Chapter 1: Outset
December 15, 2015
Watching the painters roll stripes of Tiffany blue across the walls of the large, sunny guest bedroom, Elise Hightower folded her arms and nodded in satisfaction as the old paint color was gradually covered up. "Ah, this looks much better... honestly, who in the world let me pick cornflowerthe first time around? That's the sort of color you pick for your grandmother," she sniffed, tossing her heavy blonde braid over her shoulder, and letting her critical green eyes flit sharply about the room for signs of anything amiss.
Settling her gaze on the far wall, she folded her arms and hummed, letting the noise trail along with the strains of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" for a few moments before settling on her decision:
"Oh, Guillermo?" she sang, ignoring the slight flinch the head painter gave at her call. "A moment, please, if you would?"
"Of course, Miss Elise," Guillermo sighed, handing his roller off to another nearby worker and giving her instructions in rapid Spanish. After exchanging nods, he jammed his hands in his pockets and strolled towards Elise, trying to hold in an exasperated sigh. "Everything okay, ma'am?"
"Oh, everything's fine, just about," Elise responded breezily, rubbing her chin and cocking her head. "Aside from the fact that you just called me 'ma'am.' Don't do that again. Regardless," she continued, as Guillermo pursed his lips and shrugged, "you're all doing a rather decent job of things, I must admit. Just..."
Guillermo raised his eyebrows, waiting for the other shoe to drop as Elise made a rectangle with her thumbs and forefingers, peering through it at the wall she was facing. "...Just...?" he prompted carefully.
"Well, the thing is... I know this is the third time we've changed the color in here," Elise began, closing one eye and sucking thoughtfully on her teeth as she continued peering through her little rectangle, "but... upon further consideration, I fear that so much blue might be a bit overwhelming after all. Even if it is a lovely shade. I know Bridget adores it, but... I'm thinking that I may actually commit to that cream accent wall Mother suggested, after all. You've still got that color laying about somewhere?" she asked, getting a weary nod in response.
"Got it in the closet, Miss Elise. As usual."
"Ah, excellent! Well, just tell your crew to leave that wall and start with the new color later on, then, unless I change my mind again. Not that I see that happening this time... and I suppose I'll need to find Raul and ask him to send that carpeting back," she went on to herself, missing as Guillermo rolled his eyes and mimed shooting himself in the head, before waving his hands at the painters working the aforementioned wall and relaying Elise's instructions. "Now, I think we'll be wanting something nice and bold to go with this, instead," Elise continued thoughtfully, strolling out into the hallway and trying to decide where to inspect next. "Chocolate-brown hardwood, perhaps? Or maybe something lighter and airier..."
"Oh, now don't tell me you've gone and changed your mind again," a woman's voice teased from behind her, prompting Elise to spin around with a startled gasp.
"Mother!" she chided, hand over her heart as the taller, older blonde woman chuckled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Oh, honestly, I'll never get why you love sneaking up on people so much."
"Because it's fun, sweetheart!" Meredith Hightower exclaimed, giving Elise a quick peck on the cheek and watching the little smile that formed there. Whipping off her fluffy white ushanka and smoothing out her shaggy blonde bob, she waved to a passing worker as she started off down the hall with Elise in tow. "Besides, it's a good kind of scare - lunch is here, and it's being served down in the kitchen. I just thought I'd let you all know. And this place is shaping up rather nicely, too," she added with an approving hum, the heels of her white fur boots clacking loudly with each step. "You aren't giving the workers too much trouble, I hope?"
"Me? Of course not! I've been pleasantly surprised by the results thus far, I'll admit," Elise responded, stopping by yet another bedroom to peer in at the progress being made, and nodding in satisfaction. "Really, I expected quite a bit more trouble than I've actually encountered. At worst, one of them ordered the wrong marble for the kitchen countertops and had the gall to tell me that I'd requested it, and another one copped an attitude with me when I changed my mind about having a skylight out here. And it's funny, because I don't recall mouthing off being part of their job description... they're lucky I try not to fire people this close to Christmas," she finished with a long-suffering sigh. "As it is, I think they'll be seeing a smaller bonus than everyone else."
