A/N: Um, what? Haha, hey guys! So, basically this is a kind of a one-shot that pertains to my main AU story; Soul before he came to Shibusen. I just thought this would be a fun thing to write... So, yeah, thanks for reading! (And sorry if this backstory kinda sucks :P)
(Soul, August before Sophomore Year of High School...)
Cracks of bright, summer sun spilled through the abundant green leaves of the tall birch trees bordering the murky river, leaving patches of light gleaming on the water's surface.
The sound of birds and rushing water sounded loudly as the heavy scent of damp earth and weed wafted through the greenery.
"That's such a shit idea, Harvar" Soul laughed as he leaned against the railing, staring at the faded rainbow boards of the bridge that were painted long ago in the 70's.
The other boy, Harvar, stood opposite of him wearing black, knock-off Ray Ban sunglasses and a faded leather jacket as he laughed away.
"C'mon, you act like you've never done this before," Harvar said as sunlight bounced off the lenses of his glasses, "Besides, you're grandparents won't even be home."
Soul smirked and shook his head.
"True, but Wes is visiting," he began, "you know how over-protective he is."
"Aw," Harvar teased in a baby voice, "is Soul afraid to get busted by his big, bad brother?"
Soul laughed.
"Yeah, he might slam me over the head with his violin or his ego," he joked "I don't know which is bigger."
Harvar pulled a lighter and a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket.
"So," he began, "I'll meet you at your corner around nine tonight?" he asked, offering a lit cigarette to Soul.
Soul watched the cigarette tentatively as he took it in his hand being as he never smoked one in the past in fear of his family smelling the scent of smoke on him.
"Yeah, I'll be there," he said, taking a puff and failing to hold in a few coughs.
Harvar chuckled, and smacked Soul on the back a few times.
"Then it's settled," he said, "Soul's ready to put on his big boy pants."
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He was a big boy, at least that's what he wanted to believe, wishing he didn't have to handle the weight of his family's reputation on his shoulders.
"Soul, that's absolutely disgusting," Wes called out, peering over the newspaper he held in his hand.
A sleek, black violin case rested on the barstool next to him, leaning gingerly against the kitchen island.
Soul, milk carton in hand, took a large chug with an uncaring gaze.
"What's it to you?" he asked before wiping his mouth with his sweater sleeve, "You're lactose intolerant, anyway."
"That's not the point," Wes said, waving a finger, "You can't just continue on being such a slob, have some care."
Soul scoffed, peering into the refrigerator and enjoying the chilly air it emitted.
"Do you even listen to the things I tell you?" Wes said, "Oh wait, you don't care."
Soul slammed the door shut and groaned.
"I don't need a whole lecture on how to drink my fluids by my older brother," he said annoyed, "Quit trying to be my parent."
"You're in real need of one since Mom died," Wes said before noticing the way Soul flinched at the word 'mom'.
"Soul," he began, "I didn't mean to bring that up-"
Soul stormed out of the kitchen as the screech of Wes's chair sliding against the marble tile sounded, followed by the taps of Wes's expensive shoes against the varnished, hardwood floor.
"You know, you're a real prick Wes!" Soul said, standing outside his bedroom door, "You think you know everything about everything because you're so rich and shit, but you really don't!"
"I'm just trying to help, Soul!" Wes shouted back.
"I care about you," he said, "And don't act like I'm some idiot who doesn't realize all the sneaking out and the scent of liquor, I know what you're doing Soul!"
"You don't know anything!" Soul yelled, shocked at how observant his brother was when he visited.
"Yes, I do!" Wes shouted.
"And it's all my fault, after mom died, I shouldn't have moved away," he began, "I should have stayed with you, made sure you wouldn't start acting out…"
"This is not about mom," Soul said fiercely, gripping the doorknob of his room.
"It's about you, always thinking you're bigger than what you are, that you're just a gift to us all!"
"Soul, I want you to let me help you, please, I was a teenager once too, you know," Wes said with a sorry look on his face, "Let's just forget about the milk carton and all this shit and talk, okay?"
