Chapter 10: Amid The Ruins
Rating: (T-M) Not for Kids.
Pairings: Louis/Clementine, Aasim/Ruby, Brody/Marlon, Violet/Minnie, Duck/Sophie, Mitch/Sarah, etc.
A/N: Episode three came out, and I EJDSJHJKDHS. Anyway. Amid the Ruins, huh? Well, I mean, this chapter kind of matches the description...? I think. Anyway. Boof, here ya go ya little cuties. And again, so sorry. I was supposed to update this way earlier and I didn't. I apologize sincerely.
December 13th
Louis
Louis reached inside his play-chest to retrieve his brand new baseball bat, a bat he was saving for a special occasion. Sure, he can buy about 100 more, but he always preferred to save things.
Grinning at the bat in his hand, he swung it a couple times to test it's mass and grip, content when he found it at perfect composition. You see, he had actually spent a couple hours once in a mall to find the perfect bat, a 'chore' to get his mind and physical body busy. He went out with Marlon that day, accompanied by a girl named Elodie, and her sibling named Colette. It was back in sophomore year anyway, and all he was looking for then was just peace and quiet. He didn't really like to ponder by himself in his room about how bad he fucked up so many years ago.
Shoving it into his backpack, he stuffed the bat in along with his new mitt and extra clothing, as well as the shoes he'd where today. Funny how much of a big deal he's making out of this. For how much people have told him he didn't care, he found it amusing that of all cases, baseball would be the thing that mattered to him most. But, if he had to be honest, it had almost nothing to do with playing baseball. It was his favorite sport, but he hadn't played it in a couple months now. The important thing about this was that all his friends were going to play, including a certain someone he began to start liking. Like, like-liking. And it wasn't at stage one anymore. He often forgot what stage of like-liking he was at.
He swung his backpack over his shoulder, making sure that the end of the bat wouldn't hit his head by accident. Once comforting the backpack against his back, he looked over at the big shiny mirror of what he thought were Closet doors, smiling when he found that his attire was as sharp as can be. Perfect, he couldn't wait to dirty the shit out of it.
He then walked out the door, closing his bedroom door with his leg. With a smile still on his face, he guided his smiley self down the marble stairs, mid-way sliding down along the handle.
Landing, he looked towards the main entrance area, his smile instantly disappearing.
There, he saw his dad holding onto his head, back turned to him, looking wasted.
'Of course.' Louis thought, sighing. 'Dad doesn't work on Saturdays..'
Walking over to him, he felt the same guilt he had felt since the end of their parent's divorce, his consciousness screaming at him, 'What have you done?'
"Hey... Dad." Louis mumbled, standing next to him with his hands on his backpack straps.
His father didn't bother looking up.
Louis frowned, his chest stinging a little from the lack of response.
"Um... I'm going out today. With Clem—Er—My friends. I'll probably be back by noon. I think." Louis stuttered, forcing a smile.
When no response was given, Louis parted away from his dad, frowning. 'Yeah. I didn't think he'd care.' Louis reminded himself, opening the white doors of his house and exiting.
'When has he ever, really?'
Mitch & Willy
Willy looked over at his closet, lips formed in a pout. He was going to finally play some baseball with his brother. Which he hoped would be a fun experience, not a punching fest.
Regarding his backpack with mild dismay, he decided it was best to get a hold of the material and waste it away, as it looked just about to rip into shreds.
Deciding, he left his room and headed off towards his brother's, which he couldn't help but notice was quiet. Weird. By now, Mitch would be playing that stupid fortnite shit again.
He opened the door and entered, finding Mitch arranging his hoodie's sleeve, eyes narrowed towards his own reflection. Was he... posing?
"Mitch." Willy announced bluntly, making Mitch jump and turn to him.
"What? Willy? What the hell, you shit?" Mitch said, huffing in annoyance and turning to him fully. "You're done changing?" Mitch asked, hoping that the jump he did went unnoticed by Willy.
Willy gave him a bored stare.
After a little while, he spoke. "Were you checkin' yourself out in the mirror, there?" Willy asked, dropping his bag and heading over to Mitch's bed.
Mitch rolled his eyes. "Was not.." Willy heard him mumble, crossing his arms.
"Look man, just tell Sarah. It'll be perfectly fine. Mariana said she likes you." Willy said as if nothing was going on, making Mitch blink, confused.
"What?"
Willy raised an eyebrow. "Sarah. Love. Babies. Marriage. You know, that icky stuff." Willy bemused, sticking out his tongue.
Mitch snorted. "You must be stupid, or crazy. Maybe Mariana really got to your head." Mitch observed, making Willy glare at him.
"She's weird. Never say that again." He warned, pointing at him accusingly. Then, his eyes brightened. "Isn't that what you think of Sarah?"
Mitch pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Willy. I never said that." He said exasperatedly, resuming his fixing of his sleeves. He wasn't sure to pull them up or keep them down...
Willy looked confused. "But, you said that you hated her. And that she was too sweet for her own good, and that she might be an easy girl if it weren't for his friends holding back other guys from school." Willy pondered, remembering. "You also said she was too stupid and ignorant. Oh! And that she had this staring problem, and that her stupid hair always kept you distracted—"
"Okay, shut the fuck up! I get your stupid point." Mitch hissed at him, hearing the room to his door creak open.
Willy was about to respond with a sharp remark, but found himself standing up and clamping his mouth shut.
Their mother was at the door, looking upset.
"Why are you two still in your rooms? Willy, I told you to clean out by the back. And I told you," Her pointed finger turned to Mitch, to which he flinched at, "Was supposed to meet me in the grand bedroom." She said sourly, making Willy turn to Mitch abruptly.
Mitch glared at his step-mom, hoping, praying that his dad could come home. "What? No. We're heading out today. This was planned, remember?" Mitch hissed, not up at all for going anywhere with her.
Her already angered eyes flared. "I don't believe I asked for your feelings in this situation. Mitch Mitchelson, you will come downstairs at once, as will Willy." His mother hissed at him, setting her foot down.
"No." Mitch repeated. "No, I'm not joining. Neither is Willy." Mitch responded, voice hard and affirmative.
Their so called mom huffed, entering the room fully. "Now. I'm not playing games." Her hands twiddled behind her, expression angered, irritated, bored.
Mitch scrunched up his nose, eyes glaring right into his stepmom's eyes. Willy stood behind him, worried as his eyes kept at his stepmom's presence.
"No. That's final. Me and Willy are leaving, and that's that. I don't want to deal with your shit again." Mitch hissed, making his Stepmom narrow her eyes even further.
Though, she relented. "Fine. We don't require of your presence in the house at the moment anyway. See yourself out as soon as possible." She told him, leaving his room, door slamming into the wall.
Willy let out a breath and parted away, looking up at Mitch.
Mitch stared down at the carpeted flooring of his room, face scrunched up in absolute anger. Who does she think she is, forcing him into something he can't do? Why did he ever get adopted in the fucking first place? This was the last straw. An older woman shouldn't want something like that from their own adoptive son. It isn't right. This wasn't right.
"Mitch...?" Willy whispered, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Mitch sighed through his nose and turned to Willy, anger relented. "Yeah?" He asked, crossing his arms.
Willy shook his head. "Come on. We gotta go play at the park, remember?" He reminded him, making Mitch nod.
"Right. I forgot about that. Grab the two bats in my closet, yeah?" Mitch asked, smiling a little.
Willy smiled back, nodding. "Aye, Aye, sir!" Willy said dorkily, dashing towards his closet.
Mitch shook his head, snorting. He often forgot how much of a stupid ass his brother could be.
He looked back at his bedroom door, eyes narrowing. Sometimes he wishes his so called parents were better. Those shitheads never gave a fuck about them. Especially the so called 'lady' of the house. He'll be happy the day arrives when he can finally afford to live by himself.
"Got em'!" Willy announced, snorting at his joke.
Mitch turned back to Willy and grinned. "Nice. Let's get going. I don't want to deal with their shit." Mitch chuckled, grabbing the bat Willy was offering to him.
Willy nodded. "I totally agree." He said, leveling his cap, spitting onto the floor.
Mitch made a face. "Dude, what the fuck? This is carpet. Not wood." Mitch told him, and Willy looked down, realizing.
"Oh shit..." He mumbled.
"Dumbass." Mitch shook his head, heading for his door, off to join the rest of his friends.
Willy rolled his eyes, following after him. "Stupidass." He muttered.
"What?" Mitch asked, raising an eyebrow.
Willy looked innocent. "Nothing."
Violet & Molly
Violet snorted as she saw her older sibling Molly scurry off to check her cooking, worried as fuck. "This shit wouldn't happen if your dumbass would pay attention to the food, not your sex toy." Violet said, pushing the pickaxe 'Hilda' aside towards the edge of the table.
