The Boys.
You could the noise from the roof of Sunset Arms Boarding house. The laughter. The shouting. The blaring music that would constantly change styles due to certain taste. The boarders had all left for a hotel that night, ever since Arnold became a freshman in high school the parties became later and later and louder and louder. Thank goodness he gave them warnings when he would have them and that hey only had four a year, one a season. The other parties were covered by Rhonda, Helga, Kiana, Fallon, Whitney, Gerald, Eugene, Park, Dante, and Carter.
The guys could be found on one of their sectional couches on the roof. Gerald was telling this story that had the guys cracking up, and newcomers giving them the side eye.
"Sid was so determined to help us save the park that he went in without a plan so he ended up dating Mr. Mario's daughter for a whole 3 months, because he couldn't figure out how to tell her he actually wanted to confront her father."
Sid went red in the face at the memory his baby blues staring up in the sky. He was a good looking guy now, he was lean, standing at 5"11, he wasn't muscular but did have some nice definition. His skin had tanned from constantly working on his bike during the summer. He wore his hair slicked back going for the Grease look. He couldn't for the life of him grow facial hair, so he made up for it with tattoos, they littered his body but his favorite was on his neck. His neck tattoo was for, Curly and Iggy, it's was Curly's license plate bent and broken. All the guys had it after the accident killed Iggy and paralyzed Curly from the hips down. It was what pushed Sid, who already was semi interested in mechanics, to pursue a career in vehicle safety. Luckily he was already going to vocational school starting this year.
They were all having a great time at Sid's expense, Harold took another deep swig of his beer and checked his watch he hated when he didn't know where Patty was. "7:36 why do they always do this?"
Harold pinched the bridge of his nose. He was a pleasantly plump six foot even. The young soon to be father sported large biceps and strong legs, lifting meat really helps the body stay in shape. He kept his tattoo over his heart, he couldn't have it show at work. His scruffy face was freshly trimmed, he liked the to keep it cut short, it drew more attention to his bald head the longer he let it grow. He also had baby blue eyes that never seemed to dim. He was missing his pinky on his right hand from the time when a customer was screaming at him while he was cutting the beef into sections when he was in sixth grade, the knife came down and the finger came off. They offered to save his finger but he decided to use the loss as a reminder to remember to always to never look away from tools when in use. Mr. Green had hired Harold as a butcher part time during the school year and full time during the summers, Harold would become his business partner and hopefully take over as long as he finished out high school. Marty had dropped out and regretted the consequences of it, and struggled to get his GED later in his life and didn't want the same for Harold and Patty especially with his godson on the way. The baby boy was Harold's moving force, he moved out, he focused on his health, job, studies and now family, he was going to propose to Patty tonight. That is if she ever arrived.
"You know how they are, this is pretty much the only time we can all really get together now days and so they're milking it." Lorenzo plopped down on the seat next to Sid planting a quick kiss on his cheek. Lorenzo and Sid started dating at the beginning of the summer. Lorenzo hadn't changed much he was slightly taller then Sid maybe by two to three inches, but he was still a skinny boy when compared to Sid, he was more the business savvy man than the hands on man. He wore a Caesar haircut and threaded his eyebrows to keep them tamed, he had he 3 day well kept stubble that Sid was jealous and in love with it made him appear more mature. He couldn't get tattooed due to being anemic, he just got henna whenever it faded. He had pretty amber eyes that lit up with the sun, that's pretty much all he had going for him. That and Sid's love. He was inheriting his families business empire after college and he hoped that when he did Sid would let him fund a mechanic shop they could run together.
"Mmm mm mm, the girls spent all summer together how much more time do they need." Gerald shook his head. He became an almost complete spitting image of his brother, the difference was he was taller at 6"2, leaner, and he was rocking a well groomed circle beard with a chin strap and soul patch. He also had a little juicy booty. He became darker to a nice dark chocolate. He had a fade hair style with a line on the right side. His eyes were intense though so dark brown they almost seemed like a black void that drew you in. He had gotten his tattoo on his left bicep. He had spent all his summers since sixth grade traveling the world with Arnold and his parents. He really enjoyed hanging out with his best friend and by ninth grade he discovered it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He and his best friend traveling the world, helping people in need, going on whirlwind adventures, the thrill of the lifestyle always excited him, plus he had a bold kid he could trust his life to. He hoped Phoebe would come along on some of those adventures and hopefully Arnold and Helga could become a permanent couple.
"You're one to talk Geraldo, you spent all summer with me yet you're still so clingy." Arnold sniggered his insult at Gerald using Helga's nickname for him. Arnold had grown into his head it had become a softer shape like his mother's. He was a muscular 5"11, kept his hair in a combed back style. He inherited a nice tan from his travels and his emerald eyes had a smoky tint to them. He grew facial hair but liked to keep stubble and a thin mustache, trying out the Leonardo DiCaprio titanic look. He was nice to look at. He was excited to think that one day he and Gerald would one day be traveling the world without their parents figuring out missions they wanted to take on alone, never settling down in one place. Adventure called to him and he would take it by the horns.
Stinky rolled Thaddeus, aka curly, over to the group. Stinky he was unsurprisingly the tallest in the group hitting a shocking 6"8. He was a mass of muscle, with a buzz cut. He wasn't the best looker and was very pale but ladies loved to eyeball him. His hazel eyes could make the girls melt in a finger snap. He was joining the navy soon in four months on his birthday his goal to become a SEAL, he worked hard all year long, especially when he would attend boot camp in the summers and it showed. He was an unofficial leader in boot camp, recognized for his determination, dedication, and respect for his role towards serving his country. Curly became his step brother after Stink's mother died and Curly's father died. They shared tattoos on their shoulder blade, they act like they've been brothers forever.
Curly was skinny and short, he lost a lot of muscle being bound to a wheel chair. Though he had some muscles in his chest and arms it wasn't what he wanted to be, but he couldn't change the past. His hair was long, half down his back, he pulled it over his left shoulder everyday to hide the scars running up and down his left arm and torso. He was ashamed a drunken night had killed his best friend and left him to suffer in his wake. Whenever you looked into his brown eyes you would see sadness unless Stinky was around. He would never say it but he was afraid that when Stinky finally left he wouldn't be able to cope. He picked nothing in life after high school, because he thought he had nothing. He would leave too many broken hearts in his wake he just didn't know it.
"Well well well the gangs all here and I think that's the ladies I hear." Gerald nodded in the direction of the fire escape as the pair settled in. One by one the girls popped up in their signature colors. Rhonda and dressed the girls well. They spotted the guys watching and waiting for them and just laughed, walking in the opposite direction, Helga flipping the group of boys off.
Harold sighed and stood up sweating. "This is it", he said with a look mixed of fear and determination in his eyes. The lot of boys nodded, proud of their friend.
"Go get her, big guy". Arnold smiled up at him.
Harold made his way across to her with his head held high.