Soul shot him a cold stare before opening his room door and then locking himself inside, praying his brother wouldn't start pounding on the door.
He didn't.
Soul laid out on his unmade bed, hands under his head as music began to flow from a large, expensive stereo that sat against his black-painted walls.
"...Well, I had a million dollars but I, I'd spend it all.
If I could find that Heina, and that Sancho that she's found.
Well, I'd pop a cap in Sancho and I'd slap her down…."
The gentle sound of a violin began to play from nearby, causing Soul to crinkle his nose in annoyance.
He was cautious, at first, with the whole sneaking out and being cool kind of thing. However, he soon learned a few blocks down his street and into the city proved he could easily blend in with the urban kids, hiding the fact he was just a rich snob from a highly-esteemed family.
Soul stood up abruptly and walked over to his stereo, cranking up the music to max, nearly making the walls shake and almost completely drowning out the sound of his older brother's annoyance.
"My soul will have to wait till I get back, to find a Heina of my own.
Daddy's gonna love one and all…"
"Soul!" Wes called out from the top of his lungs from down the hall, "Quit playing your music at such an unreasonable level!"
"Unreasonable," Soul thought, plopping back down on his bed, not bothering to lower the music at his brother's request.
"...I feel the break, feel the break, feel the break and I gotta live it up.
Oh, yeah, uh huh.
Well, I swear that I…"
That's what his whole idea of worrying about getting caught was.
Unreasonable.
Whether or not he snuck out all night and came home with such a dreadful hangover was unnoticed by his grandparents as they always were busying themselves with social events and such.
But Wes, Wes couldn't get his head out of Soul's ass.
He was way too concerned about the future and thought Soul should be too; you know, so Soul could plan for a successful future.
However, if that meant your future would turn into nothing but drab crowds and uncomfortable suits, then he can pass.
Soul just wanted to blend in with the crowd, fit in, be cool.
Live a little.
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Soul's phone buzzed in his pocket as he sat in the passenger seat of Harvar's dented-up car, watching the city lights blur into blobs of neon green and violet against the dark of night.
A swirl of anxiety that he couldn't push down swelled inside him with each minute adding a new worry to his list of ways in which he was going to get embarrassed by Wes (or be found out as an overprivileged boy playing lower-class punk rebel).
"That's Ren?" Harvar called out over the rushing wind billowing in from the open windows, one hand on the wheel and a cigarette stuck between his lips.
Soul nodded with a smirk, tapping at his phone screen, hoping Harvar, the only person who knew Soul was loaded with cash, wouldn't make any jokes about the amount of money Soul's phone may cost or the worth of the expensive cologne he dabbed on before leaving.
"Looks like someone's excited," Harvar teased, flicking the cigarette out of the window and turning the car into a less populated area of the city where tall, skinny homes lined the narrow streets.
Soul chuckled and glanced over at Harvar, who was focused on not crashing into the cars that lined the already narrow street, once again wearing his hard-earned leather jacket that he seemingly never took off.
Soul really didn't understand something.
Here was Harvar, a high school junior who certainly wasn't half-bad looking and had the world's grandest charismatic charm, a car, and one hell of a smile, but was never seen once with a girl, or even showing any need for one.
Soul shrugged this off as the bright shade of violet lights being emitted from a nearby building came into view along with the sounds of loud music and cheering.
"Here's the place," Harvar said, squeezing the car into a near-impossible spot.
Harvar reached behind him and pulled his guitar case from the back seat after pulling the key out of the emission and plopping him into his pocket.
"I wish you'd bring your guitar," Harvar murmured, "We could've played like in the old days, when your brother came to my middle school to teach music for charity."
"Maybe next time," Soul said, tapping his fingers against the dashboard as he waited impatiently for Harvar to strap on the guitar case.
"All right," Harvar said finally, "Let's rumble."
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"...So if you're lonely
You know I'm here waiting for you…"
Harvar sat on a dingy, faded red sofa as he strummed away on his guitar as people preoccupied themselves with booze and neck-sucking.
"He's really good, isn't he?" a voice asked, appearing from the nearby doorway.