Molly, while moving around the Chicken Parfait, glared over her shoulder at Violet. "Shut the fuck up. At least I know how to cook and climb shit." Molly told her, making Violet snort.
"You'll eat your own ass when I enter that stupid baking-cookie contest the day before Christmas eve. Bet you some chicken nuggets for it that I'll win." Violet said, grinning.
Molly rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I hate chicken nuggets."
Violet shrugged, standing up. "Oh yeah, forgot to tell ya this, but I kinda have a stupid baseball game today." Violet told her, stretching her arms.
Molly gave her sister a once-over. "Is that why you have that ugly base-shit getup?" She asked, making Violet scowl.
"Shut up. At least I don't look like a hobo everyday." Violet brought up, making Molly snort.
"Russell doesn't disagree. Maybe that's why I hate him so much." Molly concluded, humming.
Violet made a face. "Bitch, he's your boyfrien—"
"Don't you have a game to go to?" Molly asked, smirking.
Violet gagged. "Ew. You suck. Literally." Violet mumbled.
Molly smugly smiled. "I give better head, tho."
"Ugh, shut up." Violet growled, heading out the kitchen.
"You can't shut me up, clearly I have the upper hand here." Molly yelled, and Violet rolled her eyes, not understanding why her sister could be such a confused shitfuck. Huh... Now that she realized it, that was a good comeback. Well, maybe not. Wait.
"Whatever!" Violet yelled back, smirking, "At least you admit you're a hoe!"
"That doesn't even make sense, stupidass!"
"Yes it does!"
"So I can't suck my own boyfriend's Dick!?"
"Dude, why are we yelling!?"
"I don't know! Just fucking leave already, god!"
"Hah!"
Ruby & Brie
"There ain't no way." Ruby mumbled to herself, crossing her arms.
"Ain't no way in what, Rubbs?" Brie asked, stopping her sewing.
Ruby looked over at her aunt, making a face. "Do I really haf'ta wear this?" Ruby asked, staring down at the baseball attire with dismay.
Brie sighed, resuming her work. "I dunno. Best if ya do. Ain't no way any one of ya friends wearin' nothin' but plain casual clothin'." She informed her, making Ruby groan.
"Alright... If it means bein' prepared..."
"Ain't you tryna' impress that Ass fella?" Brie asked, smiling when she heard Ruby sputter.
"It's Aasim, BriBri. And hell! Ain't no way I'm lookin' for no man-"
"I never said gettin' hooked up, did I?" Brie asked, giggling to herself when Ruby growled and grabbed onto the outfit, making her way out the door. "Make sure to take ya sweet time lickin'!"
"Shut up, Brie! I don't have time for your horse shit!"
"But you ain't sayin' otherwise!" Brie yelled back, making Ruby flush.
Not out of anger, but of other things... Or maybe anger. Ruby was known to be angry. "Ugh... Ain't no damn help.." Ruby muttered, feeling a buzz on her cell.
Taking it out of her pocket, she found it on with a message from Aasim on her lock-screen.
'Is it required to wear ugly baseball costumes?'
Ruby looked around to check and see if her aunt or siblings were around, pleased to find no one here with her.
'Ye.'
'Is that meant to be 'Yes'?' The message popped up immediately, causing for her to be surprised.
'No shit Sherlock'
'Nobody says that anymore.'
'Well, I say it'
'Well, I guess you get a pass then.'
Ruby smiled down at her phone. "Weirdo..." She mumbled, pressing down again at the keypad.
'At 2:00, right?' She asked, pressing send.
'Ye.' He repeated in the message, making her snort.
Aasim
Aasim flushed and turned off his phone, smiling goofily to himself inside his surprisingly messy room. Not that he'll admit it to anyone, but frankly, this is the first time he's come unprepared for an occasion. And all because he was too busy texting Ruby all night yesterday...
And how did that happen, might you say?
Well, honestly, it all started back in Halloween. When he commented something on her outfit that he liked, which he remembered made her blush—he was sure of it—and start making her a little uncomfortable. Well, it was obvious that she didn't like to flirt, well, just in general really, and so he stopped for the night, respecting her wishes. Though, while the card game was being played, he remembered a particular comment from her that made his whole mind explode and go stupid.
"Ya know. It's like we're datin' or somthin'."
Aasim's flush deepened with red when he remembered, and he let out a breath, continuing with his duty to find his missing old baseball clothes.
Anyway... How he got her number? Simple. Ruby gave it to him. At the card game. As a dare. And though she claimed to be displeased by Louis for allowing this, he could very perfectly remember how... unrepentant she was to give it to him. In fact, he could've sworn that he spotted a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, but maybe that was just his mind playing tricks on him.
From that day forward, he managed to find little ways to engage conversation with her through text, from 'What the Homework' was, to 'what she would decide if she ever forgot anything school related'. He always knew the answers to all of those questions, but when she answered them, he realized she was just as on task as he was. Which was probably one of the reasons why he fell for her, scratching out the fact that he thought her own appearance was really pretty. Red Hair, blanched complexion... FRECKLES—
"I should really continue looking for my damn clothes." He muttered to himself, toning down his blush.
Now was not the time to mingle around with his loving thoughts about Ruby, now was the time to... play. Baseball.
Ugh.
"I hate you Louis." He mumbled, not entirely meaning it.
Marlon, Wyatt, and Eddie
"Wyatt, can you not?" Marlon groaned, banging his forehead against his bedroom wall.
Wyatt, his much older cousin, continued to play his game, while his friend Eddie ate and ate and ate and ate—
"Fuck off Mar. Gotta screw these tracks over." Wyatt mumbled, tapping at the PS4 controller repeatedly, his thumbs grazing over the buttons.
Marlon glared. He turned his head, ready to yell downstairs, "Moooooom—"
"God Dammit, what, dude?" Wyatt groaned, pausing his game, turning to Marlon who still looked hardcore pissed off. Of course he would go for his parents. What a dick.
Marlon, upon seeing that Wyatt's attention was grabbed, smiled a little. Though, he dropped it. "Can your fatass move? I need to get my gear from under what's left of my bed." Marlon growled, and Wyatt, considering his options, sighed, getting up.
Eddie remained seated, though only scooted away while his eyes were glued at the paused screen of the game.
While Marlon got what he needed, Eddie looked over at Wyatt, raising an eyebrow.
"Dude." Eddie said, mouth full of potato chips, "What're you complaining about? That road's as straight as my dick." He humored, and Wyatt face-palmed.
"Dude, no. Don't talk about your dick. I'm trying to enjoy myself today." He commented, making Eddie snort and resume eating.
Marlon, who was in the room, rolled his eyes, opening up the big cardboard box containing his many mitts of his past baseball games. Huh... And to think that all these years, Louis was right. Best Buds always keep their promise. From their first Baseball Game, till their game now. Damn. 11 fucking years... Grabbing onto a semi-used mitt, he quickly shoved the box back into his bed, making sure not to touch the icky blanket with tons of crumbs over it. Ugh. Ew.
Wyatt, once seeing that Marlon was done, muttered out a 'finally' and sat down, unpausing his game and playing.
Marlon gave them the stink eye. He was absolutely tired of their shit. Sure, it was nice of them to come by, but this was taking it to far. They were gonna pay for this, that's for sure. Where did Louis keep his stash of candy anyway?
"Make sure not to be a bitch on your way out." Eddie said, trying to lighten up the sour mood.
Marlon glared. Though, before leaving, he grinned. "By the way," He started, and this time, Eddie looked up as well. "What Dick, dude?" Marlon mimicked, and Wyatt rolled his eyes, not taking them off the screen. Eddie made a face that clearly expressed his masculinity was just absolutely destroyed, and it took every ounce of Wyatt not to yell out 'OoooHHHHH'.
Marlon shrugged and got out of his room, satisfied over the fact that he had everything ready. Now he just needed to call each of his friends...
"Dammit, why am I the one always in charge?"
Brody and Bonnie
Brody twirled around in her room, humming to herself one of her favorite tunes she was going to use from her and Marlon's upcoming road trip. Well, everybody was coming to the occasion, which only excited her more. Brody decided that today would be the perfect time to tell them they'd spend the day before the holiday together, as one big happy friendship group. It was obvious it might not go so well, but she could care less.
Setting her box of used make up down, she inspected her mascara in her mirror, scrunching up her lips in a pout. Don't get her wrong, she was just being a girl. And if she had to be perfectly honest, she loved make up. She may not wear it all the time, but it was certainly an added bonus of happiness for her whenever she would, mostly because Marlon seemed surprised every time. He just always told her how pretty she was, and how make up shouldn't really define who she was...
It doesn't sound like him, sure, but what he tells her are beautiful things, when alone.
