Happy New Year's…2 days late :D I was trying so hard to complete this in time but unfortunately I wasn't able to. Oh well, here is the next chapter, long time coming…sorry for those who are alerted to this. I meant to complete this story such a long time ago but then I majorly got caught up in the Big Time Rush fandom. I plan to complete this one soon, so please be patient with me. Love you all and enjoy the story, reviews are much appreciated!
"Hold up Virg, I gotta tie my shoe!" Richie called, dropping to his knees to fasten a stray shoelace that had been shaken loose. Virgil patiently waited, entertaining himself in a childish manner. He had noticed that when he opened his mouth, a light wisp of hot mist could be seen when he exhaled. He parted his lips, blowing fiercely, puffing his warm breath into the frosty night air to create a small cloud of condensed water vapor.
"What are you doing?" Richie questioned, lifting an eyebrow at the odd antics of his friend.
"Look Richie! This is so cool! Try it!" Virgil urged, pausing to face his pal.
"Sure, if I wanna look like an idiot." Richie rolled his eyes, dismissing the topic as he made his way down the stairs to the sidewalk covered with a light powder of fresh snow.
"Whatever," Virgil hastily followed; patting the stiff teenager on the back once he reached the walk way,
"Just do it!" After a few paces down the cement path and five arguments later, Richie finally relented,
"Okay, fine!" Richie consented, lowering his bottom jaw, only to reveal a set of pearly white teeth that clashed visibly with a pink tongue that was fastened to the dark cavern of his mouth.
"Here I go," Richie inhaled sharply, holding his breath for a second to warm the air before exhaling a large gust of wind, pumping out all of the oxygen hidden within his lungs.
"There, I knew you could do it!" Virgil slung an arm around Richie's neck, congratulating his minor accomplishment along with a stream of hearty chuckles.
"Yeah, yeah, thanks V." Richie shrugged Virgil's arm off of his shoulder, examining their surroundings,
"Hey Virgil, what's the quickest way to get there?" The bumbling teen rubbed his chin in thought,
"Well we could always cut through the neighborhoods or do you just wanna keep walking straight?"
"Um, let's just stay on this street, okay?"
"Sure, but why?" Virgil casually commented, "Going through the neighborhood's quicker." Richie nervously glanced out at the murky shadows lying in wait to swallow up unsuspecting children in their sinister grasps.
"Well, because it's dark and-"
"You big baby." Virgil stood up on his tiptoes to quickly ruffle Richie's hair. Richie swatted Virgil's hands away as he retorted,
"Hey it's not my fault that the city didn't install street lamps!" Richie pointed out, throwing his hands up in the air, searching for the public lighting system the city should provide.
"Whatever you say, dude." Virgil shrugged, continuing on down the sidewalk towards the town square.
"Just hurry up, or I'll leave you behind!" Virgil playfully threatened, grinning to himself as he heard Richie sputter and shift his direction, the quick tapping of his sneakers following along behind Virgil as Richie attempted to catch up with his friend who had already made it half way down the block.
After a fifteen minute trek through jumbled city apartments and clustered neighborhoods, the pair finally arrived on the spacious grounds occupied by Town Hall. An elaborate fountain and numerous statues and benches littered the paved clearing, serving as the main recreational center for the heart of the city. Multiple parks and fields were spread throughout Dakota and although the Town Square held no entertainment value, it still served as a large meeting place for business people and teens alike. On occasions such as Christmas and Easter, the city council and volunteers transformed the dull center into a festive and sparkling atmosphere, and this was no exception although it was merely New Year's Eve.
Richie and Virgil entered the fairground, after spending a few minutes of waiting at the entrance where they had to show their student identification cards to be permitted into the fair without having to pay for an admission ticket. Decorated tents and merry gaming booths greeted them as they preceded trough the festival. Dazzling, multicolored lights were strung high in the air, secured to the booths across from the main admission tent, creating criss-crossed patterns of color in the sky. A large poster hung from a beam near the entryway, listing the night's events and their show times in an orderly manner, allowing the boys decide which booths and attractions they wanted to visit and those that they would rather not attend.
