"The struggle itself [...] is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

Albert Camus

…

Richard had been standing just outside the Wayne/Kent subway exit for some time now; Garfield was nowhere near in sight.

Richard wasn't one to use the subway often. The subway entrance closest to uncle Leonard's house was en route to Jack London, but it also was the closest one to the institute itself. Seeing as the subway didn't happen to facilitate Richard's needs, he had little reason to ever ride it.

Until now.

Richard, slightly concerned for his energetic peer, had texted Garfield during the morning. One thing led to another and the boys had scheduled a rendezvous at this very station for the late evening.

So when an unexpected hand rested itself upon his shoulder, it went without saying that Richard was initially surprised – and then annoyed. He turned around to face a grinning Garfield who was palpably satisfied with himself.

Richard sighed in minor irritation grabbing the back of his neck. Even so, he couldn't help but let out a small smile.

"So… I guess this is the second time…" Richard trailed off.

"Hey, at least your clothes are still clean!" Garfield responded smugly.

"So where are we going?" Richard asked curiously.

Garfield's eyeballs looked upwards as he supported his chin on his right hand.

"Well, we're going to that park over there," he pointed to a direction behind Richard, "there's a hill that's pretty cool to hang out at!"

Richard turned around. There was a park on his right that he hadn't paid much attention to before. To his left, cars were perpetually going back and forth on the same avenue that Richard used to traverse on his way to school.

The sun was about to set and a gentle breeze was caressing his black hair. He stood there in awe enjoying the sight of the sunlight being reflected by the numerous buildings on either side of the road, the horizon having a slight, red tint.

"Come on dude, let's go!" Garfield moved forward, prompting Richard to catch up.

Before the grassy hill stood a rather plain, inscripted statue surrounded by lots of open space. Numerous middle schoolers and families were enjoying the locale, with a handful of couples etched upon the hill.

"Victor will be here soon – he had stuff to do…" Garfield said to no-one in particular. Richard nodded by reflex.

They started going up the hill, headed for a somewhat secluded spot further away from all the others. All the while, Richard could feel the humid grass stroking the soles of his shoes with every step. It was a peculiar sensation; pleasant, yet awkward.

Eventually Garfield settled on an unclaimed spot; Richard joined him swiftly.

"So…" he began as he sat next to Garfield, "everything alright at home?" he asked vaguely.

"Huh?" Garfield said absent-mindedly taking in the view. Richard decided not to press the matter right away; he inhaled deeply and joined Garfield in taking in the view. Now that he couldn't hear the traffic, the whole scene seemed truly serene.

It wasn't long before Richard decided to elaborate.

"I mean, you said you couldn't come with us on Friday…"

"Oh yeah!" Garfield shifted somewhat uncomfortably on the grass.

"I had to help my mother with the house..." he said with an uneven smile.

"Ah, right…" Richard rubbed the back of his neck, "to be honest I haven't been helping much at home…"

"It's alright dude! It's just that… my mother's been kinda busy lately… so yeah…" Garfield looked over to the horizon once again.

"Same deal with my parents really…" Richard re-adjusted himself on the grass while enjoying the view, "Primarily the reason why I moved here to stay with my uncle…"

Garfield's head shot up slightly at the statement. He slowly turned to look at Richard. He hesitated a bit before expressing himself.

"Oh…! You live here with your uncle?"

"Yeah…"

"I had no idea…"

"I guess I should have mentioned it sooner…" conceded Richard, "but you live here with your parents, right?" he took advantage of the situation to learn more.

"Just my mom… I don't speak to my father often… they're divorced." Garfield revealed neutrally.

"Oh… sorry for bringing it up…" Richard looked away in an effort to manage his guilt.

"Nah, it's alright dude. It's been like that ever since I can remember…" he smiled.

"Besides… they're very different people…" he added as an afterthought.

Richard could not find anything meaningful to add to the conversation, and silence reigned yet again. As the sun began to set, the sky was overtaken by a majestic gradient of orange. The temperature started to drop, but only a little.

"So, that Adonis guy… he's in my class…!" Richard mentioned in an effort to revitalize the conversation.