"Oh, hey Ren," Soul murmured, mesmerized by the way Harvar played effortlessly, letting the music blend and flow through the environment.
Ren giggled, running her fingers through her short, deep-purple hair.
"You know, it would be nice if you played for once…"
"...And if you leave here
You leave me broken, shattered, I lie…"
Soul chuckled and tore his gaze from Harvard, locking eyes with Ren's impossibly light brown pupils. "How's your sister?" he asked, wanting to switch from the subject of him and his music.
"Probably at work if she woke up without too bad of a hangover," Ren said, as Soul imagined the sight of her Ren's older sister skipping around some bar in a too-tight swimsuit top and cat ears.
Ren elbowed him in the shoulders. "I know what you're thinking about, perv!" she teased, causing Soul to splash some of his drink as he chuckled.
"All men just want to fuck her and she lets them. She has no self-control."
"Ah," Soul began, massaging the part of his chest that met Ren's boney elbow, "At least your siblings aren't overcontrolling freaks."
"...I say don't you know
You say you don't know
I say... take me out…!"
Ren laughed. "I didn't know you had siblings," she said. "I don't really know anything about you as it is…"
"Maybe I like keeping people guessing," Soul joked with a massive smirk.
"How mysterious," Ren teased as a large group of teenage boys hurled into the living room, carrying paper bags of alcohol and bringing in the scent of sweat and smoke.
"There's your military saint," Soul teased, motioning towards the muscular High School senior with short blonde hair, donning a fake gold cross against his grease-stained white tank top. That was the mayor's son, Justin Law.
"That's my man, Justin!" Harvar out called out as Justin held up grocery bags of booze.
It surprised Soul how Harvar literally got along with everyone, even though Soul knew Harvar always talked a lot of crap about people to him. Soul wondered if he talked crap about him to other people.
Soul shook his head as Ren tugged on his sleeve.
"Let's get away for a little bit," she said, "I'm not in the mood to deal with his drunk-ass."
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Soul sat perched on a chipped, painted dresser in a bedroom as Ren sat on the bed which was bare except a threadbare blanket with a suspicious smell that sat crumpled near the baseboard.
"Your boyfriend will kill me if he finds me in here with you," Soul said, counting the number of water stains on the room's ceiling, "especially if he's hammered."
"I can't stand him sometimes, you know," Ren said suddenly, picking at her septum piercing as she eyed Soul carefully.
Soul laughed. "I'm actually really glad you said that," he said, "Because I'm sure we all think that."
Ren shook her head, ceasing to pick at her piercing and instead crossing her arms and shivering as if it were cold, even though it was still a solid eighty degrees outside.
"I know you all think he's a douche and shit, but there's a real person behind that," she began,
"People can be twisted and mean, but I'm pretty sure we're all hurting on the inside. We're just doing whatever we can to stop ourselves from falling apart, even if that means harming other people."
"That's deep," Soul said, staring intensely into her eyes, "What's this all about?"
Ren leaned back on her arms and took a deep breath, causing her nose to crinkle in a way in which a small smile escaped onto Soul's face despite the serious act she was putting on.
"You can't tell anyone," she said, staring up at the ceiling, "because it's not too big of a deal, I mean, it's not anything I can't handle."
Soul raised an eyebrow. "I'm a cool guy, I don't spread gossip or shit."
Ren nodded.
"He beat me the other day, really bad because he wanted me to sleep with him even though he couldn't afford to go out and buy a pack of condoms because he wasted the last of his money on booze."
Soul's eyes lit up. "Ren, are you seriou? I thought this guy was a douche, but he's a fucking animal!"
"Soul," she shouted, standing up, "It was a one time thing, okay? It's my fault, I shouldn't have pushed him off the edge like that."
"You can't say anything, or his dad will beat the crap out of him or throw him out on the streets!"
"Maybe that's what he deserves!" Soul said fiercely, looking carefully at Ren's face but seeing no traces of any bruising or cuts.
"Please, Soul," she said softly, squeezing his arm,
"You're so young," she said, despite the age difference being of only two years, "I wanted to tell you because you're, distant…"
"Distant?" Soul chuckled even though his lips were still frowning from this whole situation.