After a few minutes of huddling besides the booth hosting a throwing dart game, Richie exclaimed,
"Oh, oh, let's head over to the art gallery!" A single pale appendage belonging to the blonde stuck out from behind its cotton glove, pointing at the colorful poster at the eight thirty listing. Virgil curtly nodded in agreement and led the way down a path which was lit by soft white lanterns planted in the soil, illuminating the nearby orange trees that lined the brick pathway. Petite glowing bulbs wrapped themselves around the base of many of the multiple orange trees lining the way. The translucent glass beads shyly poking out from behind the orange buds, the emerging blossoms wound tightly into themselves to escape the cold weather.
The trickling sound of water resounded from a decorative fountain in the small clearing as the path led to the main attraction: the civic center showcasing Dakota's talented individuals and the results of charitable organizations within the community. The doors to the main building were spread wide open, each held in place by a large pot topped with the Christmas season's flower, the poinsettia. The red petals draped over the edges of the pot as if welcoming visitors inside. The two boys kicked off the snow stuck to the heels of their boots before they made their way through the entrance.
Once inside, they found themselves at the beginning of an art exhibit; an art gallery displaying the masterpieces from professionals and the mediocre attempts of art from students of Dakota's elementary school ranging from kindergarteners through sixth grade. The pair went about scanning various portraits of modern art and still life paintings which hung upon many corridors of the winding building and after about a half hour, they moved onto the section of glazed pottery and intricate sculptors.
A flashy and vibrant dance performance greeted the boys upon their exit of the gallery. Virgil pushed through the crowd that had gathered to see the presentation, finding a spot for them to stand on the outer ring of the spectators. Richie hoisted himself onto a plantar, holding the railing for support as he gazed at the show on a higher level while Virgil was content to remain on the ground below him. The girls, most likely freshmen from the high school's dance team, dressed in uniforms of shimmering gold and royal blue, waved batons and pompoms in sequence. They twirled in array in time with the upbeat music track, mirroring each other's movements as they pileated to and fro across the stage. The crowd cheered as the routine came to a close. Hoots and hollering from a rowdier bunch erupted and Richie and Virgil good-naturedly joined in with whistles and calls of their own. After receiving disapproving looks from a cranky old woman standing in the vicinity of earshot, the pair bust up laughing, sauntering off towards the rest of the carnival on the crowded pathway filled with festival-goers who had just come from the show.
"Here, try this!"
"Ah c'mon man, you know I don't like those! They're nasty!" Richie turned his nose up in disgust at the hotdog which was hovering in front of his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about, you're missing out dude!" Virgil objected, recoiling his offered treat only to take a whopping bite out of the morsel smothered with a load of ketchup and relish. Richie chuckled, noticing the traces of ketchup that had missed his best friend's mouth and were left to remain along the corner of his lips. He sighed, running a hand through his hair
"I think I'll get one of those instead," Richie stood up, walking towards a cart that contained glistening caramel apples. Before he reached it, he took the time to turn around and confront his pal,
"Oh and V, while I'm gone…you might wanna clean up your face." Virgil looked at him in confusion until he felt along his jawline to find ketchup smeared down his chin. Quickly he found a napkin and wiped off the offending substance, hoping that no one besides Richie had seen that. Richie returned moments later, reclining his forearms on the wooden table as he licked his candy-coated apple in satisfaction.
"So I see your face has been introduced to the napkins, hmm?"
"Oh shut up," Virgil playfully shoved his friend, heat rising to his cheeks at the comment. Richie grinned in response, patting his dark companion on the shoulder as they resumed walking down the path again,
"I'm just messing with you man. But seriously, you better not eat like that out in public." Virgil disposed of his hotdog container in a nearby trashcan and returned to mutter,
"I won't!" He dug his hands deep into his pockets, content with kicking a dislodged pebble that had fallen on the pavement.
"Good thing, because next time I might not be there to save you." Richie mentioned, taking a bite out of his apple, the juices mingling thick and sweet on his tongue.
"Nah don't worry about it man, I have better manners than you think I possess." Virgil folded his arms across his chest in defiance,
"Hah, I'd like to see that Virg! I've known you forever and let me tell you, table manners aren't your strong suite." Flabbergasted, Virgil sputtered,
"W-well, people can change, especially if they work hard enough for it!"
"Oh so is that going to be your New Year's resolution, better manners?" Richie smirked, enjoying his friend's floundering responses. Surprisingly, instead of continuing with the debate, Virgil met him with a great counteract to his argument.