"Dude! Really now?" Garfield turned to face his peer, disbelief apparent in his face.

"Err – yeah…"

"He didn't do anything douchey, did he?" Garfield asked very interested.

"No, not really…" Richard said dismissingly, "I can't help being wary of him though…"

"Nah dude…" Garfield chuckled, "there's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Well I wouldn't say I'm afraid of him or anything… he just seems… unstable…" Richard said as he changed his posture on the grass, "if anyone should be afraid of him, it's you Garfield." He smiled awkwardly.

"I guess so…" Garfield conceded absent-mindedly.

"You're not worried? At all?" Richard expressed his disbelief.

"Nah. I mean, it's not like I could take him or anything, but on the other hand, if he ever wants a fight, he's going to have it!" Garfield punched the palm of his hand fiercely.

"What can I say…" Richard said thinking deeply, "I guess you're brave. Braver than I am anyway…"

"Well…" Garfield sighed deeply in an effort to collect his thoughts, "Think about it this way: the worst thing that could happen is me getting bruised pretty badly… no big deal, really…"

He then ran his left hand over his hair, trying to come up with words to explain further.

"Physical pain sucks dude. But there are worse kinds of pain out there…" he smiled.

"…you have a point I guess…" Richard relaxed.

"The one who really gets on my nerves though is that Garth guy! God damn hipster!"

"Huh? Why?" Richard asked, feigning ignorance. Although he wasn't sure, he definitely had an idea on why Garfield would dislike the leader of the swimming team.

"Well, didn't you see how he sucked up to Tara?"

"I-I don't know…" Richard began slowly, thinking of ways to convey his statement as well as possible, "to be honest, I thought the opposite was true."

"What do you mean?" Garfield turned his torso to face Richard.

"…w-well… she was the one to say she wouldn't join any clubs… but she kinda changed her mind when Garth mentioned the swimming team…" Richard scratched the back of his head as he finished his statement.

Garfield opened his mouth as if to retort, but paused unexpectedly. He closed his mouth slowly and turned to face the view, his expression unreadable, leaving Richard to ponder whether he did the right thing or not.

"Whatever…" he said apathetically.

"Speaking of girls…" Garfield perked up suddenly as his voice took a suggestive tone, "do we have any update on that Jillianne chick?"

"Actually we did speak yesterday…" Richard sighed, not particularly fond of going through with the upcoming conversation.

"Alright!"

"…she just wanted to return my pen to me, really…" Richard downplayed the described event as much as possible.

But Garfield would hear none of it.

"She totally likes you dude! Is she pretty?" Garfield asked, his voice overflowing with enthusiasm.

Richard was about to speak whatever came to his mind, when he stopped abruptly. What did he think of Jillianne? She was definitely quite pretty, although pretty wasn't the word that popped to his mind instinctively in the mention of her name. That would probably be something along the lines of brash or showy. And yet, despite the intensity of her behavior Richard couldn't help but feel some sort of attachment to her. Perhaps the two of them were friends in some fashion?

As for her appearance, she was definitely among the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, although he still couldn't bring himself to appreciate her choice in attire.

"Yeah," Richard said, smiling, "she's pretty alright, just not my type."

"Not your type?" Garfield wondered out loud, "Come on dude!"

"I dunno… I just don't see her that way…" Richard rubbed the back of his head, entertained by the flow of the discussion.

"I don't believe I've seen her…" said Garfield rubbing his chin, "what is she like…?"

"Well… she has pink hair…"

"W-wha?" Garfield blurted out.

"Yeah!"

"No way! It's not natural is it?" Garfield grinned.

"I'm not asking." Richard responded resolutely.

"Hahahahaha! That's alright dude! I will!" Garfield said, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Don't you remember what Victor said?" Richard asked.

"Come on dude! All you have to do is introduce me to her!" Garfield pleaded.

Richard ran a hand through his hair wondering what was wrong with the boy next to him.

"Sure." He finally said.

"What are you guys doing?" said a deeper voice behind the two.

"Vic!" Garfield sprang up.

And sure enough Victor was standing behind the two of them, benevolently towering over both of them, a supermarket bag in his right hand. He was dressed in a grey jacket and was wearing a red cap. Maybe Victor liked wearing caps?