Their nights together in her room, watching on her laptop with him by her side, or on the corner of her bed, making out like any other couple would do.
She enjoyed every minute of his company. And even if he pissed her off greatly whenever his stubborn butt wouldn't comprehend, she still loved him nonetheless. And she hoped with all her might, that whatever he was telling her now wasn't a lie.
That he loved her so much, that he wanted her and only her.
That he wouldn't switch her up for any other girl in the world, that because of her, his life was more content that it used to be.
Of course, sure, he was a pig, but that's just what he seriously was. You think I'm lying? Ask Louis about how he kept ogling at Brody during 8th when his hormones started to kick up.
Anyway...
Brody sighed contently, letting a small smile play at her face. It was stupid and girly to think about how much she loved him, but she could care less. Her mother didn't mind it at all, and was told that it's perfectly normal for a girl to think about all the times she's spent with her boyfriend/husband.
Speaking of her mother...
"Mom?" Brody called from her room, looking at her open door.
Bonnie, who was just strolling past with a laundry basket, stopped, putting the basket down.
"What is it, sweetie?" Bonnie asked, peeking into the room.
Brody fiddled with her fingers, a little nervous. She breathed in, and exhaled, trying to calm herself. "Um... Would it be okay if I went out with my friends today? It's because—"
Bonnie waved a hand and smiled. "No need, sweetheart. Marlon already called, and I gotta say, that lil' man sounded a lil' nervous over the phone. It's perfectly fine, sweetie. I'll allow it, just this once." Bonnie chuckled, making Brody swell with happiness.
"Oh, thanks, ma'! I'll be back at 7:00 sharp!" Brody told her happily, making Bonnie shake her head and pick up the basket just outside of the hall.
"Don't go runnin' around that Marlon fella', ya hear? Men ain't shit." Bonnie said to her, smiling kindly when she saw Brody pout.
"But Mom, he's different, I swear." Brody mumbled, making Bonnie sigh.
"I know, I know. But they say one thing, and end up breaking it afterwards. Don't get too attached, it ain't right for a pretty young woman like yourself to be cryin' over a man that ain't worth shit." Bonnie instructed her, putting the laundry basket to the side of her hips.
Brody, not in the mood for arguing, nodded, considering her mother's words. She hated that she was right. Not all men promised sincerely.
"Now run along. I ain't 'bout to see ya makin' out with ya boyfriend here. Or else yo momma kickin' him out." Brody humored, making Brody smile.
"I promise you, Ma'."
Sarah & Carlos
Sarah hopped happily about in the kitchen, retrieving food after food to place into her basket. Today was going to be a long day, and she was sure that most of her friends might not buy food for themselves. And she can't have that! So hence, she prepared about two sandwiches for each of her friends, and had herself a good plate of eggs with tortilla in the morning before her father left to commit an errand.
Now, here she was, covering the small sandwich in paper before wrapping it in tinfoil, and putting it into a plastic baggy. She's been working on making sandwiches since this morning, and was set to finish right at 12:30, enough time for her to take her sweet time and buy more things for her friends.
She wasn't going to participate in the game, so she didn't bother with mitts, clothing, or bats. At least, she thinks. Brody had told her through text she wasn't going to play either, but when she asked Mariana, she insisted that she'd at least bring some clothes to maybe play in.
Sarah decided to just listen to Mariana and opted for a plain white t-shirt and normal extendable girl jeans, along with some tennis shoes. She decided not to bring her glasses, as she was going to probably move around a lot, so she went for her normal brown contacts, something she really hated to wear. Glasses were just so much easier. Well, not really. They bothered the heck out of her when they got foggy, or when they just so happened to be dirty.
Looking over at the plants on her kitchen's window, a thought popped to her mind.
She wondered what Mitch was going to bring, or if he even played baseball...
Sarah blushed a little at the thought of seeing him play, and flushed a burning red when she remembered his words a couple of days ago about that stupid idiot topic that when on during lunch.
It was a bit weird to hear him admit such a thing, and completely baffling when she could obviously tell he was blushing.
It was stupid.
Well... No it wasn't, that was probably just mean of her to say..
Sarah sighed. "I wonder..." She mumbled, spotting a small pink tulip from her dad's pretty vases, tulips which he placed for her so that she could have or take to school with her.
She'd actually began to think about bringing tulips for him, just to signify they were best buds now. She did that with anyone she thought of as special, which was why her dad bought a lot. Sarah was the type to think everyone was special as can be. She'd actually been trying to give him flowers since Halloween, but could never have or be willing for the chance.
Maybe she should...
Plucking off a flower, she flushed, staring down at it. "I hope he likes flowers..." She mumbled, grinning stupidly at the thought of his face brightening upon seeing her gift.
He did mention cafe's were nice.
Their flowers were nice, he said. But he would much rather prefer bombs.
Which was weird...
"Oh well." She shrugged, grabbing a dozen more flowers for her friends, later proceeding to tape each one along a sandwich.
The Twins: Minerva and Sophie, and Tenn
The Twins stared at each of their outfits, making a face.
"That's mine." They both said at the same time, eyes glued to their outfits.
"Pretty sure mom switched our outfits again." Minnie mumbled, looking at the long hard M along her sister's shoulder.
"Really, when has she haven't?" Sophie asked exasperatedly, giving her a look.
Minnie hummed. "True. You think we can just go like this and no one will notice?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Sophie hummed. "Doubt it. But Duck is another story..."
Minnie rolled her eyes. "It's like you're married to him or something. You notice every little detail." Minnie told her, making Sophie scoff.
Sitting down, Sophie gave her sister the stink eye. "Quit talkin'. Don't make me mention the fact you almost fucked Violet last week. In our room, no less." Sophie hissed, making Minnie flush.
"That's different."
"Cha' right. Different how? At least I don't go around trying to suck Duck's dick." Sophie muttered, making Minnie think otherwise.
"You sound suspicious."
"And you sound stupid. Come on, we gotta tell Tenn to dress up. And to get him new boots. I dunno why we kept taping those old ones." Sophie said, standing up.
Minnie shrugged. "Eh. Gotta save up money for Ma', remember?"
Sophie nodded. "I guess." Then, she paused.
"You think anyone's gonna come dressed up?" She asked, making Minnie chuckle.
"Pretty sure. Unless Brody doesn't do it. Highly doubt the others would, though." Minnie said, heading out of their room.
Sophie laughed.
Duck & Kenny
Duck sighed. "Dad. Can I borrow yer' bat?" He asked, looking around for his t-shirt in a pile of 'clean' clothes.
Kenny, who was drinking a beer, looked up, surprised. "Why?" He asked, making Duck sigh again.
"Me n' Clem are playin' a baseball game with that Smiles Fella'." Duck explained, brightening upon noticing his favorite horse shit shirt.
"Louis or that one fucker from Math?" Kenny asked, making Duck snort.
"Louis, pa'." Duck answered, grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his long-sleeved white undershirt.
Kenny nodded in affirmation. Then, he grinned. "Ain't he with Clem?" Kenny asked, sipping his beer.
Duck grinned back, turning over to his father and messing up his semi-long hair. "Hell yeah. Ain't no way they ain't." Duck agreed, walking up to the fridge in the kitchen, exiting the living room.
Kenny laughed a little. "Who would'a thought, huh? Lil' old Clem, finally havin' a boyfriend. And to think she never liked talkin' about no damn kissin' shit." Kenny laughed, changing the channel with the remote.
Duck came back with a bag in his hands, along with some chips. "For real though, pa', where's the Bat?" He asked, and Kenny pointed over behind the T.V.
Grabbing the bat, he smiled and exit the living room, looking up at his old wooden clock to check the time. 10:37...
"Aight pa', I'll be headin' out. See ya later." Duck said, and Kenny, to signal that he heard him, waved his hand back, eyes still glued to the screen.
Once out, Duck turned to his father's white truck, checking to make sure his keys were on him.
Once making sure, he unlocked the car's door and headed inside, slamming the keys into the ignition and heading off towards the park they mentioned. But first, he needed to visit the convenience store by the gas station to buy some treats for himself.
Gabe, Mariana, Javier, and Kate
"Mariana what the hell? Did you actually not go out to buy the stupid baseball things again!?" Gabe complained, looking through the bags his step mom brought home from the grocery store the other day.
Mariana shrugged. "I forgot, okay? Plus, I didn't wanna ask mom about it. I was scared she might say no again..." Mariana mumbled, stuffing a couple of Cheetos into her mouth.
Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now what the hell are we gonna do?" Gabe asked, turning to his sister with his eyes narrowed.
Mariana stuck out her tongue. "You can suck it. I got my own clothing anyway. Why can't you just wear your P.E shit from freshman year?" Mariana asked, and glared down at her bag when there were no more Cheetos.
