I asked, my concerned voice being drowned out by the violent nature of her vocals.
"Our bodies get bigger, but our... hearts get torn up!"
"Eden? Eden, stop—" Levi called out to the front.
"Eden, what the fuck—" Ari's mood instantly switched once Eden began to climb over him in the passenger seat, reaching for the button to lower Ari's window.
"Hold onto my legs," Eden whispered to a frightened Ari, who had no idea what to make of her instructions.
"EDEN. WHAT ARE YOU DOING," Rian stormed, his perturbed eyes glancing back and forth from the highway to the radical collie who was seemingly about to end her own life.
"EDEN!" Harley and Torrence called out her name repeatedly, but to no avail. Once the window was all the way down, Eden reached for the volume knob on the front dash and cranked it to the max.
"EDEN, WHAT THE FUCK?!" I shouted, only for all of our voices to be drowned out by the wind blasting through the window and the music exploding out of the speakers.
Eden spun around onto her back, reached her arms out the window, and hooked her paws onto the roof of the car, screaming the lyrics—
"WE'RE JUST A MILLION LITTLE GODS CAUSING RAINSTORMS... TURNING EVERY GOOD THING TO RUUUUUST!"
Eden took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
We all tried to get her attention. We all failed.
Ari, in a last-ditch effort to save her life, followed her instructions and wrapped his arms securely around her legs, holding on for dear life.
Eden opened her mouth and sang along:
"I GUESS WE'LL JUST HAVE TO—"
She then pulled herself forward and lifted the entire front half of her body—head, arms, torso, and all—out of the window, setting herself free, her limbs dancing and frolicking through the air majestically as her hair vigorously wavered about in the wind, all the while screaming her heart out—
"—ADJUST!"
The rest of us watched, shocked, horrified, astounded—and slightly impressed—as Eden dangerously became one with the world, feeling the wind rushing through her fur and her fingertips, blowing through her shirt and exposing her stomach, guiding her through the air as Ari held tight to keep her from falling out of the vehicle.
The music continued and Eden stopped singing. She just listened and proceeded to hang loose, her arms swaying from side to side as the van took her down the precarious road. Thankfully, there were no stop signs or utility poles close enough to the van to decapitate her, but even then, she was playing a risky game. She was playing life, and yet, she seemed so relaxed with it. The way she just existed there, allowing the raging wind to travel through and against the surfaces of her body, the music scoring her perfect moment, giving her the deadliest and most humane experience of a lifetime. She was mere inches away from dying, but she didn't care.
Rian shook his head in pure agitation and focused on the road, slowing down in mileage to hopefully increase her life expectancy. Eden grabbed the edge of the van's roof yet again and pulled herself up, sitting herself down on the car door in the empty space where the glass window would've existed. She took in the view of the world at a heightened level of danger and extremity and laughed. She lifted her fist in the air and screamed joyfully into the wind. Nothing was stopping her from living her life the way she wanted to live it.
Ari tapped her leg, begging her to crawl back inside, which she did.
But one thing's for certain, though: In this band, there was no limit to insanity. Especially when there was music involved.
➤ ➤ ➤
Despite the mild detour on the way there, all seven of us made it to the mall, safe and sound, without a single scratch or decapitated head. With bright eyes, Levi soaked in his surroundings with pure amazement and wonder like a child in a candy store. It was almost like it was his first time ever going to the mall. Actually, considering how strict his parents were, it probably was.
We all stood by the overview map of the mall that hung in one of those poster displays and planned out our day, picking and deciding which stores would be the most interesting to visit. After a few minutes of not-very-focused discussion, we all just settled on making up the plan as we went.
The seven of us made our first round on the first floor, passing by and peering into neighboring stores to see if there was anything that interested us. There were a few clothing stores that Eden wanted to try out, mostly female clothing—but not for the sake of Eden wanting to shop, but instead for the sake of her wanting us guys in the group to try on the feminine dresses in the fitting rooms. Eden never liked big, frilly, poofy dresses anyway, being more into guy-ish clothing. Her "cunt-y lesbian aesthetic"—as described by Eden in her own words—was probably the main reason why she was the only girl in the school that got along with each of us so well.