"Maybe it will be!" Richie had to give the boy some credit; he sure knew how to make every situation enjoyable, even when they were arguing about Virgil's uncouth etiquette. Richie was cut off from his inner monologue by Virgil who had suddenly become excited after reading the text message he had just received from his mobile device.
"What is it?" He asked, turning to face his friend while taking another bite out of hi treat. Virgil fumbled with his cellphone, clicking on the select button to read the new notice that had appeared in the message box.
"Well I think we should go to a party! It's New Year's Eve anyways, a great opportunity to have some fun and boogie on down." Virgil smiled, scrabbling to form a positive response to the message.
"Woah, woah, woah, V! Whose party and where?" Richie stopped him from replying, gripping the device in order to see the screen. Virgil positioned the small rectangular box close to Richie's face, allowing the blonde to read the message for himself while he paraphrased,
"It's Talia, a girl in my biology class. She just sent me a message inviting us to a party at her house."
"Oh yeah I know her, had sophomore English with her last year. She didn't talk to me much." Richie huffed, slightly taken aback that he was to be invited to an event by someone who hardly knew he existed. Virgil, oblivious to the insecure feelings of his friend, replied,
"She's involved in a lot so don't take it personally, ok?" Richie flashed an inquisitive eyebrow look at that remark before saying,
"Don't take this the wrong way because she's nice and I guess I like her alright, but I don't really see myself as a part of her crowd so I really could care less about what she thinks of me." As a second thought, Richie included,
"And besides, she didn't even invite me-she invited you!" Virgil waved him off nonchalantly,
"Good, I'm glad you don't worry about that sort of thing. Talia will be glad to see you; an invite to me is an invite to you. After all, everyone knows we're best buds so no worries. Let's go." Virgil nodded sagely, heading over towards the crosswalk along Elm Street, setting their course to where the party was just getting started. Richie followed him, gazing to the left at a large willow tree that had sprouted by the side of the street, partially hiding the path from the light of the moon and the stars with its wispy fronds.
"Ah forget it Virg, it doesn't matter-I can get over the fact that we are completely different but hold up, what about the party, her parents are going to be there, right?"
"Dunno, does it matter?" Virgil tilted his head to glance back at his friend, pounding the button to the street timer so that they could cross to the other side of the road.
"Well sort of! You know how my parents are." Richie trailed off, digging his hands into his pockets as Virgil had done before. The pair crossed the street quickly, stepping over the opposite curb in a matter of seconds.
"It's one night Richie! What could happen?" Richie sputtered in shock,
"A lot! We could get lost, arrested by the police or worse, kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped, really Richie? I think you've been reading too many comics lately." Virgil laughed, much to Richie's embarrassment,
"Okay fine, kidnapping might be a little far-fetched but we had better not end up getting in trouble."
"Don't worry, have I steered you wrong before?"
"Let me think about that-yes! There's been at least five cases of when things didn't work out for me because of you in the past month alone! And that doesn't count when you-" Richie found his mouth muffled by a tan hand shoved across his lips. His hazel eyes looked up to find Virgil's face beaming close to his own,
"Hey, you've gotta learn to go with the flow and live with some excitement every once and a while." Richie tugged his friend's palms away from his face and retorted,
"Yeah maybe, but not at my expense, thank you very much!" Virgil ran his hand through his hair to reach the back of his neck, blushing slightly,
"Okay I'll work on it."
"See that you do. Until then, I guess we'll be heading to that party." Virgil whirled around,
"What, really?" Richie nodded, holding the face of his palms up in a position of surrender while he sighed,
"You win." Virgil let out a whoop, raising a fist into the air in excitement. He curled an arm over Richie's shoulder in a friendly manner, pulling him along the quickest route towards the party. Richie made one last protest,
"But Virg, I have to get home soon!"
"Aw don't be like that, we'll have a great time; I promise!"
Flabbergasted, funny word…I've always wanted to use it and so I finally did. And now I feel lame xD Well that certainly took a little while. I hope you liked it and any feedback is wonderful! I wish you all a Happy New Year; let's make the second decade of the 2000s something to be proud of! I hope you all are safe, stay positive and I wish you the best in 2011 and for the rest of your life :)