"Mmmm." Eyebrow going up thoughtfully as they entered the empty sunroom, Meredith headed over to one of the recently-sanded window seats, checking it for splinters before sitting down and scooting over, patting the empty spot in invitation. While Elise sat down next to her and smoothed out her bubblegum-pink pantsuit, Meredith took a moment to admire the view from the windows: Snow settling on the window frames outside; the trees and grass of the sprawling estate gleaming like silvery-white crystals in the early-afternoon sun; and the hills that rose far to the north, shrouded in an icy mist, with the Piedmont River glittering through as it flowed down the hillside, curving gently to the west.
"Well, I know I've said it before, but this is a beautiful little town you've chosen to settle in," she observed with a little smile, lined violet eyes squinting as she watched the workers outside milling in and out of the barns, coops, and sheds that dotted the western side of the estate. "I only wish we could've gotten everything finished in time for your birthday, or Christmas. Just imagine how gorgeous this place will look next year, when you can decorate it!"
She smiled, remembering how quaint and cozy Oak Tree had looked, strung up with lights, wreaths, and garland - and an inflatable Santa Claus in the center of the trading depot. It had apparently been placed there by the innkeeper, going by what one of the locals had told her - and while Elise had most likely found it horrifyingly tacky, with its vinyl face all lit up and ho-ho-ho-ing at the scant few shoppers milling through the depot, Meredith couldn't help but find it charming. "I suppose setbacks are always inevitable, though. Especially if there are constant changes for everyone to take into account," she added pointedly, though Elise didn't seem to notice the emphasis.
Now gazing out the windows as well, Elise shrugged. "Hmmm... I guess it's a bit of a shame - but I don't fancy spending the holidays supervising all the moving, and unpacking, and all those little finishing touches. Come to think of it, I suppose we should give them the holidays off, too," she mused, tapping her chin.
"Ahhh - well, of course we should!" Meredith agreed, looking a little taken aback at her daughter's ambivalence on the matter. With a heavy sigh, she patted Elise's shoulder. "Besides, your father should be back next Wednesday... I know you wanted him to be there for your birthday, sweetheart," she went on sympathetically, catching the brief flash of disappointment in her daughter's eyes, "but he had a last-minute meeting scheduled in Tokyo on Monday, and... he insists he absolutely can't miss it." She frowned a bit at this, before shaking her head resignedly. "But, he says we'll have him back in time for Christmas... so how about we just make your birthday a girls' night, eh? You, me, and Bridget, painting the town red? Hmm? Raise a little Hell?" Chuckling and nudging Elise a few times, Meredith eventually managed to pull a grudging smile from her, and a little shrug.
"That does sound like fun," Elise admitted after a moment, though a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of how her father had made absolutely sure to be there for Bridget's birthday earlier in the year. Part of her wanted to lay this very fact out for her mother to justify, but - with another sidelong glance that showed her mother was just as downcast about it as she was - Elise choked back her irritation and got to her feet, forcing the smile back onto her face. "Well... I suppose we'd better start planning for it soon, then, hmm? Unless you'd rather surprise me?"
Meredith tapped her lips in mock-thought for a moment, hearing the strains of "Blue Christmas" beginning to drift in from the hallway, and grinned. "Ahhh... I think I'll just conspire with Bridget to surprise you. Think of it as having two Christmases - double the surprise!"
"A pony would be very surprising," Elise hinted hopefully, helping her mother to her feet as they walked over to one of the windows to look out over the town. "Since I can't exactly bring the Lexus here."
"You could name this alleged pony 'Lexus,'" Meredith pointed out, causing Elise to giggle. "Of course, that's assuming you're getting a pony. I don't know, now that you brought it up - would you really be all that surprised by one? I prefer it when people don't know what to expect. The reactions are much more amusing. For instance... what if a buff young Latin man popped out of your cake instead?"
Elise blanched at this. "Oh, dear God! Let Bridget handle the planning if that's your best idea!"
"I suppose I could just save that one for my next birthday, then," Meredith mused, chortling at the sound of Elise gagging.
"I do not need to be hearing this!" Pulling a face at the mental image and tutting, Elise placed a hand on the windowsill and sighed dramatically. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to languish in anticipation for another week?"
"That's the plan, yes." Wrapping an arm around Elise, Meredith pulled her in close for a side-hug, letting her smile soften when she felt Elise's head lean on her shoulder. "We really are going to miss you, sweetheart. I can't believe it... my baby's going to be setting out on her own soon."