We hopped from one store to another, changing floors in the process; Ari wanted to check out hipster stores like Hot Topic or Zumiez while Levi was eager to enter the retail outlets that sold Asian-inspired lifestyle goods like Rumi or Miniso. We all pitched in to get Levi all the birthday gifts he wanted, which were really just a bunch of Sanrio merch items like keychains or Rilakkuma plushes. I didn't even know that they sold Hello Kitty or Pusheen the Cat branded drinks until Levi stumbled upon them in the nearby Five Below.
After heavy persuading, Eden had somehow convinced us to go to a Sephora with her so that she could do our makeup with the free samples they provide on the product shelves. All of us ended up opting out the moment she uncapped a stick of red lip gloss. Well, all except for Harley, who happily agreed to let Eden do his eyeliner and douse him in perfume.
Rian and Torrence wanted to check out the GameStop next—which I was surprised to see still existed in today's market economy. All they really did was stare at the new arrivals and watch the small screen on the wall that broadcasted gameplays and highlight reels. They scanned the various shelves of video games and started discussing their thoughts and opinions on different consoles while Levi and Eden gushed over the tiny Pokémon plushies in the bin near the door.
Then, we happened upon a Spencer's, which Harley begged us to enter.
Spencer's was basically an eighteen-plus Hot Topic, so instead of band logos plastered on t-shirts, there was porn and hentai. Ari obsessed over all the merch that bore satanic imagery and found himself drawn to all the chokers and collars. Just as I was beginning to question the products being sold in the store, Harley and Ari guided me to the back, showing me the plentiful supply of... sex-related items.
Basically: dildos, vibrators, BDSM, chains, whips, handcuffs, lingerie, that kinda shit. Levi and I became instantly uneasy, but that didn't stop our "boyfriends" from raving over all the horny sex toys and leather harnesses. Safe to say, we left that store pretty quickly, much to Ari and Harley's dissatisfaction.
Speaking of lingerie, Eden wanted us to visit Victoria's Secret next. That seemed to be the final straw for Rian, Torrence, and Levi, so the three of them decided to grab a smoothie while Eden, Ari, Harley, and I journeyed inside with enthusiastic curiosity. We snooped around and found ourselves giggling at all the flashy, lacey undergarments. Eden picked out a few outfits to try on for us, which she was surprisingly comfortable with. She took a few photos in the changing room mirror and showed them to us after switching back to her everyday clothing, which gained expressive reactions from us.
"Jesus, Edie, you're gonna make me straight," Harley fanned his face.
"Goddamn," Ari covered his mouth with his hand.
"The chest part is so loose on me, though," Eden discussed, pointing at the image on her phone screen. "God, who the fuck has boobs big enough to fit that bra? Ugh, I hate being so flat-chested."
"Your boobs look fine, hon," Ari chuckled, encouraging a stingy Eden.
"Fucking Harvey does chest presses at the gym every day, he probably has bigger boobs than me," Eden grunted, pointing at my chest.
My face went red. "Uhh—"
"Only one way to find out!" Harley grinned devilishly.
I stared at him blankly. "...What?"
"Excuse me?" Harley called out to the closest employee nearby. The young woman picked her head up, stopping in her tracks. "Would you be so kind as to do a bra-size fitting for this lovely gentleman right here?"
"Harley, what the fuck—?!"
The employee cut me off with an amused laugh, agreeing: "I'd love to."
After a few minutes of the woman wrapping a thin line of measuring tape around my chest, she was overjoyed to declare that I was, in fact, a 28AA. Let's just say I was certainly happy to be leaving that store so soon.
Once we'd all had our fill, we then traveled amongst the deserted toddler playdate section, which offered a playground of gumball machines and those little coin-operated kiddie rides. We snapped pictures of Levi as he rode the mechanic-rotating horse while Harley and Rian raced each other on that racing game you'd find in every arcade. Torrence and I attempted to win a prize at an obviously rigged claw machine while Ari and Eden played a game of air hockey.
By then, the majority of us were wiped out from all the activities we'd done in the last hour and a half, so we all decided on hitting up the food court. Rian, Torrence, and Eden got fast food while Harley and Levi went for Mexican. Ari and I ended up sharing a plate of cajun chicken and fried rice. We all sat around each other at the only non-occupied table in the dining pavilion—the mall was packed with customers from head to toe, as it usually was. We chowed down, tried a bite of each other's meals, joked and laughed, talked about school and plans for the band and just life in general, had the occasional food fight (Harley tossed a french fry at Rian's face and that was basically it), and etcetera, etcetera.