Gabe gave her a pointed look. "Oh, wow, that's a great idea! I'll just go ahead and wear a worn out white t-shirt that's two sizes too small!" Gabe said with a sarcastic nature, waving his hands around with a stupid grin on his face.
Mariana threw the bag over her shoulder, glaring. Then she thought twice about it and picked it up again, as she did not want her step-mom yelling at her again to pick it the fuck up. Or her aunt hitting her for it... "This is your fault, you know." Mariana accused, tossing the piece of trash into the trash bin. "If your lazy-ass would've actually went to the store—"
"Lazy? Javi put me to fucking clean this whole place up, you're the one who went with mom so that you wouldn't have to clean! Lazy my ass." He muttered, ruffling up his hair.
"Exactly. Your ass is lazy." She said, making him blink and narrow his eyes.
"You know what? I'll just head out myself. I'll ask mom for the money—"
"Who's selling drugs again?" Javier came in, holding onto a tray of plates with a humorous smile on his face.
Mariana face-palmed. "Dang it, Dad! I just ran out of cocaine!" Mariana falsely groaned, making Javi snort.
"Okay, enough of that. What's the deal with your screaming?" He asked, strolling past the living room and into the kitchen. Gabe and Mariana followed.
Gabe sighed and pulled out a chair, and sat. "Mariana forgot to buy the stupid baseball things again." Gabe muttered, glaring at her from across the table.
Mariana shrugged, turning to Javi. "Wasn't my fault. He should be responsible for his own things." She said, making Gabe roll his eyes.
Javier put the plates down and turned to them, raising an eyebrow. "I see your point Gabe. But I also see Mari's, so I can't chose either of you." He tsked, eliciting a 'come on!' from both of them.
"It's her fault for forgetting!"
"It's his fault for not being responsible!"
"It's both of your faults." Javi concluded, making them stop talking. "Look, if you guys need some baseball gear, I have some in my room. You didn't even need to go out in the first place." Javi stated simply, making both of them blink in silence.
Then, they both shot up in their chairs, and quickly ran past Javi and up to his room, yelling across the entire house that 'everything's mine!'
Javi, who was smiling, shook his head. "Jeez, estos niños.."
Omar
"Yes. This is the perfect picture for my aesthetic." Omar said with a grin on his face, snapping a picture of the breakfast he made for himself and for his mom.
His breakfast consisted of sunny-side eggs with a touch of bacon and orange juice, complimented with a small muffin-cake baked with chocolate bits. As his mom always said, gotta balance out the sour with the sweet. In this case it was salt and sweet, but the same rule applies.
Now, as he sat at the table with his phone in his hand, he thought about the caption he should place before he would upload it into SnapChat. Of course, it needs to have a perfect pun to it, something just right. Just like his food. It only takes a little patience to eat right.
"Hmm..." He mumbled, typing a sentence and then deleting it. Nothing fit right. Even if he tried breakfast puns, he still ended up with something missing. Baseball missing. It wasn't perfect for him until he found a perfect food pun that meshed well with what he was going to do today. Eggscellent Home-Meal? Orange You glad you got to 1st base? Actually, that one sounds like a sex joke, ew.
He sighed, narrowing his eyes, trying to figure it out.
That's when his mom came in, carrying around her lovely white purse and her beautiful sun-dress. "Omar hun? Why you ain't eatin'?" She asked, placing her purse down on the table and going to the fridge.
Omar shrugged. "Can't find a good caption for this picture." He said plainly, still trying to figure it out.
His mom made a face. "Is that why? Hun, you needa eat. But I understand. Hell. I can't find no good captions either when it comes to my pictures!" She said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.
Omar nodded simply, disinterested. Again, too busy thinking.
At the silence, his mom sighed.
"What's the caption supposed to be about? Breakfast?" She asked, grabbing a piece of bacon and munching on it.
"And Baseball." He replied, starting to get frustrated. How hard is it to make a stupid baseball-breakfast pun?
His mom thought about it. Then, she brightened. "You made eggsn' bacon, didn't you? How about 'Bacon, ain't that a catch?'" His mom suggested, making Omar look up, surprised.
"Actually... that's not a bad one. Bacon it is." He concluded, quickly typing it up before putting it in his story.
His mom, proud of herself, grinned at him. "Told ya yo momma smarter than any other woman."
"That's obvious, Mom." He agreed, making her laugh joyfully.
And Finally... Clementine, Lee, and A.J
"Heading out with your friends?" Lee asked, hands holding onto a newspaper, glasses at the bridge of his nose.
Clementine, who was sneaking into the kitchen, paused, her heart dropping. Once turned around however, her heart rate controlled. "Yeah." She said simply, crossing her arms. "Why?"
Lee, who stopped looking at the newspaper, turned to her, smiling. "Just trying to make sure you're not gonna go out partying with those baseball clothes on." Lee chuckled, looking back at his newspaper.
"Ha. Ha." Clem said while rolling her eyes, smiling. "You can't stop me, Lee. I've got super-teenage girl powers." Clem said jokingly, making him shake his head.
"Oh no, my weakness! Not hip lingo!" Lee played along, earning a small giggle out from Clem.
That's when A.J came in running, pajama's out and about. He looked about ready to burst. "Can I go, can I go?" He asked quickly, already searching around the living room for his shoes.
"Go where, kiddo?" Clem asked, giggling to herself as A.J tried fixing his already poofed up hair.
"I dunno, wherever you go I guess." He said, sticking his tongue out while he inspected himself on the glass of the coffee table.
Clementine shook her head. "Not today, Kiddo. Hate to break it to you, but today only the old kids are going." Clementine said a little wistfully, feeling a little bad for leaving him out. She can't exactly have him get hit in the head with a bat.
A.J, upon hearing that, slumped, pouting. "Aw, c'mon! We're supposed to be—"
"How about you go out shopping with me today, son?" Lee asked, already folding the newspaper.
Upon hearing that however, A.J brightened and began to look for his shoes again. "Yeah, yeah!" He said excited, unaware of the thumbs up Lee gave to Clementine.
Clementine smiled at Lee, giving a thumbs back. "Thanks Lee." She whispered, making her way outside her door, backpack on her shoulder.
"I'll see you guys later okay? Try not to have too much fun without me!" She said happily, making Lee laugh.
"We'll have the most fun, just watch Clem. You're missing out!" A.J called back, looking under the couch for his shoes. Golly, where'd he put them this time?
"Be careful, sweetie! Kick some butt out there!" Lee said to her aloud, making her smile brightly.
"Will do," She said, "Dad." She muttered, closing the door of her house.
BACK TO THE THING
"I'm really sorry, Clem. I didn't realize how... pushing I was being." Mariana mumbled, looking down, upset.
Clementine, who had just arrived to the respected park, stopped, a little surprised. Looking behind her, she realized that Mariana had actually been waiting for her, as her stuff was right beside one of the benches close to the West Baseball Fences. That was odd... Clementine had not long ago arrived, and Mariana pops in out of nowhere with her stuff set and ready? Why was she apologizing?
"I didn't want you to feel bad. I was just hoping that... I don't know... You'd have a chance with that James guy. I'm sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable. I know it's not the best feeling." Mariana told her sincerely, making Clementine think it over.
She noticed how unsure Mariana was, how upset she looked, and sighed, deciding it was best to forgive rather than forget. What harm did Mariana do anyway? All she was doing was pushing her into something new. Which sometimes, it isn't a bad thing. Smiling, Clementine shook her head.
"I forgive you." Clementine told her earnestly, watching her expression form from upset, to surprised.
"R-Really?" Mariana asked, looking up at her.
Clementine nodded. "Of course. No harm done." She shrugged, giving her an assuring smile.
Mariana said nothing.
Then, all of a sudden, she jumped in place, happy as can be. "So does this mean we can still be friends!?" She asked happily, clapping her hands together cutely.
Clementine chuckled, nodding. "Duh. Why wouldn't we be?" She asked, a little confused.
Mariana beamed. "Oh, I'm so glad you aren't those petty angry women! Thanks for forgiving me, Clementine, I owe you. In fact, I might have what I owe right now!" Mariana said quickly, zipping to her backpack on the floor carrying around her knee pads and helmet for the game. They looked new, so Clementine might have thought that her and her brother went out to buy some. Huh... Now that she mentions her Brother...
"Mariana, what the hell!? I told you to wait for me! I was all awkward at the cashier line!" Gabe hissed, bat in hand, his other holding an almost empty similar backpack. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be breathing heavily. Clementine could faintly see a bead of sweat from his forehead, which only concluded to her that he ran here. (Okay, just so you guys aren't confused, Javi did have some gear, but only like, one bat and one shirt. They needed like mitts and shit, so they just decided to ask Javi for sum moneh. Etc.)