"Oh, come now..." Elise returned the hug and shook her head. "Well, of course, you'll all be welcome any time! You saw Bridget's room, right? And yours and Father's?"
Meredith nodded. "Of course, and they look very wonderful-"
"-And, of course I'll have the servants here to help me run this place," Elise went on, looking up at her mother with confidence, "so it's not like I'll be completely by myself out here, after all."
Her mother clucked her tongue. "I know, sweetheart. It's just..." She paused, mulling over her next words carefully. "...Well, you know how it is," she finally went on with a little shrug. She wasn't sure whether Elise had missed the point about her being alone, or if she was simply dodging it - knowing how Elise was, she suspected the latter - but decided not to press the issue much. Her youngest daughter had never been much of a people person, and she certainly didn't care to feel pressured to socialize, either. "It's a mom thing," she continued, stroking her daughter's hair and shrugging the shoulder Elise was leaning on. "We worry about our kids, even when they're all grown up and ready to take on the world. We want them to succeed, to grow, to be happy... I know you will, but I still worry. I did the same when Bridget left home, you know. Fret and drive your father crazy, start getting more gray hairs, start nagging you two to make me a grandmother..."
Elise gave her mother a light shove and laughed. "God, Mother! I'm only turning eighteen - I'd really rather not think about that just yet!"
Bumping Elise back gently, Meredith shook her head. "I know, I know. But... either way, you'll understand when you become a mother yourself someday. Whether or not I nag you into it."
"I suppose so, when I'm ready," Elise mumbled, snuggling back against her mother's shoulder and feeling her heart warm - even with her father stuck overseas until Christmas, she still had her mother, and she still had her sister. At least, for a little while longer. She'd be fine. "Now, I should probably get back to my inspections... care to join me?" Even as she asked, she was already halfway across the room, her mother following close behind with an amused expression. "Jingle Bell Rock" was playing on the radio now, and the sounds of a few of the workers chattering and singing along with it floated out from the nearby parlor. "And I guess we can let the rest of them know lunch is here, if they don't know already - but I just wanted your input on a few things. They're installing the flooring in the library right now, and they've started on the fireplace in the den - but now I'm not so sure about the design I settled on..."
February 19, 2016
"Open your eyes... kono me ni mieru subete no kimi ni..."
Bobbing his head to the dance beat pulsing through his earbuds, Johnny Weiss's fingers flew rapidly over his keyboard, humming softly as his dark blue eyes repeatedly flicked back-and-forth between his monitor, the open binder to his left, and the open geography book to his right. He allowed himself a small, self-satisfied grin as he popped open another energy drink and took a deep swig - by his observations, he was well ahead of schedule. The paper was almost insultingly easy - if he kept up at the rate he'd been going, he'd be looking at having his whole Saturday night free, at the very least.
"Gotta feel emotion, gotta show you emotion! Mou kowagaranaide, watashi dake no ima wo..."
Lost in his work and his music, it took Johnny a few moments to pull his head out of the clouds and notice something amiss, humming trailing off and eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he tried to figure out just what was nagging at him.
When the light from his bedside lamp began flickering on-and-off quickly, he jumped a bit and swore, spinning around in his chair to find that the "what" that was nagging at him was his older brother, tall and lanky frame leaning in the doorway with his fingers resting on the light switch. A half-exasperated, half-amused expression was on his face, and he was mouthing something that was barely audible.
"Cute, Jesse, really fucking cute," Johnny griped, causing Jesse's smirk to widen a bit. He popped his earbuds out and sighed, raising his eyebrows in silent question.
Jesse shrugged in response, flicking his head to toss his own shaggy blond bangs out of his eyes. "Hey, I tried. I knocked, I called out for you, and you juuuust missed the marching band - not my fault you zone out and play your weaboo crap so loud all the time." He nodded to the earbuds, from which the music could still be clearly heard blaring. "Shit, you're gonna make yourself deaf one day. You know that?"
Rolling his eyes, Johnny spun back around to face his computer, resuming his typing and beckoning over his shoulder for Jesse to come in. "Good. I won't have to hear you bitch at me. So," he went on, hearing his bed creak as Jesse plopped down on it and leaned forward to peer over his shoulder, "there something I can help you with? Did you come to just sit around and call me a weeeeeeeeeb?" He dragged the word out in an exaggeratedly nasal tone, popping the "b" out and chuckling when he felt Jesse give him a light shove on the back of his head. "Or are you just here to check on my homework and annoy the shit out of me?"