With our stomachs full, we ventured towards the nearest exit, sipping on the paper straws of the to-go drinks in our hands, only to be distracted once more by the lone photo booth that stood off to the side, away from the busy shopping center. The six of us counted up the change and dollar bill savings we had left over and scraped together just enough for a group photo. Somehow, we were all able to fit inside the tiny booth—not without struggle, of course. We smiled, made weird faces, laughed, and posed, all for the camera as it clicked and flashed, capturing us in our most candid appearances. We got back only three copies of the same four-picture strip, so we discussed who would get one and who wouldn't. Levi got one because, of course, it was his birthday; Rian and Eden shared one by ripping it down the middle, both of them getting at least two pictures; and Harley got the last one since Ari and I offered.
In fact, as the others walked off to gush over their pictures, I turned to Ari and suggested we get a strip of our own.
"Do you have enough money?" Ari raised an eyebrow.
I held my phone up and showed him my credit card app as a response. He laughed and nodded, accepting my offer.
The two of us sat in the photo booth and pressed the start button on the screen. Neither Ari nor I had planned in advance what poses or looks we'd do for the pictures, so we both panicked the moment the timer began to tick down for the first photo.
"What do you want to do?" Ari laughed hurriedly once the timer got to three.
"Uhh—fuck! I don't know!" The timer reached two.
"Uh—shit—um—" Then one.
"Smile!"
We both smiled awkwardly. The camera snapped.
"Okay, okay—um, now what?" Ari fretted.
I went with whatever came off the top of my head. "Funny face!"
I opened my mouth wide and squeezed my eyes shut, pretending to scream. Ari stuck his tongue out, tilted his head, and winked at the camera.
Three, two, one, snap.
"Okay, uhm—" I stammered once the timer for the third picture counted down.
I turned my head and stared Ari in the eyes intensely. Ari, laughing at my ridiculous expression, turned his head like I had done, mirroring me. Our eyes and the tips of our snouts aligned, coming face-to-face. We both stared heavily with widened eyes, struggling to hold back our laughter as the timer ticked down, snapping the second to last photo.
Once the timer for the final photo began, Ari and I didn't move.
"...Do you wanna kiss?" Ari suggested.
I could feel the muscles in my face contract. "...I dunno, do you?"
"Fuck—I dunno, whatever you want—"
Five.
"I dunno! Are you okay with that—?"
Four.
"Yeah, of course, I'm okay with it, we kiss all the time—"
Three.
"This would be our first time on camera—!"
Two.
"Oh, who the fuck cares?"
One.
"You're right, who the fuck cares—"
Ari barely let me finish my sentence as he grabbed me by the sides of my face and smashed his lips against mine, just as the flash went off.
Outside of the booth, we both examined the three different strips once they had dropped from the printing dispenser. Ari and I smiled and chuckled lightly, seeing the visible panic and sheer awkwardness on our faces in every photo.
"This is so stupid," Ari laughed, swooning over it. "I love it."
I picked my head up and looked at Ari, finding comfort in his delighted expression. His smile was pure gold. Sure, his signature lip smirk was cute and all, but something about being able to actually see his white, fanged teeth form into an upward-curved-like fixture all along his muzzle was quite the sight for sore eyes. I loved looking at him, being next to him, even in broad daylight. Even in public.
"I like us," I said, unable to take my eyes off him.
"Oh?" Ari laughed, looking up at me now instead of the pictures.
"I like the way I feel when I'm around you."
"This is nothing you haven't said before."
"Yeah..." I exhaled, scratching the back of my neck. "But, it's the truth, and whenever I'm with you, all I want to do is say it. Over and over. Until everyone knows. Until the whole world knows."
I looked over my shoulder and glanced back at our friends behind us, who hung around in the little seating area with chairs and couches, existing as a family; talking, joking, laughing, smiling, and all the rest. I refocused my attention back on Ari.
"...I like you, and I want everyone to..." I paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I feel so good when I'm with you that I... feel... unafraid. And I don't want to hide it anymore."