Mariana shrugged. "You were pissing for too long, pendejo." She snickered, making him become even redder. Though it just seemed that he was embarrassed.
Heaving a sigh, Gabe took off his trusty beanie, wiping his forehead. "You're lucky I'm good at running." He mumbled, shoving the slightly sweaty beanie into his backpack.
Mariana raised her eyebrows. "What the? Are you dumb? The team building wasn't even gonna start until 1:30!" Mariana exclaimed, making him groan.
"What? Are you serious? But Marlon said—"
Clementine snorted, interrupting him. "Marlon said at that time, but do you really think that the rest of the group would arrive at this time on a Saturday?" She asked him, making him blush.
"I guess you have a point..." He muttered, a little wearied down.
Mariana wrapped a piece of bandage onto her wrists, glaring down at it. "She's not the only one with a point..."
Clementine and Gabe turned to her, saying out a "What?"
Mariana, upon realizing that they might of heard her, perked up, eyes widening. "Huh? Oh, no. Nothing."
Gabe narrowed his eyes. "Are you serious, right in front of—I—I—mean, that's stupid." He chuckled nervously, making Clementine laugh a little over how awkward he was being.
Mariana face-palmed.
"Have you guys heard of Louis or the others yet?" Clementine asked to change the subject, wondering if any of them would come early, or much later.
Mariana nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Sarah said her and The Twins would come over. Mitch and Louis also mentioned that they'd be coming a little over 1:00." Mariana explained, ripping off the end of the bandage and clipping it on with a pin.
Gabe shook his head as he watched her. "I don't think. It's like, 12:53. You know how Mitch is with buying snacks. And that's nothing compared to Duck or his brother." Gabe cringed.
Mariana jumped in place. "His brother? His brother's coming too!?" She exclaimed, suddenly excited.
Gabe took out his phone and turned it on, opening up the messages. "Um..." He read over the message, frowning. "Yeah... Pretty sure. And who knows how he's like. During games, that is." Gabe said while putting his phone away, not before turning it off.
Mariana squealed and brought her hands close to her chest, her mood lifted by a million. "I can finally see him again! Do you guys realize how long it's been?" She asked them, picking up her bat and poking her brother in the face with the handle end.
Gabe pushed it away, giving her a dry look. "Two days ago? During lunch? You are aware he goes to school with us, right?" Gabe asked her, though sighed exasperatedly when all she did was go on her phone to tell her so called friend named Becca or something. (Remember Becca from 400 Days? Ye? That's her.)
Clementine turned to Gabe. "When's Marlon coming through?" She asked him, noticing the way his cheeks bloomed red.
"U-Uh... I think he's on his way... I-I don't know. I asked Louis but he didn't know either." Gabe told her, making her nod.
"Well, I guess we'll have to wait." She said, dropping her bat. She then headed over to sit at the bench, awaiting their friends arrival.
"The gay has arrived." Violet announced herself, accompanied by the Twins and Sarah, who face-palmed.
"Indeed." Minnie said, winking at Violet who rolled her eyes.
Sarah and Sophie mocked them, making Clementine smile at their humor.
"I thought for a second nobody but me, Gabe, and Mari was gonna show up." Clem said honestly, going up to them for a greeting. Mariana did the same, while Gabe just waved from where he sat down on the bench, phone out.
Sarah shook her head, moving the basket in her arms. "Why wouldn't we? Friends stick together." She said happily, making Gabe cry out an 'amen' from the back.
Violet snorted. "You'd be surprised how many times we left Marlon hanging. The days you couldn't go out." She told Sarah, making Sophie nod with a speck of excitement in her eyes.
"Totally. We bailed on him like, I think 27 times now." Sophie said, thinking about it.
"Actually, 29. The time where he invited us over at his house, and that one time we missed out that in-n-out meeting." Minnie corrected, getting a nod from Violet.
"Ohh yeah... I keep forgetting about that..." Sophie mumbled.
Minnie gave her a look. "Yeah, you keep forgetting that because those were the only days you ended up passing out from those stupid new Disney movies coming out." She pointed out, making Sophie scoff.
"Excuse me, but we're talking about Frozen here. I knew I should've let you go." Sophie said, getting a smack in the head by Minnie.
"Do one more pun, and boom, dead."
"Say one more negative thing about frozen and then boom, you're dead."
"Elsa's kinda hot." Marlon announced out of nowhere, wearing a grin on his face. Brody, who somehow found a way to come with him, smacked his arm playfully.
Sarah smiled. "Hi Marlon!"
Violet gave Marlon a look. "Of course your horny ass would think so. What's next? You wanna bang Olaf, too?" Violet asked, making Clementine laugh.
"Actually," Gabe called from behind them, making them turn around, "He wanted to fuck that one deer. Sven, I think?" Gabe jumped in, thinking.
"He's a reindeer, you fuckshit. If you're gonna expose me, do it right!" Marlon yapped, making Violet and the twins snort.
Sarah just merrily went to the picnic area to set up the sandwiches she brought, Brody joining in just because she already dealt with enough of Marlon's shit.
"Did you guys say reindeer? My pa' actually killed one!" Duck said happily, coming along with a severely annoyed Aasim holding onto plastic bags. "It was actually back in Alabama—"
"Hey Duck."
"Hi Duck!"
"No one cares." Violet deadpanned.
Duck paused. "Hey! and. Oh. Well, anyway—"
"Have you heard of Louis, Mitch, or the others yet?" Clementine asked, opting to ignore Duck's story about a gun and a deer.
Marlon, who cringed at Duck, turned to Clementine, a little surprised. "Huh... No. But Louis said something about coming after 1:00—"
"It's already 1:22." Clementine said shortly, giving him a look.
Marlon seemed confused. "Huh... Maybe they went out to buy chips. You know how Mitch is with his stomach."
"And his stupid dirty mind." Violet added, nodding her head at Sarah.
Clementine sighed. "That whole discussion was a mess to begin with." She said, making Violet nod.
"It was a great experience. Now I have blackmail." Violet said, taking out her phone and waving it around.
"Wait, you recorded that?" Marlon asked, a sudden fear lurching in his throat.
Violet responded by unlocking her phone and repeating the stuff he said about fucking Louis.
Duck made a face, shaking his head. "Jeez, Mullet. And I thought I was a lil' gay."
"You are gay."
"Not this again." Clementine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. It was only mid-day. Can't they all just get a break?
Violet smirked. "Do I have to remind you of the fact that you wanted to fuck So—"
"Hey y'all!" Ruby greeted, a little gleeful despite her sour mood this morning.
Aasim, upon seeing her, blushed a little, but returned the greeting back with a tiny wave and smile.
"Well, if it ain't my southern sista'!" Duck exclaimed, offering her a fist bump.
Ruby took it, smiling politely. "Well hey to ya too, Kenneth." Ruby addressed. It wasn't weird that she called him Kenneth. She was the only person in the friendship group who called people from their formal name. Sure, she can call Louis 'Lou', Violet 'Vi', or Clementine 'Clem', but only because it was faster of her to say it. If that makes sense.
"Glad you could make it, Rubbs. Now the only people missing are Mitch, Willy, Louis, and—"
"I'm here." Omar announced blandly, coming up to them while texting on his phone. Was he always glued to that thing?
"Well alright then. Only The Mitchelsons and Louis." Marlon said, going a little skeptical that Louis of all people was the last to arrive. As far as Marlon knew, Louis always came early to things. Extra early, if Clementine was in the mix.
Violet looked a little skeptical about it as well. "You think anything happened to them?" She asked, crossing her arms.
Duck snorted, fixing the cap on his head. "Doubt it, Vi. Mitch's the only man I know willin' to take on another bitchin' folk." Duck said, grinning. "I know for a fact Louis might get fucked over, though. Though, I ain't gon' lie, Louis is an excellent fighta'." Duck mused, turning to Clementine who looked midly surprised.
"Fighter? I imagined him more of a pacifist." She admitted honestly, making Marlon snort.
"Don't blame ya. He's known to be blamed like that. He can be pretty scary when angry." Marlon said, then paused. "Don't tell him I said that. He'll never let it go." Marlon warned, making Violet roll her eyes.
Gabe then came in, beanie gone, baseball clothing on. "Mitch said that Louis is with him, and that they're almost here." Gabe added, making Marlon nod. "He also mentioned we should start picking the teams, just in case they don't arrive on time."
"They're already late." Violet and Clementine said in unison, glaring.
Gabe shrunk. "Right. Well. We should start. Who's team captain?" He asked, glad when the girls' gazes were no longer on him. At his question, the rest of them gathered up, the exception being Sarah and Brody, who were still somehow setting up the table.
"I should be team captain." Violet and Duck said at the same time. They snapped their heads to one another, both of them surprised.
