**Ryder's POV**
Laura joined us in the kitchen, saving me from standing like an idiot in the doorway watching Ben, Mike, Will, and Kristolyn. Ben was watching something on his phone, Mike and Will were yelling at the oven, and Kristolyn was watching them with an amused look on her face.
"Hey, idiots," Laura called their attention.
All four looked up and noticed me. There was a chorus of 'Hey's and 'Look who's awake's and 'good morning's.
"Morning," I mumbled my reply and backed myself against the wall, a nervous habit I'd developed over the years.
"What can I get you for breakfast, Ryder?" Laura asked, "Move, Ben."
"Shh!" he answered, waving his hand at her, almost swatting her away. Then I hear a long high note and instantly recognize it.
"Is that Defying Gravity?" I asked.
Ben looked up, "You know Wicked?"
"Well, yeah," I shrug, still pressed against the wall, "I know Wicked."
"Get over here, kiddo," Ben beckoned me over. I slowly accepted the motion and stood beside him against Laura's counter and he moved his phone so I could see.
The opening scene of Act 2 of Wicked with the OBC.
"You watch bootlegs?" I asked him.
Ben looked down and smiled. He opened his mouth to say something, but Will beats him to it.
"No one watches more Wicked bootlegs than Ben Platt."
Ben threw an orange at him and I slid to the floor as Will threw something back. Laura and Mike quickly shut it all down and Ben helped me to my feet.
"What's the plan, Laura?" Kristolyn asked once the kitchen had quieted down, but Ben and I weren't paying attention. Wicked was still playing on Ben's phone and we were both focused on that.
"Three... Two... One..." Laura said.
"Break!" everyone clapped and moved off in different directions and I finally looked up as Ben paused Wicked.
"What just happened?" I whispered to him.
"No clue," he slipped his phone into his back pocket as Mike came back into the kitchen.
"Laura's on a group with Kristolyn and Ryder and Ben, Will, and I are in a group," he told us softly.
"What are the groups doing?" I licked my lips.
Ben and Mike exchanged a grin before Ben says, "You'll see."
It's never a good thing when foster parents and their friends say 'You'll see' and every part of me wanted to run to a window and flee down the fire escape, but a small voice in the back of my head says to trust them. I rarely listen to the voice in the back of my head, though, and somehow today I did.
For some strange reason, I allowed Laura and Kristolyn to take me through the city to a local mall, which makes me freeze.
"No," I shook my head, "I don't like shopping."
"It'll be fun - promise," Laura grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me in step beside her and Kristolyn.
I hate to admit it, but I did have fun. I refused to let them spend money on clothes for me because I am perfectly happy with my wardrobe now, but Laura didn't hesitate to tell me that sooner or later we would go clothes shopping. Then, we found a store that was filled to the brim with sci-fi and fantasy memorabilia and trinkets. Toys and buttons and shirts and socks and other random stuff themed on movies like The Matrix, Star Wars, Men In Black, Terminator, Transformers, Jurassic Park, and all sorts of others that fit the genre.
Instantly, I went to the Matrix section. I've seen the Matrix movies enough times to be able to recite almost every single word from memory. I know that my interests are a weird combination of musicals and sci-fi amongst others but to each their own.
"Do you like the Matrix?" Kristolyn asked, joining me as I picked through the shelves.
"Very much so," I replied.
I jumped as Laura placed her hands on my shoulders, "That's what we're going to call you," she said, "Your new nickname is Matrix."
I hadn't had a nickname since my parents died. Well, except if you count a number of my foster parents calling me some version of "Devil Child".
"Ooh!" Kristolyn's eyes widened, "Yeah, and 'Trix' for short."
"Isn't the point of a nickname is that it's shorter than the real name?" I raised my eyebrows.
Laura grinned at me and shrugged, "Case by case dependant," she said.
I used some of the pocket money I had from playing guitar in Times Square to buy a Matrix themed bracelet, again refusing to let Laura and Kristolyn spend money on me if I could afford it, keeping it in mind that I had to be stingy because I had maybe a total of fifty bucks saved up across the years.
We got lunch, Laura and Kristolyn signed a few autographs, and finally, we all piled into Laura's car and drove back to her apartment. We took mostly backstreets and went through residential areas, but it's New York so traffic was still heavy. Around half an hour later, Laura unlocked the door and let us in. Mike, Will, and Ben were sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching something I didn't recognize on the TV.
As if she read my mind, Kristolyn asked them, "What're you watching?"
"Nothing," Mike clicked off the TV.
"Was that The Great British Baking Show?" Laura dropped some bags onto the dining table.
"No!" All three shouted.
I stood against the wall, out of the way, as Laura replied with a lighthearted, "Liars."
Happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month! To celebrate, I am going to try and publish a chapter a day over the next week.
On a more somber note, we must also remember George Floyd and everyone who's lost their lives to similar circumstances. What happened the other day at Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, is an abuse of power in my opinion and the world doesn't need more hate. I hope that we're all able to see the truth about what is going on and that we need to stand together if we're going to change anything. Pride Month, to me, is all about building each other up and making each other stronger. Right now, the message of 'Love Not Hate' is more important than ever.
As always, take care of yourself and those around you.
- Spaceheater1