"Hey Gar, Richard, what are you guys up to?" he asked with a smug yet friendly smile as he moved to sit close to Garfield.

"Richard was telling me about his exploits with that Jillianne chick!" Garfield exploded like a rocket over Victor who was just getting comfortable on the grass.

"Uuhhhhhhhh…" was all Richard could muster.

"Really?" asked Victor as he started rummaging through the contents of his bag.

"Well nothing really happened…" explained Richard, "she just returned a pen she had borrowed…"

"Dude, this is how stuff like that happens!" interjected Garfield with radiating energy, "Totally!"

"Garfield that's enough, let him finish will ya?" said Victor as he presented a beer can that had probably originated from within the bag, "I bought a beer for each of us by the way. Pretty light stuff. You don't mind, do you Richard?" Victor shifted his body forward so that Garfield would not interpolate between the two.

Richard could count the times he had drank beer in the fingers one hand; he didn't enjoy alcohol very much. All the times he had gotten drunk was because of peer pressure, much like now. However both Garfield and Victor seemed like trustworthy people, and Richard finally came to the conclusion a non-committing response was the best option.

"W-well, I guess trying wouldn't hurt…" he responded diplomatically.

"Nice!" Garfield formed a thumps up, "Honestly I don't drink much either, but I don't mind the occasional light beer!"

"Yeah this is not just light… it's baby stuff. They better not see me drinking this stuff…" Victor smiled smugly as he passed a beer to Garfield.

"Pfft whatever dude…" Garfield said in mock-protest as he in turn passed the beer to a reluctant Richard. Garfield's grin and sparkling eyes could not be hidden; Richard thought the whole scene was very endearing.

He opened the can and took a small sip. He immediately found out he wasn't a fan and that he'd probably take a very long time to finish it, but at least it was far lighter than whatever he had in The Velvet Room.

"So…" Vic trailed off, "any news?"

"Heh, plenty actually!" Garfield took a sip.

"You didn't get into trouble again, did you?" Victor asked, eyebrow raised. Richard was initially surprised at the correct assumption, but came to the likely conclusion that it was because Victor had one whole summer to figure out that his younger friend could be somewhat too daring for his own good.

At any rate, he was quite happy he longer had to elaborate about Jillianne, seeing as the subject had been seemingly forgotten.

"Dude! It totally wasn't my fault! Rick, tell him!" Garfield pleaded with an energetic look, eyes fiery.

Richard initially froze at the request. Why should he be the one to describe what happened? Could Garfield be indirectly asking for support because Victor would not believe him?

"He's… right actually…" Richard began reluctantly, "it honestly wasn't Garfield's fault…" he conceded timidly.

"I gotta say… I'm genuinely taken aback…" Victor snarked, clearly enjoying every moment of it. After a small interval of silence, Victor continued, "So what are you guys waiting for? Fill me in!"

Garfield looked over to Richard prompting him to narrate instead once more. Richard took the hint and inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts.

"Well… we were hanging out with Tara in the school cafeteria… she got up to deposit her tray but fell on another guy… He was a real jerk about it and Garfield stood up for her…" Richard narrated.

"Besides…" he added after a bit more thought, "fucking jock stereotype is a real classic…!"

Garfield palpably swole in pride, whereas Victor did his best not to choke on his beer as a result of unanticipated laughter. As a result, he produced an awkward mixture of laughter and coughing for several minutes before asking a most crucial question.

"Wha – who the hell did you call that?" he almost shrieked.

"Some Adonis guy, real prick." Garfield said casually, feigning disinterest.

"Wait! What? Adonis?" Victor shrieked once more, eyes wide.

"It's Greek," Garfield began elaborating, "according to legend…"

"No! No that's not what I meant!" Victor cut him off, "Was it really Adonis? Adonis Goldstein?"

Garfield rubbed his chin intensively. "Dunno." He finally said turning to Richard, "Isn't he in your class, though?"

"Yeah." Richard nodded eagerly, "My surname is Grayson, so that most likely means…"

"It means," Victor interjected, voice raised, "that stickman over here called the mayor's son a stupid name!"