"No, it's more like, you're yourself even though no one knows what 'yourself' really is because you don't pride around what you have like everyone else," Ren said, "You just seem like a really chill guy, and besides Harvar, I think you're someone I really trust."
"Just because of how I act?" Soul questioned.
"Mhm, and it's not like I just met you yesterday," she said, causing Soul to grin a bit wider in memories of junior high days where they would sip slushies under the bleachers of the football, playing truth-or-dare and desperately wishing he would be dared to kiss her, leaving their lips purple as he always chose red slushes and she chose blue.
"Alright," Soul said with a frown, trying to think about what Harvard would do in this situation which would probably be cursing about it for a few moments and then following up with a cigarette.
"But if this get's any worse, or if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here."
Ren nodded, causing a strand of hair to come untucked from behind her ears, falling onto her nose that was crinkled into a smile. "Thanks, Soul."
Soul pushed the strand back behind her ear. "What can I say," he chuckled, "I'm a cool guy."
"Guys! There's a bit of an issue!" Harvar said, bursting into the room as the sound of blaring sirens rattled the building, leaving the colors of red and blue gleaming from the bedroom window.
"Shit, what's going on?" Soul asked.
Harvar through his faded leather jacket over Soul's shoulders and shoved the guitar case in his hands.
"Don't worry, we hid all the booze, it's just a cop and his buddy," Harvar said quickly, "I just need you to make sure this stuff stays safe just in case."
Harvar motioned for them to follow, which they did, leading them to a backdoor that lead into the narrow, garbage filled alleyway.
"Take a walk," Harvar said as Soul and Ren stepped out, "If the cops are still here when you're back, keep on going and don't come back," he said.
"Don't want anything happening to my freshie and Justin's girl," he laughed, playfully punching Soul in the shoulder before closing the screen door and disappearing inside the building.
Soul and Ren stepped onto the cracked, oil-stained cement of the alleyway and breathed in the scent of trash, causing Ren's nose to crinkle up all over again.
"Well," she began, "guess it's just me, you, and the racoons."
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The deserted, run-down park smelled heavily of damp mulch and rust.
A single streetlight mounted nearby the paint-chipped jungle gym gave the area a faint, orange glow, illuminating the skinny trees that served as the park's borders.
Ren sat on a rusted chain swing, not daring to swing to high because the thing honestly looked like it was ready to collapse, and emitted a sharp squeak with every move she made.
"Nice night out," Soul said, donning Havar's faded leather jacket and guitar case.
"Would be better if we could see the stars," Ren murmured, focusing on the moon as it hovered above them.
"Not out here with all the city lights blocking them out," Soul remarked, leaning against the swing-set pole.
"Maybe somewhere like Michigan," he said, "Way north by the lakes, thousands of them just sparkling by the water."
Ren nodded. "That sounds like a dream, to get out of this city…"
Soul raised a brow.
"I thought you loved the city?" he asked.
"I do," she said, "Because, you know, it's home, but it'd be nice to have a fresh start somewhere, be able to just... ah, I can't explain."
"No, I understand," Soul said sincerely, "Maybe one day we can ride up there to Michigan together, just to see how it is…"
Ren laughed, causing the swing set to shake and let out a sharp squeak.
"You don't even have your license yet," she said, "You gonna take me on your bicycle?"
Soul chuckled.
"On a motorcycle," he said, "wouldn't that be cool?"
"Where are you gonna find the money for a motorcycle?" Ren teased, "I can call up Blair to see if their hiring at the bar?"
Soul laughed and shook his head, gazing up at the sky once more, focusing on the flashing lights of an airplane making it's way across the dark sky.
"There's your star," Soul said, motioning towards the plane.
"Make a wish."
Ren giggled and closed her eyes, concentrating so hard her nose crinkled once again.
Her eyes snapped open, so light and catlike they could have been glowing.
"Well?" she said, eyeing Soul.
"Well what?" he scoffed with a side smirk.
"Are you gonna make my wish come true?" she asked, now wearing a smirk of her own.