"Your homework, right. My ass it is," Jesse huffed, grabbing the back of his brother's chair and spinning it back around unceremoniously, making the younger boy wobble a bit. Ignoring Johnny's annoyed groan, he went on: "Well, aside from the fact that I just got home from work - hi, by the way, today was fine - I was gonna ask you if you could help me with the dishes real quick, so I can get dinner started soon. I'm making enchiladas."
"I guess I could, yeah," Johnny mused, shrugging - though his mouth had already started watering at the promise of enchiladas. "Just gimme a sec? I've gotta finish up this paragraph real quick, at least. Also, hi."
"You can finish up the paragraph later," Jesse insisted, pulling Johnny's chair away from his desk before his brother could spin back around and resume working. "Or - better yet - how about never, since it's not even y... oh, Jesus Christ, is that Chelsea's name I'm seeing?" he added in a groan, burying his face in his palms and shaking his head. "That mouth-breathing half-wit, I swear to God."
Arms folded over his chest, Johnny hummed and tilted his head. "No kidding. You should see her try to haggle down my prices, shit's pathetic... probably a bad time to tell you she has the hots for you, huh?" he added, snickering as his brother slumped down in further despondency. The response was muffled:
"Ew. Stop it."
"I said the same thing when she started drooling over you," Johnny agreed, cringing a bit. Twisting around for a moment, he shut off the music and hopped out of his chair, nudging Jesse to get up so they could head to the kitchen. "Still doing the paper, though. She paid in advance, and she is counting on me..."
Peering crossly at his little brother through his fingers, Jesse let out a resigned sigh and pushed his hair back as he got up, hands coming to rest on the back of his head. "Of course," he muttered under his breath, turning the tap on once they reached the sink. "Jesus, Johnny-"
"-Alright, alright - just an FYI, I don't need another one of your damn lectures," Johnny interrupted sourly, a warning tone in his voice as he grabbed a sponge and some soap and began working at the pile of dirty plates and utensils. Next to him, Jesse gripped the edge of the counter and slumped down, grumbling under his breath again. "You're making it sound like I broke a promise to you or something. I don't see why you've gotta bitch so much about it, anyway. I'm helping pay the rent, right? At least we're not out on the streets - I make some decent money off of this."
"And you just can't think of better ways to help out with that?" Jesse snapped, snatching a freshly-washed plate from Johnny's hands and drying it off roughly. He plunked it into the rack with a disgruntled noise. "Something that's actually ethical?"
"Well, it beats sweeping up peoples' hair at a salon, or having to wear a stupid costume and hold a sign on the street all day!" Johnny pointed out heatedly. "It's not like I even slack off at this, or rip them off or anything - I'm helping them out! They get A's pretty much all the time! Except for Rudy's geology paper," he added, more to himself than to his brother, "but he was cool about it - he told me that professor was a dick anyway..."
"How the hell are you helping them?" Jesse sputtered, hands held out in confusion. "Cheating isn't gonna help them, Johnny! I don't care if you don't want another lecture, because you're still getting one. They won't learn anything - you're just keeping them stupid! Let their lazy asses fail, they deserve it! Christ, why don't you ever want to listen to me?" he went on, rumpling his hair again in agitation. "I'm not saying you have to go back to either of those other jobs, just... some kind of work that's actually honest, not this shit! You're smart enough that you're constantly getting A's for everyone else, why don't you take your A back to school and get a degree or something?"
Screwing up his face, Johnny scoffed derisively. "Cute, Jess. What, were you saving that one?"
Jesse threw the towel down and shut the water off, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes. Though he was only twenty-two, he suddenly looked as though he'd aged about ten years in the short span of their argument. "Look, don't change the subject - seriously, I don't know how many times I have to tell you to get a real job, or do something. Something that isn't this," he elaborated pointlessly, when Johnny opened his mouth to speak. "I know your old jobs sucked, but I don't care if this kind of crap helps us out, it's - it's not right. You're just teaching them it's okay to be lazy and expect everyone else-"
"-To do the work for them, and I'm nineteen, so I should know right from wrong by now - I know, Jesse," Johnny finished in a dull tone. "Fine, Captain America, what do you suggest I do? That doesn't involve going back to school," he added pointedly, "because I don't really want the student loan debts, and high school sucked enough for me."