Marlon grinned, crossing his arms. "Well. It'll only be fair if the team captains are Louis and Clementine. Hence, their dare." Marlon explained, cutting off the murmuring that suddenly started between Duck and Violet.
Duck scowled. "Aw c'mon, Mullet! Clem ain't half'a good as me—"
"Excuse me?" Clementine hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Louis doesn't even give a shit about baseball. Fuck, neither do I, why the hell am I even in this?" Violet growled, shouldering past Marlon to sit down on the bench angrily.
Duck huffed. "I guess yer' just as bleached as yer' lame blonde hair!" Duck yelled, turning away from his friends.
"What'd you say, you shithead?" Violet hissed, balling up her fists. Oh hell no. Not the mood to be dissing her.
Marlon face-palmed. "Guys—"
"No, no, shut the fuck up. What was that about my hair, you fuck?" Violet asked, cracking her knuckles.
Duck scowled at her. "Nothing. Just saying that it was dry and bleached. And ugly. And—"
Clementine sighed, pinching her nose. "Duck. I'll be team captain. Louis will be too. Now quit arguing and sit down!" Clementine said sternly, causing for him to mutter cuss words before following her orders.
Marlon stared at her in surprise. "Huh. You're pretty good at that." He said, causing Clementine to make a face.
"I just want to get this stupid game over with. Where's Louis, anyway?" Clementine asked, turning around to check and see if he was coming to the park. "I thought you said they were almost here." She said, directed at Gabe.
Gabe shrugged. "I don't know. He said he'd be here. Weird. He loves baseball, he'd never not go late on us." Gabe muttered, pulling out his phone to check and see for any new messages.
All he received instead was dryness, making him sigh.
Suddenly, Marlon's phone rang. Taking it out of his pocket, he answered the call without looking at the screen. "Yo, hot sexy man on the line." Marlon answered, making Violet, Ruby, and Clementine cringe. The Twins laughed and Sarah elbowed Brody, to which Brody rolled her eyes to.
Marlon furrowed his eyebrows when he heard pounding on the other line. "Hello? Hello, is there anyone there?"
"Marlon!" His phone yelled, and he winced, eyes widening. It was Mitch. "Fuck—fuck—Marlon! Get the fuck over here now! There's some sick fucks trying to fuck us over—Louis, watch out!"
Marlon gasped and turned to his friends, causing the one's who were sitting on the bench to stand up in alarm. "What, what is it?" Violet asked, Clementine joining her by her side.
"Mitch!? Mitch, you fucker, where are you?!" Marlon yelled, picking up a bat he brought from his home.
Clementine did the same, while Violet grabbed her own.
The other line sounded dull. "Fuck, we're by the baseball fences—Shit, shit, shit," A whack followed, and the line suddenly cut.
Marlon stared at his friends wide eyed. "It's Mitch and Louis. Somebody must've mugged them or something." Marlon hissed out, walking quickly towards Clementine and them.
Aasim looked shook. "Shit. Did they say where they were?" He asked, and Omar, out of help, took out his phone to locate Louis and Mitch's phones.
Brody began to freak out, breathing fast.
"Breathe, Brody. Breathe.." Minerva cooed, Ruby doing the same. Sarah internally worried for Mitch, and tried to control her breathing, hoping nothing happened to her friends.
Duck and Sophie held onto each other for their dear life.
Marlon sighed, frustrated. "They said they were by the baseball fences. Since we're on the west one, they're most likely either on the east, north, or south." Marlon said, looking up and squinting at the trees.
Violet shook her head. "Shit..." She muttered, thinking about it. "I'll go east." She answered, placing the end of the handle of the bat onto the ground. "Me, Duck, and the twins'll check it out."
"I'll go south, then. Aasim, Omar, and I can go see if they're there." Marlon said, turning to Clementine for a response.
"I guess I'll go North. I'm taking Gabe with me." Clementine said, placing the bat against her shoulder.
"I—I will?" Gabe stuttered, a little afraid.
"I'll go too. Just cuz' I don't trust my brother." Mariana said, standing up, despite her increased worry.
"It's settled then. You fuckers better come back unharmed." Marlon muttered, creasing his brows. He then turned to Ruby, who was too busy trying to calm down both Brody and Sarah; Brody especially, as she had a sudden jump in alarm that it was the man they saw at the store so long ago. "Ruby. I'll trust you'll keep them safe here. Call if anything happens." Marlon said, making Ruby nod.
Violet snorted. "You know me. I'm not no fuck around like Louis. Just make sure to be careful, alright? And don't... just call for help if something happens." Violet told them all, a little worried.
"And only use force if necessary." Clementine told them, making Duck worry.
"Wait—Hol' up, I don' wanna... Actually. Never mind. I'll just..." Duck stopped talking, running over to his backpack to take out his dad's bat.
Violet rose a brow. "You're coming with me and that's that." She explained sternly, eye narrowed.
Duck nodded, turning to Violet. "Shit. Y'all don't think they have... guns?" Duck mumbled, making Marlon halt.
Aasim shook his head. "I doubt it. This is a public area. Unless they've managed to be caught in a hidden area." He told him, and Omar nodded.
"There are two hidden areas by the North fields, and the South. Let's hope nothing critical happened to them." Omar said, his mouth forming a frown.
Marlon nodded, eyes narrowed. "Fuck, if anything happened to them, I'll be sure to kill the fuckers who—"
Violet shook her head. "Like Omar said," She hissed at him, worry crossing along her mind, "Let's hope nothing too bad happened to them."
"A-agreed." Gabe swallowed, shakily holding onto his bat.
Mariana looked over at Ruby, worried. "You think they'll be okay?" She asked, twiddling with her fingers.
Duck nodded. "Hell yeah. Rubbs' the toughest person I know." Duck assured her, making her nod.
"Then it's done. Call the Police if anything happens, or your alternate choice, us. Be safe." Marlon mumbled, turning around, and heading off.
Clementine had a bad feeling in her stomach. But even with this, she ignored it, and only hoped that everyone would turn out safe.
Louis' phone clacked onto the ground, emitting a crack, it's screen scrunching up and becoming thousands of little tiny pieces.
Mitch held onto his hand, eyes wide as he stared at the fallen phone.
Louis stood beside him, bat in hand, eyes emitting a panic that could cause nightmares. What the hell was happening? Who were these people? What did they want?
The man before them stood casually, cigarette in hand. He grinned down at them with a toothy smile, his eyes looking miss-colored even in the dark. "Heya kiddos. You around these parts?" He asked them, side-eyeing his friend holding onto Louis' bag that was forced away from them.
Mitch glared at the man then, pulling up his balled fists, ready to punch. "What—What the hell do you want? Who the fuck are you?" Mitch asked, cursing at his stutter.
Around them, two men stared at them with a smirk, while another chuckled a little to himself.
Louis couldn't believe it. This was happening. These men were really about to either kidnap them or—maim them or—kill them—or worse—
The man with the cigarette then scowled slightly, the smoke he inhaled from his cigarette pooling from his mouth. "Gonna ask real nice here to put your things in the bag. Every single thing you got." He announced blandly, eyeing especially at Louis' necklaces and bracelets.
Mitch felt Willy tremble from behind him, his hands holding onto Mitch's sweater. This wasn't good. But fuck that, he wasn't going to give up shit.
Louis, who felt exceptionally terror-filled with the way the man was looking at him, clutched onto his bat, hoping that nothing bad happened.
"Willy, Run." Mitch hissed, stepping back when the man came closer, one of the other men aiming the gun at them.
Willy looked panicked. "Mitch No, I don't—"
"I don't care." Mitch growled, "Fucking Run!" He yelled it this time, making Willy paralyze. Louis kept his guard up, focusing intently at the man who pressed his finger closer to the trigger. They wouldn't. They couldn't, really. Could they? Was this how they would die? God, please don't let it be today.
As if something woke up, Willy sprinted away from in between the baseball courts, hoping that Mitch would follow. He could clearly feel the man turn to him, and Willy prayed that he wouldn't get shot. He needed to warn people. The others. He needed to call the police. Where was his phone?
Mitch however, didn't follow. Instead, when the man with the gun pointed it at Willy, Mitch lunged at him, successfully knocking the gun out of it's hands with one solid punch to his face. Unfortunately, the other two men banged him against the skull with one of their own guns, the other finishing him off with a kick to his face once fallen to the ground.
Mitch groaned, his face thumping with pain, barely able to feel the trickles of blood running down his nose. Fuck, his nose was broken, he thinks. Everything stung. His vision was blurry.
Louis looked over at Mitch and went to help him up, but the gun in their hands had him hoisted.
"You, with the bat. Place your shit in the fucking bag." The man holding the bag—His bag—said, the man's nose bleeding a little from Mitch's punch. His gun was still on the floor. What was going to happen?
