Karkat had been mentally beating himself up over it for weeks. What was something they could all do together that everyone didn't absolutely hate? One of the greatest mysteries of their time.
"So what's the big plan for this year, Karkat? Got another extravaganza up your disgusting grey hoodie's sleeve?" Terezi cackled.
Oh great, another insult from the leet queen herself. Karkat never understood why he'd hung out with her for so long. She was rude, troublesome, and one of the biggest meddlers who ever took out a notepad to meddle with. He never understood why, especially during times like these.
"As a matter of fact, I do! Now if we're done discussing the matters of blind flighty broads with a legal complex, then I think some quick words are in order." He said, straightening up, readying his fist for the words that he was about to ensue.
"KK, sthpare yoursthelf the embarrasthment and justht tell usth." Oh great, another useless tool trying to take him down a couple pegs. The last thing Karkat wanted was a lisping dork telling him off.
"I'll say whatever I goddamn want! Remember, I'm the elected leader of this miserable excuse for a team!" He retorted with a snarl.
"Karkat, if my memory seems to recall, you elected yourself for team leader and won by default." Just great, another asshole bringing him down. Guess it's just "happy national: tear down the best team leader of their lives" day! Karkat, though, was surprised to hear her hushed tone out of the crowd of imbeciles.
"Really Kanaya, just who's side are you on!?"
"I'm on neither. I just felt it was rather lame for you to even consider calling it a victory for yourself. Or at least heavily imply it." She gave a cunning smile towards their leader.
He rose his hands above his head and slowly drew them down, composing himself with a long breath. Exhaling slowly, he opened his eyes and looked amongst his peers.
And then he remembered.
That's why he stuck around.
Among the crowd of insufferable pricks, flighty broads, and losers, were the people he's known all his life. And though they knocked him down from time to time he saw how they were drawn to him. They all looked upon him, ready for his words for guidance on their last weeks together. They looked for answers, and they looked at him. They'd push and pull him back. They were the realest friends anybody could ever ask for. And even though he solemnly said it, he was grateful.
"I've known all of you dipshits for nearly thirteen years now. Terezi, I knew you before you were blind. Feferi, I've known you since third grade. And don't think I forgot about Mrs. Sahara's class with you you bipolar freak!" Karkat shouted, pointing at Sollux. "And I'm sure we all have dreams we wanna accomplish. I'm gonna join the police force."
"Says who?" Vriska chimed in, thoroughly getting under his skin.
"Says fucking me! Now no more interjections!
Where was I? Oh yeah," he started again, "Nepeta, don't you want to go to art school?"
"Oh of course," she squealed, "ACU has been my dream efur since I got into art!"
"And Terezi you're trying to get into school to be a lawyer! Eridan, you're taking Fef with you to that pompous, asshole academy!"
"It's called Crown's Academy! For the prestigious an' noble!" Eridan retorted, angrily.
"Exactly! We're all going off to do great things! Or at least most of us are." He paused to look at his lanky juggalo friend, "And that only means we're all gonna lose each other one way or another. We won't have time for each other. We'll fall in debt to our family lives, or the lives we choose to live… So, with these two weeks until grad night, I propose, as your leader, one last moment of our own."
"Oh yeah, and just what are you proposing," Terezi smirked.
Karkat paused for a moment and looked among his party. They all looked at him, a little interested in what his answer could be. What was his answer going to be? Even he didn't know. He looked off into the distance. There was a lush overgrowth of trees leading up to the peaceful empty planes. He knew that area. He and Gamzee would occasionally drive past it whenever he needed a ride to school. It was a nice flatland where the grass would meet desert. Hard floored desert. And although he's never been, he did know it lead up to a rocky forest that spiked its way out of the ground into a wide pillar of crumbling stone. Off in the distance he saw it all. The forest, the mountain, the streams they'd walk by and the stars they'd lie under. He heard the gentle chirps of every cricket's scratched leg and the low croaks from distant toads. He had felt the warm glow of the fire and even smelled the warm grill of the meat they'd hang over it. Their conversations about their lives and all the years preceding them. And just then, he had the answer.
"Alright you useless piles of skin flaps, listen up. We're gonna go on a wilderness adventure." Karkat began, placing a balled knuckle under his chin. Nepeta and Vriska perked up at the thought. "A night at the bottom of that mountain," he said, pointing, "We'll camp out in the harsh survival of the outdoors! Watch nature thrive and test ourselves against the elements!" Equius found himself intrigued, including Tavros. "Sleep under the stars and rise with the big ass one in the sky!" Kanaya looked up with a small grin, curious as to where he was going with this. "We'll stay the nights at Mt Alter! And by the end of those two weeks we'll finally know who we are! Maybe we'll finally stop being a bunch of useless sack of shits!"
"KK," Sollux inquired, "asth majesthtic asth thisth all sthounds, I am not sthpending two weeksth of my sthummer in the forestht with thesthe doucthes."
And it just couldn't get worse when even the juggalo didn't seem too keen on the plan. "Yeah, bro, I mean it's motherfuckin bitchtits hangin' out with all my summer brothers, an' all that jazz. But I ain't up for two a' my weeks on the ground. I already got a wicked case o' scoliosis from my motherfuckin' unicycle accident an' years of sleeping on my horn pile."
"Ugh! You fuckasses are giving me a migraine! You're all too good for a little outdoors adventure, huh?!" Karkat folded his arms and scrunched up crankily. "Well guess what, as your leader I'm ordering you to go! You got this bitch mandatory now! Everybody just take a whiff of that fucking rule nook! Notice the pungent smell of disgust rolling off of it? That's my authority raging into your insubordinate nostrils. Take a good fucking whiff because I'm not changing my mind!"
And just in the corner of his eye, a ray of light beyond the clouds peered out. A hand raised with a question seeking his authoritative permission. He unfolded his arms and pointed at her, trying to hide his gawking features. "Yes, Feferi?"
When called on she lowered her hand and smiled. "I think I have a way to get us both what we want, instead of clamming around like a bunch of retards!" Feferi giggled, adjusting the pink rims on her face, "You know, my parents have a cabin by the mountain. I can just give them a call and see if we can stay there!"
"Perfect! If I hadn't already bestowed my position of Vice President to Kanaya I'd totally consider you for the spot, Peixes."
"As student council president, I bet I could've given you a lot of references! I'm the glubbing master of intervention!" She joked before choking up and waving her hands non-threateningly towards her friend, "N-No offense Kanaya! I wouldn't want to take your position away!"
"None taken," she chuckled, "To be honest I didn't even know I was filling in the position."
Karkat put his fists at his hips and looked off to the mountain. "So it's settled. We're heading out to Mt. Alter!"