Turning around, Jesse leaned back against the counter and folded his arms, looking up at the ceiling. "For starters, college is different from high school," he started slowly, chewing on his lower lip and causing Johnny's suspicions to be immediately roused. "Besides, I'm still going to school, and you know damn well that high school wasn't any easier on me than it was on you. Hell, you probably could've gotten a scholarship if you'd actually tried."
"...You didn't try and sign me up, did you?" Johnny uttered, face darkening as he mimicked his brother's posture. When Jesse shook his head, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "...Jesse, out with it. What exactly did you do?"
After chewing his lip in silence a bit longer, Jesse finally cleared his throat and cast Johnny a sideways glance. "Well... look, it's nothing you have to do, but I really think it'd-"
"Out with it," Johnny repeated impatiently, rolling his eyes and drumming his fingers on the counter.
"Okay, okay!" Hands raised defensively, Jesse shook his head. "Well, I got back in touch with Aunt Ronnie recently, and - see... there's this old farm there they've been restoring over in Oak Tree. They've been kind of hoping to get someone to run it, help the economy out and all. Just for a little while, and you don't have to stay there forever if you don't like it, you know?"
Silence fell over the tiny apartment as Johnny gaped at him for a few seconds, blinking slowly.
"...Didn't see that one coming," he muttered after a moment, his expression gradually morphing into a scowl. "A farmer, seriously? Like, sticking my hand up pregnant cows' butts and stuff?"
Shooting Johnny a completely bewildered look, Jesse gesticulated pointlessly, sputtering for the words. "...What?" he finally managed, throwing his hands out in disbelief. "You hear 'farm' and that's where your mind immediately goes?! Are you serious right now, or no?"
"Are you?" Johnny shot back, though his face was now burning with embarrassment - admittedly, that had been a pretty stupid connection for his mind to jump to, but that wasn't really the point he was trying to make. As it was, he was still a little surprised that their aunt even gave a damn about them - she certainly hadn't done so while they'd been struggling to keep a roof over their heads for the past seven years. He couldn't help but wonder why she'd bothered now. "C'mon, you want me to become some pitchfork-wielding hick in overalls? That's your idea to get me in line?"
"Look, at least it's an honest job," Jesse reasoned, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders and looking right at him, hoping to placate him. "There's not a whole lot of work there right now, but I think it'd be good for you - teach you some responsibility and discipline, make some actual friends... Hell, you need to learn to look out for yourself, everyone does. What you're doing right now... I mean, you're better than that, let's be real." Seeing Johnny's expression soften, he went on: "And I know I haven't done a great job raising you or anything, but I really, really do want what's best for you."
Sighing in resignation, Johnny pulled his brother into a hug and patted his back. "Alright, I'll give it a try, if you think it'll help," he conceded grudgingly, looking up at Jesse and getting a small smile in return when they pulled apart. "And don't be so hard on yourself - you have done a great job, especially considering everything that happened." Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, he hunched his shoulders and looked away with a guilty expression. "If anything, I really do kind of owe you for all you've done-"
"-Hey, I didn't do all that because I wanted you to owe me anything," Jesse interrupted softly, clapping him on the shoulder. "But I'll call Aunt Ronnie after dinner and let her know you'll be coming. She told me that if you agreed to it, things should be about ready in... a couple weeks, I think. I'll ask her. Man, if she's anything like I remember, she is going to hate your hair," he added with a smirk, reaching up to muss his brother's short, blond fauxhawk and getting an annoyed grunt in response. He snickered and grabbed Johnny's wrist as the younger boy tried to swat his hand away, giving him a noogie with his other fist. "Nice try, small fry! Maybe I'll just find the clippers and... zzzzzzt!"
"Do it and I'll punch you right in the dick," Johnny threatened, finally pushing Jesse away and grumbling as he reached up to fix his hair. As he did so, a few more questions floated to the front of his mind: "So... how long am I looking at doing this, anyway? And what're you gonna do about the rent and stuff in the meantime?"
"Well... I guess a couple months?" Jesse suggested, shrugging as they turned back to the sink and resumed washing the dishes once more. "Just to get a real feel for it, see what you think... maybe longer, depending on how stuff goes. And Carl's still looking for a roommate, last I checked, so I'll probably give him a call later tonight and see about that."