Louis didn't move. He was paralyzed. He was never in this situation—he saw it in movies, T.V shows, but he never thought he'd end up in one. He isn't a fighter. He can't... He can't move... He's overthinking.
When he saw the man glare, Louis stood his ground, raising his bat. No. No. He wasn't. He wasn't going to let them hurt him. His dad wouldn't want him hurt. He knew. Clementine didn't want him to die. His friends didn't either. He wasn't dying today. No—he... He wasn't.
"Didn't you hear? You want me to put a bullet into your friend's head, here? I'm not repeating myself a third time, boy." The other said, touching the tip of the gun against Mitch's head.
Mitch, who felt it, bristled. No. No. No. No. Don't let him die, he didn't want to die. Not yet. Who would take care of his brother? Who will be there for him? How was he going to be able to take care of himself?
When Louis saw the man slowly inch his finger closer to the trigger, Louis stopped. "No-I'll... I'll do it—Please. Please don't shoot." Louis stuttered, his voice small, wavering.
The man didn't smile. He kept his face stone cold, and the man with the cigarette nodded over at his accomplice, the other man holding the bag coming closer, eyes still narrowed.
"Consider yourself fucking Lucky, you shit." The man said towards Mitch, who felt the gun pull away. He looked up and glared, licking his lips that bled through at certain places. He wanted to scream, murder every single one of them. But he kept his mouth shut, his fear much greater than his anger.
Louis, relenting, unclasped his mother's old necklace, hands trembling to do so. This was terrifying. This wasn't fair.
That's when he heard footsteps coming, police sirens in the distance.
The man halted in surprise, turning to see Clementine stopped a good distance away, phone in her ear, bat still in hand.
Gabe was right next to her, Mariana along in the distance as well, waving her hands at the police cars hovering over at the area.
Louis, with wide eyes, saw the man with the other gun point it at her, cursing just like the others were.
He needed to act. Dropping his necklace, he was about to hit him against the head with the bat he picked up, however stopped upon hearing a walkie-talkie, along with two police men on the other side of the alleyway. Willy was among them, looking scared, hoping nothing too bad happened.
"Put the gun down, slowly." One of the police men said, gun raised, aimed at the group of shocked men.
They dropped their guns, feeling utterly exposed, along with a faint sense of fear in their minds. They didn't want to get caught. Go to jail. This was a mistake. Too public.
"Step away from the boys." The police man continued, coming closer, eyes watching their every move.
Three more police-men appeared on the other side of the alleyway, Clementine and Gabe among them. They were surrounded.
Louis felt a relief wash over his body, his heart slowing down to a normal pulse. They were safe. They were fine. They didn't die. Not today.
After the Officer instructed them to lay low, the rest of the police-men then proceeded to hold the perpetrators onto the ground, bringing out handcuffs and clipping them onto the men.
One of the officers saw when Clementine ran up to Louis and Mitch, checking to make sure they were fine.
Willy, who came running to his brother, was teary eyed, worried to hell. "Oh god, I was so scared Mitch. Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? I can take you. I know how to drive. We need to take you there." Willy insisted, grabbing his brother's hand and trying to pull him up.
Mitch shook his head, wiping at his nose. "No. It's fine. Just gotta clean myself up." Mitch told him, forcing himself to get up.
"You kids alright?" One of the officers asked, looking specifically at Mitch, who did not look at all alright.
Louis nodded. "Yeah... we're just... shocked. I don't know about my friend Mitch, he got a hard hit on his head." Louis said, worry on his face.
Clementine went over and handed Mitch a water bottle, while Gabe gave him a small napkin, which wasn't much, but it was something.
"Thanks," Mitch rasped, cringing when he wiped away some of the blood that was drying against his temple, his face still thumping with pain, less now.
"Well. If you say so. You kids run along now, these aren't the safest places to be in." The officer warned, making Clementine nod.
Mariana then came in, shocked. "Whoa, Mitch, are you okay!?" She asked him, creasing her eyebrows.
Mitch sighed, clutching onto the bloodied napkin. "Yes. Just fine. Just, uneasy." He murmured.
Willy then came in and hugged him, concerned. God, he still can't believe he almost died.
Mariana watched them interact, frowning a little herself. Willy almost lost his brother today. And in any circumstance, that could've been Gabe too. She turned to her brother, making him turn to her with his expression displaying immense worry. "Mariana...?" He asked, wondering why she stared at him with a sad look.
That's when she hugged him, thanking god that it wasn't Gabe who got assaulted, and that nothing bad happened to him.
Gabe, considering the situation, hugged back, knowing why his sister looked sad now. It was a sibling sense, as you call it.
Louis exhaled softly, calming down. Clementine came towards him, checking the features on his face, and his posture. He still looked stricken with fear. "You okay?" She whispered, knowing he wasn't.
"Yeah.. Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little scared, is all." Louis chuckled nervously, holding onto his chest. He still wasn't able to comprehend that this whole mess happened.
Clementine nodded, turning to the officers. She glanced back at Louis, who still seemed to be mulling it over. "I um... called the others. Told them what happened. They might be on their way here, I don't know." Clementine explained, noting that Louis only nodded.
Mitch turned to her then, dry patches of blood now along his face. "You think we can go now? So that, I don't know, I can get cleaned up?" Mitch asked, making Clementine sigh and nod.
"Sorry. Just trying to make sure Louis was fine." Clementine said honestly, turning to Mitch fully. "You sure you're fine?" She asked him one more time, to which he shook his head yes.
"Yeah. Just-Just minor scratches. Don't really give a fuck to what he did to me, it doesn't even hurt anymore." Mitch told her, dabbing the napkin along his cheek. Of course, it hurt. It still does. But he's not trying to be the pussy here, his real dad wouldn't have given up without a fight.
"If you say so." Clem answered simply, turning to Louis. "We should go. I don't want any of those officers telling me twice to get out of here." Clementine stated, walking off, looking over her shoulder to make sure they were following.
Gabe, who was behind Mitch, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, frowning. "Hey man. Glad you're okay." Gabe answered sincerely, making Mitch give a curt nod.
Mariana, who wasn't that far behind, watched the way Mitch winced when he touched his wounds, knowing that what he said earlier was a lie. Turning to Willy, she noted that he looked more wistful than usual, seeming to be still shaken up from the incident.
Of course, they would still be like that. Those situations are already scary enough to hear about them, and living them is something worse.
She hoped that somehow, they would be able to forget about this, just for a little while.
Marlon's group was the first they met up with on the way back.
In seemed surreal, but Marlon actually looked panicked for once. And for once, Marlon hugged Louis tightly, muttering out what a relief it was to find Louis still standing, still okay. She didn't know why, but Clementine thought Marlon acted as if he already lost someone before. I mean, who hadn't?
Aasim was the next to react, giving both Louis and Mitch a good pat, relieved to find them okay. Yet again, for once, Aasim didn't scold them for heading off, or doing anything stupid, or just being himself.
Omar gave them both a small nod, holding a thumbs up.
Louis responded by offering one back with a shy smile, and Mitch only nodded back, not haven said a word since they left. Maybe he was still shaken up, worried, unbelieving of the situation.
Willy was then next to tell them all thank you, as he did very much appreciate them for worrying and calling the police when they did.
The others responded warmly to his thank you.
Along their way back, they also met up with Violet's group, to which Violet ended up hugging Louis as well.
It was an odd thing for Clementine to witness yet again, but again, she didn't question it. It was normal for a friend to think that way, to hug someone they could've lost.
Duck and The Twins actually came by to check up on Louis and Mitch all the same, Sophie the one bringing Willy and Mitch in for a hug. She was—everyone was relieved to find them safe and sound.
And as they all chatted away, reminiscing about the event that just occurred, something occurred to Clementine.
That man she saw with those other men looked familiar, and she could've sworn she saw them at least once in here life, probably throughout her short time in the orphanage. But they couldn't be them. That happened back in Georgia, why would they be here now?
"Hey Clem, you think you can sing me to sleep tonight?" Louis asked, trying to lighten up the mood, trying to force his way into smiling.
Clementine turned to him, smiling a little, whisking away her doubting thoughts. "What, you need a nanny now?" She joked, making him shake his head.
"Duh. I totally did not get held at gunpoint and be demanded for all my Gucci." Louis stated matter of factly, making Clementine frown, to which he wasn't hoping for. "Sorry," He added, scratching the back of his head. "Don't make fun of me or whatever, but I'm still pretty shaken up from what happened." He mumbled, looking onward.
Clementine sighed. "Why would I make fun of you? That was... a scary situation to be placed in. I'm honestly not sure if everything's still fine yet." Clementine said honestly, making him sigh.
"So, you mean you want to cancel today? Just to be safe?" He asked, biting the inside of his cheek.