"Huh?" Soul asked, furrowing his brows.
Ren laughed.
"The guitar," she began, "I wish you'd play me a song."
"Really?" Soul said, shaking his head with a smile. "I heard if you say your wishes aloud, they don't come true..." he teased.
"C'mon, Harvar says you're really good," she pleaded, standing abruptly with a laugh, "Something simple; I just want to hear you play tonight."
"Fine," Soul said, finally giving in and taking a seat in the nearby metal bench that sat under the light.
"Something simple," he murmured, pulling Harvar's guitar out of the case as Ren took a seat next to him.
"Alright, this your free ticket," Soul said, holding the guitar, "To make you feel better, but just this once."
"Well, I guess I'll make it a moment I'll never forget," she giggled.
Soul smirked, and held the guitar steady in his hands as the sound of airplane dissipated, probably flying off to Michigan, Nevada, Italy, or who-knows-where, but hopefully to somewhere where the people inside want to be, to a place where the stars shine bright and everything isn't too bittersweet.
"...Today is gonna be the day
That they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now…"
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"Where the fuck have you two been?" a voice shouted, mixing in with the sound of a car engine as Soul and Ren were making their way back to the party that was hopefully devoid of any cops.
Soul's head whipped around to see a very pissed off Justin speeding down the street before abruptly stopping his car and charging out towards Soul as a load of intoxicated teenage guys sat cramped inside, cheering him on and holding in vomit from taking too many shots.
*BAM!*
Soul fell backwards onto the sidewalk, having his fall being caught by the guitar case on his back.
He held a hand up to his nose as a thin stream of blood began to trickle out.
"What the hell was that for?" Soul asked, stirring up all the confidence he could muster despite the fact this guy was two times his size, and the girl of his dreams was standing right next to him.
Justin wandered over to Ren with a sly smile, ignoring Soul completely.
"Babe," he said sweetly, staring at her intently with his eyes that have reddened from all the drinking, "What were you doing hanging out with this little punk freshman?"
"Just hanging out at the park," Ren answered, "we were just waiting for the cops to leave so we could come back, and I-"
"LIAR!" he shouted, raising a hand to slap her but curling it into a fist that he shoved into his pocket.
"Babe," he began with a smile, "Get in the car."
Ren stood hesitantly for a moment, her facial features unseen by Soul as he sat on the ground behind her, wishing he beefed up a bit more so he could beat the shit out Justin.
"Alright," she finally said before walking into the car with Justin, not turning around to help Soul up or even say goodbye.
"By the way," Justin said as he slipped into the driver's seat, "Tell your friend Harvar we say thanks for him taking the fall with the whole alcohol and police thing, he's a true bro. Hope they don't lock him up for to long," he laughed before hitting the gas and speeding into the starless night, taking Ren away and leaving him alone on the sidewalk.
Soul stood up slowly, feeling defeated as his bloody nose finally ceased.
He felt in the pockets of Harvar's leather jacket for his phone, but accidently pulled out a pack of cigarettes instead.
So, there Soul was, wandering the streets of the city, smoking a cigarette in Harvar's leather jacket with a guitar case strapped around his shoulder, cussing away silently to himself.
He wasn't sure if he needed to cry (even though cool guys didn't cry), scream, or potentially vomit, but at least he could enjoy some silence.
Or so he thought.
Soul froze on the sidewalk, lit cigarette in hand, as a black Mercedes Benz pulled up next to him.
"Get the hell in," Wes said, sitting in the driver's seat in a pair of silk pajamas, "and hand me one of those cigarettes."
A few days later….
Soul sat, hunched over the counter as he stared uninterested into a cup of black coffee.
"This is in no way a young man should act!" his grandmother yelled, slamming her palm down on the kitchen counter.
"Your grandmother is right, Soul," his grandfather said, standing a few paces behind his grandma, "If you were living with my father, you would've gotten the belt."
"I get, I get!" Soul said, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"I fucked up, okay? No one really knows I was there, no one knew who I really was!" he said fiercely, "I'm a teenager, we do dumb stuff and have messy rooms and drink straight from the carton!"