Lips pressed into a thin line, Johnny exhaled through his nostrils and shut his eyes. He almost wanted to kick himself for getting roped into agreeing with this, but he did owe Jesse - despite his brother's protests to the contrary. Still, aside from work and school, he couldn't ever remember being really apart from Jesse, especially after all they'd gone through together. Hell, Jesse was the only friend he could remember ever really having. The idea was making him antsy, but Jesse had a point - he would have to learn to take care of himself someday.
"A few months... alright," he agreed reluctantly. "As long as I can just finish the papers I've got lined up - please? It's only Chelsea's and two others," he pleaded, upon seeing exasperated glare his brother shot at him. "They're paying me really good money to do them, and I gave all of them my word I'd get them done. I finish those, and that's it for me - I'll even text them and let them know I'm not gonna be doing this for them anymore. I promise."
Drumming his fingers on his elbows, Jesse set his jaw and grimaced as he looked up at the ceiling, and then back over to Johnny. "...Damn it... alright, deal. Just those last few papers," he repeated sternly.
"Awesome, thanks... hey, you don't wanna maybe swap, do you?" Johnny added, cracking a small grin as he handed a freshly-washed tumbler to his brother to dry. "I can go live with Carl and enjoy some free cake, you can go do the farming thing."
"Where exactly did you get the idea that Carl gives out free cake?" Jesse wanted to know, rolling his eyes. "Because he works at a bakery?"
"...I'm guessing that's a no, then," Johnny grumbled, sighing in disappointment. "Well... I guess I could always try seducing him for free food."
With a revolted expression, Jesse whapped his brother upside the head with the dish towel. "Oh, gross. I did not need that mental image, you little perv. You're grounded from talking. Forever."
Ducking another blow from the towel, Johnny chuckled and shoved his brother lightly, before grabbing the baking pan and beginning to scrub it out. "Hey, Carl's kinda cute, though! Yeah, see - I'll just tell him he makes my dough rise, and-"
Now cringing and gagging, Jesse clapped a hand over Johnny's mouth. "Gah, stop it! Okay, change of plans, dickweed. I'm having enchiladas for dinner, and you're drinking the dish water to wash out that horrible mouth of yours."
"Aww, crap," Johnny mumbled from behind the hand, snorting nonetheless at Jesse's disgust, and handing the now-clean pan over for him to dry.
March 5, 2016
The train station bustled with activity in the brisk March morning, with families, couples, and friends milling about. Greetings and farewells were exchanged, tickets were sold and punched and discarded, and Fritz Kassmeyer found himself locked in the tightest hug he'd ever known in his life. He wasn't quite sure he could breathe properly, with his mother doing her best impression of a human corset.
Watching as his son's face started to go a bit pink from the pressure, Gerald Kassmeyer gently shook his wife's shoulder and cleared his throat. "C'mon, Mona, you're gonna kill the poor kid before he even boards the train!"
"S'fine," Fritz grunted, giving his father a strained grin and a thumbs-up. "Geez... you're... friggin' strong, Mama!"
Sniffling, Mona pulled away from her son and shot him a watery smile, brushing his shaggy red bangs back from his forehead. "Look at my little man, going off to live his dream! Oh, and I never did get around to cutting your hair before we left - you find yourself a good barber when you get there, alright, honey?" she ordered, giving him another peck on his freckled cheek.
Fritz scrunched his nose up, patting at the unruly crop of hair and shrugging. "Ahh, my hair's fine, Mama-"
"-And you call us when you get there! Or text us if it's really late, you've got your phone all charged up?" Mona continued sternly, watching as Fritz rolled his eyes good-naturedly and nodded, patting the pocket of his cargo pants.
"'Course I do! Aaaaand," he cut in, before his mother could fire off another burst of reminders, "I'm gonna remember to take breaks and eat, and do my laundry, and be careful with my money, and-"
"-Get so drunk you run naked through the town," his father cut in casually, getting a nod and a point from Fritz.
"Right, and get so drunk I run na-wait, what?" Fritz blinked in confusion for a moment, before cracking a grin at his father's snickering. "Ahh - nice try, old man!"
His father's bushy brown mustache twitched, and his dark eyes twinkled mirthfully. "Heh. Yeah, it was, wasn't it?"