Clementine looked surprised. "What? Of course not. I'm spending this day with you whether you like it or not. And besides, we're out in the open. No one's going to... assault us." She reasoned, making him smile.
"Okay, good. I still wanted to kick your butt in this." He said, making her roll her eyes.
"Dream on, Romeo."
Brody was the first to head over to the friendship, bringing her arms and wrapping themselves around Marlon's calm frame. "Oh thank god. Thank the lords you guys are okay." She breathed, head buried in her boyfriend's chest.
Ruby was next, her worried countenance replaced with relief, just like everyone else. "Thank God. Y'all had me worried for a little, I thought somethin' bad might've happened to ya." She told them all, eyes glancing at Aasim who looked troubled. Weird.
Sarah was the last to react. She was too busy pacing back and forth to notice her friend's return, dreading the worst.
Sarah gasped when she noticed the bruised up portion of Mitch's cheek, the blood falling from his nose and landing on the ground. "Mitch!" She cried indigently, running to him right after placing a small paper plate on the table.
Mitch heard her coming, surprised to see the worried look on her face. "Hey—"
"Oh god, are you okay?" Sarah asked, placing her hands on his shoulder and shaking.
Mitch pulled away and nodded. "Yeah. Those fuckers just got me good in the face, is all." Mitch assured her, wincing when he tasted the bloody cuts along his tongue. Huh. He didn't feel that before.
"Yeah, he's fine." Louis said, smiling a little. A smirk formed on his lips, however. "Though, he does need some patchin' up. You mind helping him?" Louis asked, receiving a good few snickers from Duck, Marlon, and Violet.
That's when Mitch flushed, turning to them, regarding Louis especially with a look.
Sarah, who was always the oblivious one, looked delighted. "Of course! Come on, Mitch. We gotta clean ya up." She said, grabbing onto his wrist and pulling him towards the benches where Ruby's backpack of magical healing properties was seated at.
"That's what she said." Marlon muttered under his breath, making Aasim cringe and Violet snort.
Clementine rolled her eyes, turning to Louis who looked impressively better than before.
"Now, before we got so rudely assaulted," Louis began, an inch of humor to his voice, "Shall we begin the game?" He asked, plopping his backpack down, twirling the bat that was still in his hand.
The other's murmured amongst one another, smiling gleefully at the start of a game. They all thought Louis would cancel.
But to everyone's joy, he didn't.
And Clementine was the one who urged him not to.
Maybe today wasn't so bad.
Mitch watched his friends pick their teams, taking their time deciding, others munching on some sort of sandwiches he wished he had in his mouth. God, he forgot how hungry he was. And he just ate. Well, before that whole thing...
"I'm so glad you're okay." Sarah said sincerely, dunking the fluid onto a towel.
Mitch turned to her then, surprised. She kept surprising him today. "What? Really?" He asked, holding back his blush as Sarah scooted closer to him, eyes staring right into his.
"Well, duh, silly. I worry too much, and I was scared that something might have happened to you three." She said, setting the bottle down, still looking at him.
He swallowed thickly. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I wasn't scared, though." Mitch said, eyes narrowing.
Sarah shook her head. "I know." She chirped, smiling. Then her smile fell. "Sorry, but... can you move your face a little? I can't exactly reach you." Sarah said, making him notice something before tilting his head.
She was smol.
"This might sting..." She breathed, and he shivered, and jumped when the alcohol came across his open skin, bringing out the soreness that died down a little while ago.
"Shit," He hissed, pulling away. "Sorry. I forgot how much that hurts." He said, resisting from touching the wound.
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I should've clean the other areas first. If it makes you feel better, that's all I had to put on you." She said, placing the now bloody napkin on the bench, bringing out a big band-aid from the little box in Ruby's backpack.
'Unfortunately.' Mitch thought to himself.
He felt the soft material of the band-aid stamp onto his wound, her fingers brushing over his hair. Her fingers were soft, he concluded. They felt nice.
"If you don't mind, but I kind of have to check your nose, just to see if you're okay." She told him, making him sigh.
"I think my nose is broken or something. I can barely feel it." He muttered, hissing when he went up to touch it.
Sarah shook her head. "If it were broken, it would be inflamado. Luckily for you," She grabbed his cheeks, turning his face to one side, then the other, "It was just hit too hard." She said, feeling the heat of his face, surprisingly soft to the touch.
Mitch was dismayed when she pulled away. But nonetheless, as she handing him a wet wipe, he felt flushed.
Done wiping his face, he stood up, though was pulled back down by Sarah, who looked nervous.
"Um... I know this might seem weird..." She started, and his heart thudded in suspense, "But I wanted to give you something." She said, looking down and looking for her bag.
Mitch remained, silent now. What was she giving him? Her love? He wouldn't really mind—Shut up, brain!
Sarah, after finding her backpack, smiled timidly, placing it on her lap. She flushed then as she took out and presented him the flowers, smiling nervously. "I don't know if you hate flowers... but I brought you some anyway because I like you. And because, well, I don't know—I give them to my friends." Sarah stammered, making sure the other's weren't watching.
Mitch flushed instantly, eyes widening. "Uh..."
She pushed the flowers into him and smiled, standing rigidly. "Sorry, Clementine's calling me, I'll be right back!" She called, even though Mitch didn't hear anything.
Mitch stared down at the chalked line, eyes narrowed. With his hand on his chin, he inspected the line, coming up with a bunch of stupid plans in his head. She gave him flowers. She gave him, flowers. That didn't make sense. She thought he was weird. Didn't she hate him? But why... The Flowers. Those stupid flowers. Pretty, beautiful, stupid flowers. He blushed a little.
Sarah stood near him, body faced towards the rest of the group, though her eyes elsewhere. She kept sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering what he was trying to do or figure out. Wondering as well if he liked the flowers, as she had found he no longer had them.
This wasn't weird. Of course, this wasn't weird. She thinks. I mean, she did see him kind of beat up earlier, though it's a mystery to her how he's perfectly fine now. Well... maybe not all fine. He still has that harsh bruise on his cheek. So maybe he put the flowers elsewhere, or forgot them inside his bag when he was checking his face, or...
"Four!" Louis yelled, swinging his bat and hitting the baseball. His hand rung from the impact, though he ignored it and dropped the bat, running for 1st base.
"That's not even a fucking baseball line, dumbass!" Violet yelled, absolutely tired over the fact that Louis chose baseball of all sports to versus Clementine.
Clementine looked upward and sighed as the ball flew over her head, realizing that maybe Louis was as good as he thought. Though, this wasn't going to stop her from trying. Turning around, she yelled out for Duck to grab onto it, surprised from how sudden he took action.
Though unfortunately, the ball wasn't meant for him. He didn't catch it. In fact, it went way past him, and off straight towards Mitch, who was too busy, yet again, thinking over plans in his head.
Sarah noticed the ball and gasped, bringing out her hand and shoving Mitch out of the way, before catching it perfectly on her palm. Well, not perfectly. It really hurt her hand when she caught it, and she almost dropped it from the sudden buzzing pain of the skin of her palm hitting into bone. Maybe that's what those baseball mitts were for...
Clementine widened her eyes when she saw Sarah catch the ball with her bare fucking hands, and she instantly set off to help and see if there was any damage. But she didn't make it either, as Louis was running right for third and clashed his body against hers, bringing their bodies down towards the dusty floor.
Marlon face palmed while Brody quickly went off to help out the fallen players.
Violet snorted but came closer anyway, just to check for herself if they were fine.
The Twins seemed in shock, and one of them set off for Sarah, and one for Clementine.
Duck and Gabe were laughing, while Aasim and Omar snickered in secret.
Ruby was too busy helping Brody out, ignoring the bubbling anger to those who were laughing. Instead of laughing couldn't they just help?
Louis, who lay below Clementine, groaned and tried sitting up. He paused however, sensing that someone else was on top of him, her body draped over him. When he felt her move, he inhaled sharply, making Clementine look up in alarm.
She too, gasped lightly, and sat up, accidentally making contact with her hands on his... well, yeah.
Louis flushed as well and scooted a bit back, letting Marlon and Ruby help him up off the ground, proceeding with Clementine getting lend a hand by Brody, who seemed much more controlled now.
After dusting themselves off and ignoring the many cackles of Gabe and Duck in the background, Louis sighed. Placing both hands on his hips, he leveled his eyes on her, and then grinned.
"Louis, No—"
"Does this mean I've fallen for you?"
The whole two groups rioted.
A/N: Time for the song! "Peligro" by Aventura, really helped me out with this chap. It wasn't supposed to have that one scene about assault, but I realized I forgot to include something from the earlier chapters into this, so boom bam.
(I might have also lied that this would be a christmas chapter... wOoPs)
Toodles~
Ana.