"What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying is..." I closed my eyes and searched for the right words. "If it's okay with you... I don't mind this not being a secret anymore, you know... and stuff..."
Ari leaned his head in closer, the edges of his mouth pointing upward to the sky. "...And stuff?"
I could feel my face going red. "...I wouldn't mind if people saw us..."
"What kind of people?"
"Anyone..." I clasped my paws together and rotated nervously back and forth on the balls of my feet. "Like, the school, I guess, I dunno..."
"You guess? You don't know?"
"Stop that..." I chuckled shyly.
"Stop what?"
"Repeating what I'm saying, but, like, with a question!"
"...With a question?"
I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Stoooop! Ari!"
Ari giggled and stood up on the tips of his toes, laying down a gentle kiss on the side of my muzzle. "I don't mind it, either, Harv."
"You're fine with people knowing?"
"I don't care about them," he stated, lowering back down to his normal height.
"I want them to see. I want to be seen with you."
"Whatever you want, Harvey."
"What about what you want?"
"I want what you want."
"Well..." I blushed, staring at Ari's now vacant hand with the photo strips shoved into his back pocket. "I guess, right now... I wanna hold hands..? While we're hanging out with the others..?"
And so Ari made my wish his command. He reached for my paw and held it tightly before pulling me along to reunite with the rest of our friends. "Let's go join them, then."
I smiled happily as Ari and I strolled, hand-in-hand, over to our friends by the seating section, who seemed to be preoccupied with something on Eden's phone. They were all gathered around her, staring at her phone screen from her every side.
"What's going on?" I called out to them.
"Our Instagram page," Eden stated.
"We're getting followers," Torrence elaborated. "People who saw the show yesterday are liking our posts and sending us messages and shit. Other band pages are following us, too."
"Really?" Ari questioned, the two of us going around back and joining the huddle, staring at the phone screen from over Eden's shoulder—our interlocked paws never parting.
"Woah," I marveled, noticing all the traction our page was getting. Just yesterday, it was as dead as a skunk on the side of a highway. "People must've really liked our set last night."
"See, I told y'all!" Torrence hopped up out of his seat with excitement. "This is how we get in!"
"I mean, we just have a few more fans now, we didn't really get in anywhere," Rian broke it to him quick, grounding his imaginative mindset.
"Yeah, but think about it," Torrence held his pointer fingers up, establishing leadership. "More commotion, our name gets passed around, we get known, local producers become interested—boom. Record deal. Promos. Ads. Music videos. Concerts. Next thing you know, our faces are on the Spotify 'New Music Daily' billboard in Times Square! That's how it works! Right, Lev?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess—"
"Yeah, see, Levi agrees!"
"Hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Rian put a halt to Torrence's dream train, holding his paw out to tame the flame. "I want that, yes, but it's not like some music producer is gonna come up to us tomorrow and sign us. It can take a band years to get known. All we have to do is keep cracking down on this EP, okay? It's gonna be a long and hard uphill trek to get to where we want to be, and that only works if we all put in the time, the effort, the care, the attention... the loyalty, the cooperation, the honesty—"
I could see the guilt on Ari's face, clear as day. He still hadn't told them about his dilemma yet.
"—Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know all that," Harley interrupted.
"What—You're not even in the band anymore?" Rian deflected.
"I can still pretend I am!"
I squeezed Ari's hand tight, hoping it would soothe his doubtful state of mind.
"Look, regardless of how long it takes," Eden said, rising to her feet and joining Torrence on the fake stage in front of us, "I believe in us. We trust one another. We're a family, right? Remember what we promised?"
I noticed Ari was now staring at the floor. I discreetly wrapped my arm around his waist.
"We can do this. We just gotta finish this EP, finish high school, make money, and... just, have fun. What's the point of being in this band if we're not having fun?"
We all nodded our heads. Eden then turned to Torrence, who stood right beside her.
"We're gonna get in. We will. I know we will."
Torrence smiled lightly and nodded as well.
Eden spun back around and faced the six of us, equally.
"I love you guys. I love this band. No matter what happens, we've already made it."
I could feel Ari's head rest gently against my shoulder.
"Alright..." Eden clapped her paws and rubbed them together. "...Who wants ice cream?"
"ME!" Levi yelped, his paw skyrocketing into the air.