"Gerald!" Mona scolded, smacking her husband on the arm and drawing a few amused stares from the other people in the station. She rolled her eyes and tutted. "Good Lord, don't give him such bad ideas!"
"I didn't give him any bad ideas!" Gerald protested, rubbing his arm and still chuckling. "I gave him a pretty damn good one, if you ask me!"
Mona turned a pleading look at her son - with her frizzy red bun in disarray, and the exasperation written across her face, she looked almost comically frazzled. "Take him with you, I'm begging you. He's going to drive me to drink!"
"You gonna run naked through town?" Gerald asked her slyly, giving his eyebrows a suggestive wiggle and getting a long-suffering sigh in response. "Alright, alright - guess you'd better get on that train before you have to watch Mommy kill Daddy," he added to Fritz, slipping an arm around his wife's shoulders and watching as the conductor stepped out to call the next passengers aboard:
"Cascade Springs, Archeton Cove, Twin Bluffs, and Oak Tree/Castanet Regional! All aboard! Last call for boarding in five!"
Biting at his lower lip, Fritz looked over his shoulder and nodded, hoisting his bags up on his shoulder. "Yeah... guess so, huh?" Turning back around, he gave his parents a wobbly little smile and pulled them back into one last, long hug, feeling his father pat his back. "Love you guys. Try not to piss Mama off too much, alright, Papa?" he whispered, drawing quiet laughter from all of them. "And try not to kill Papa, alright, Mama?"
"We'll behave, honey," his mother assured him, reaching up to ruffle his hair and smiling as he squirmed out of her reach and protested lightly. "You write us or call us when you can, alright? And send us pictures of the farm when you've got it up and running!"
Fritz patted one of his bags and nodded. "Yep - got my camera! Alright, then..." A deep breath in, and then out. He swallowed hard and hitched his bags up a little higher, turning to run towards the train and giving his parents one last wave over his shoulder. They flinched when he stumbled at the platform, nearly smacking his face against the side of the train if not for one of the other passengers quickly grabbing him by the back of his green windbreaker to pull him backwards. A quick thanks to the woman who had helped him, and another reassuring thumbs-up to his parents - both of whom were relieved, but shaking their heads at him - and then he was on, right as the conductor started last call for boarding.
Squeezing his way through the passengers that were shuffling about to find a seat, he finally settled towards the back of the car. Swinging his bags into the overhead compartment with a little grunt, he plopped down next to a short, skinny blond boy about his age who was chewing at his thumbnail and bouncing his leg rapidly, eyes glued to the window. His oversized green army jacket and baggy camo pants only served to further the impression that he looked utterly lost, and a small silver hoop glinted in his right earlobe.
"Hey, man!" Fritz greeted, drawing the boy's wary gaze his way. "You don't mind if I sit here, do ya?"
Appearing to mull it over for a second, the boy gave a noncommittal shrug, still chewing at his thumbnail. "...Nah, you're good," he mumbled after a moment, turning back to the window while the train gave a slight jolt.
Fritz nodded cheerfully at this, slouching back comfortably in his seat and folding his hands over his stomach. "Cool, cool. You wanna switch seats or anything? I'm headin' all the way to Oak Tree, so that way it'll be easier for you to get out first if you gotta go before then."
Eyebrows raising at this, the blond boy slumped back in his own seat as well, leg continuing to bounce as he appeared to mull over whether or not to say anything else. "...You're fine," he finally said, pausing while the train whistle blew. The car lurched and shuddered, and soon the platform outside was starting to slowly roll past. "I'm headed there, too, so... it's fine."
"Alrighty, cool! You movin' there, or just stoppin' by to visit someone?" Fritz inquired, before simply barreling on without waiting for a response: "I'm movin' down there, myself. Gonna try startin' up a farm - saw a flyer for this place out there for a pretty sweet deal, figured it sounded really cool and thought, what the hell, we'll see what happens, huh? You can call me Fritz, by the way," he finished, sticking out his hand in introduction.
The other boy eyed Fritz's hand for a few moments before grudgingly shaking it and clearing his throat, giving him a curious gaze. "Johnny. You're heading down there to farm, too, or no?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together when Fritz once again bobbed his head happily. "Huh. I'm moving down there for a little while to help my aunt out with a farm, actually..."