Wes scoffed and shook his head before taking a sip of his own cup of coffee, focusing on Soul with his deep, maroon eyes.
"I understand we make mistakes, but those mistakes need to be corrected," his grandmother said.
"Alright, so you're gonna take away my radio? My motorcycle? Go ahead!" Soul shouted, crossing his arms.
"Oh, If you're mother could see you know," his grandfather said coldly, causing Soul's angry demeanor to shrivel up.
"You are acting like such a spoiled brat. Grow up. Be a man," his grandfather said.
"I'm sorry," Soul said dejected after a few moments of silence, staring at his feet, "I promise it won't happen again, I swear I'll, I'll be better. I can prove it to you guys."
His grandmother let out a deep sigh.
"You're not staying with us anymore, Soul," his grandmother said finally, pursing her rouge stained lips.
"What?" Soul said shocked, looking into Wes's eyes, hoping for some kind of explanation.
"It's best for you," his grandfather said, "We have so much going on, it's obvious we just can't keep up with this new behavior of yours. It's best we send you elsewhere."
"You can't just kick me out!" Soul said loudly, thinking about leaving behind his nights of hanging out with Harvar in the woods, laughing away with Ren who worked part-time at Seven-Eleven, letting Soul get slushies for half-off, playing pranks on the stuck-up brats that attended his school.
"You'll be leaving for Death City in a week," she said, pulling out a ticket and a brochure from her cardigan pocket and resting it on the counter.
"Shibusen," she began, "Is one of the most elite and expensive boarding schools in the country. Maybe they'll discipline you a bit better there."
Soul crinkled his nose in anger, staring at Wes and hoping he'd butt in and say something in objection to his grandparents.
But of course Wes wouldn't, he would never go against the order of the grandparents.
He was always on their side.
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It had been two days when a small, yellowed envelope with the name "Soul" scrawled on the front appeared in the mailbox.
He sat in his room, envelope in hand, grateful his grandparents hadn't already pried it open and gone through his personal business.
In the past five days, nothing has happened that linked Soul to the whole party situation, and since Soul's grandparents put him on house arrest, he couldn't exactly go meet up with his other friends to find out the whole story.
Even Wes decided to stay an extra few days before flying home to make sure Soul wouldn't attempt to run-away or something.
He split the envelope open and pulled out a fresh piece of loose-leaf paper, it read:
Dear Soul,
Hey, what's up? I stopped by yesterday morning, I had to literally pry your address out of Harvar to find you; I guess you were asleep, I think it was your dad who answered the door, you both look really alike.
He told me you were leaving, that sucks, he wouldn't tell me where you were going, though. I hope it's Michigan, but then again, you wouldn't leave without me, would you?
Anyway, if it is Michigan, make a few wishes for me on the stars by the lake, alright? I'm kind of leaving myself, unfortunately not to Michigan.
You can keep another secret of mine, can you? I like that you can. Truth is, I'm pregnant, and I can't let Justin know about it, so my sister and I are packing up, just going to drive until we find a new bar where she can work, far enough from Justin that I can be safe.
You were right, he's a douche.
Your friend,
Brenda (AKA Ren)
P.S. Harvar said you can keep the jacket and guitar, he said it'd be no use to him since they can't bring those things into jail cells.
Soul dropped the letter on his desk and ruffled his hands through his hair, upset he'd probably never see her again, but relieved she was getting away from that scumbag.
He walked over and threw up a few dirty clothes that were resting on off Harvar's guitar case, the scent of cigarette smoke wafting through the air as Soul tossed over Harvar's faded leather jacket.
He pried the case open and grabbed the guitar before plopping on to his bed.
He gritted his teeth and strummed away as the sun set outside, marking the end off his last full day here as the sunset left an orange wash over his room through the open curtains.
Somewhere outside, the sound of planes overhead made Soul strum harder, fighting to be louder.
"...Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question,
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life…"
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A/N Thank you so much for reading! CX Haha, I decided to take a break from my main story and write this little thing, so I hope it wasn't too bad.
Anyways, thanks again and please R&R, and check out my main story for this if you haven't already! Adios! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