"Nice!" Fritz exclaimed with a wide grin, bright brown eyes lighting up. "Maybe we can be farmin' buddies or somethin', then, huh? I don't know nothin' about it, so if you've got, like, a green thumb or whatever, I'd love some help startin' out!"
Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Johnny cleared his throat and looked out the window, watching the early-spring scenery roll by. "Yeeeeah, I'm not really doing this as a... career thing, Fritz. More of a family obligation. I don't know anything about farming yet, either. Sorry."
Waving it off, Fritz clapped Johnny on the shoulder, quickly withdrawing his hand when he noticed the other boy recoil slightly at the contact. "No sweat, man! We all gotta start somewhere - so, you military or somethin'?" he added, pointing at the dog tags he'd noticed dangling over the breast of Johnny's jacket.
Looking back over with a perplexed frown, Johnny's gaze fell to where Fritz was pointing, and gave a little jolt of realization as he settled his hand over the tags. Something changed in his demeanor that Fritz couldn't quite place, and he tucked the tags back into his jacket. "No, this... my dad was in the Army. I just kinda like wearing this stuff sometimes," he explained in a mutter, now picking at the emblem on the sleeve, and missing Fritz's softening expression.
"Ahhh... sorry, man. Didn't mean to bring you down." For a split-second, he moved to give Johnny another friendly pat on the shoulder, but thought better of it as he remembered the blond's earlier reaction to the contact, and simply smiled at him instead. "Ah, well. Least you didn't have to buzz off your hair, then - it's pretty cool! I like it!"
Looking surprised and pleased at the compliment, Johnny looked up and ran his fingers over the strip of short spikes stretching back to the crown of his head. "Oh, uh - thanks? I just saw it on this one singer and thought it looked neat. My aunt's probably gonna hate it, though," he added with a wry grin. "And the earring."
Tapping his lips, Fritz cocked his head to the side, scrunching up his face. "Ahhh, I'm sure she ain't gonna flip her lid over somethin' like that, is she?"
Johnny shrugged, scratching behind his ear and fiddling with the hoop a bit. "Guess I'll find out... haven't seen her since I was a kid, but my brother says she was kind of a hardass." His cheeks puffed out with a little sigh, and he turned back towards the window once more. "Ehhh... I'm sure I'll live, though. Err, anyway," he went on quickly, looking back over at Fritz, "it's been cool talking to you and all, but I didn't really sleep last night, so I wanna try to catch up on that for a little while..." As he said this, Fritz suddenly noticed the faint shadows under his dark blue eyes, and flashed him a thumbs-up in response.
"Ten-four, dude! You catch you some Zs, and I'll wake ya when we get there - actually-" he continued, hopping up out of his seat and standing on his tiptoes to snag one of his bags from the overhead compartment, opening it to dig around, "-think I'm probably gonna... just... where is it? Ah!" With a little effort and a few annoyed grunts, he withdrew an mp3 player and earbuds from the bag, untangling the wires as he sat back down. "I'm just gonna kick back with my tunes for a bit. Nighty-night, Johnny!"
"Uhh... yeah," Johnny replied slowly, watching as Fritz popped the earbuds in and flicked the mp3 player on, starting to bop around cheerfully. "G'night, or... something." Folding his arms over his torso protectively, he hunched in further upon himself and tried to drift off for a little bit as they made their way towards Oak Tree Town.
Author's Notes: Another one, yeah. I'm going to see if I can get some catching-up done while things have slowed down a bit for me now, and - another example of "Gotta get this out before I go nuts." I need help.
So, we'll see if I can carry this story well, like I'm wanting to (and to the Shadows readers - and Days Ahead readers, if there's even any crossover here - no worries, I'm still planning to get back onto those shortly). It'll explore some heavy themes down the road, and hopefully it'll go over well with folks altogether. Plus, trying to bring Oak Tree into the 21st century aesthetically will be interesting. I love the game and its cast, and the costumes are admittedly kinda cool, but... uhhh... yeah.
Well, we've got Elise's reign of terror underway in Oak Tree already, and Fritz and Johnny on the way to join her! Will Veronica hate Johnny's Taeyang hair and earring? (There, there's my shameless aesthetic influence for Johnny.) Did Elise's mother order a sexy Latino stripper for her own birthday? Will Fritz's mother get drunk and streak through town?
Feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and find the answer to probably only one of these questions in chapter 2! See you there!