"Whoa!" Richard produced involuntarily in surprise, "Really now?" he looked at Victor, eyes wide.

"Yup…" Victor nodded several times, lips tucked in, "Gar did it again…"

"Dude why should I care?" Garfield protested, "That's no way to behave, even if you're president!" he snorted audibly. "Mayor's son? Big deal!"

"He really was kind of a jerk…" Richard commented.

"I'm not denying that," explained Victor, "but being new, the best thing you can do is to keep a low profile and a cool head!"

Garfield scratched the top of his head. "But why though?" he asked in genuine wonder.

"You're not going to have a good school year if you build a reputation like that. People won't want to hang out with you." Victor insisted, "Trust me on this."

"I don't care." Garfield said bitterly as he brought the can to his mouth. "Besides, I already have a friend." He pointed towards Richard as he brought the can down.

"He doesn't count Gar! He's new like you!" Victor exploded, "And by being reckless like that, you're going to hurt his reputation as well!"

Silence settled and for quite some time, none cared to disrupt it. By now it was night and the breeze that had welcomed Richard had turned into a chilly wind.

"Alright… what else…?" Garfield inquired rhetorically in an effort to re-ignite conversation.

"Everything all right at work, Vic?" Garfield asked.

"I guess…" Victor shrugged, "same old, same old, you know… helping my old man with Senor Hot Dog…"

"Twelve hour shifts ain't the best thing in the world…" Vic snorted, "but you gotta do what you gotta do…!"

"But, dude…you need to go to college!" Garfield stated matter of factly.

Victor winced and snorted loudly, his face hardening considerably.

"Look, we've talked about this…" he said after a moment of hesitation, "I don't like this either. But I have to help my old man with Senor Hot Dog…"

Victor stayed silent for several for several moments, playing with his almost empty can of beer, and rotating it.

"You can't always do things at your own pace, man…" Victor whispered, almost. "Life has its own rhythm and you gotta keep up…" he justified himself solemnly.

"I'll enroll once things get better…" he declared as an afterthought.

"Promise." Garfield demanded, smiling brightly, "Mars won't colonize itself." He chuckled.

Victor kept his gaze fixated on his can of beer. A smile started appearing on his solemn face, his eyes softening.

"Save your cheesy one-liners for Tara!" he smirked.

…

Although the night wasn't without its fair share of melancholy, Victor parted in very good terms, vaguely claiming he had business to take care of, but not before berating Richard for asking Jillianne about Marcus.

As Victor said, it was stupid and reckless as hell. Nevertheless, he was quite surprised to hear that Jillianne had warned Richard in her own way. When Victor got on his motorcycle, he was very skeptical.

Richard was quite thoughtful as well. Was Victor right about keeping a low profile at school? About asking around? And what sort of game was Jillianne playing? Evidence so far pointed out to her being – contrary to appearances – relatively harmless, but Richard didn't know what to think.

This led to Richard and Garfield wandering further down the avenue, gazing at the intoxicating city lights as they headed downtown. It wasn't long before the two boys came across a familiar face.

The young man was looking down as he strode in the opposite direction, the hood of his dark red jacket obscuring most his face. And yet, Richard recognized the stride somewhere. He just didn't know where.

When the stranger came closer he looked up, meeting eye to eye with the two boys.

"Hey…uh…Roy?" Garfield stammered as Richard came to a halt.

Roy, whose face was almost completely obscured, halted reluctantly, maintaining a neutral expression which gradually turned into a weak smile.

"Hey… what's going on?" Roy said somewhat nervously.

"Heh…well…just hanging out, really…" Garfield chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah…same here I guess." Roy responded unenthusiastically.

Silence reigned for a couple of moments. The three boys looked at one another nervously for a couple of moments.

"We didn't see you guys on Friday… it was… kind off desolate…" Richard said, testing the waters as he shifted his weight on one leg.

"Yeah, what a mess, huh?" Roy said, frowning. "Did you guys actually go or what?"

"Uh... yeah we actually did, but uh…" Richard trailed off, unable to appropriately finish his sentence.

Roy nodded in apparent disinterest, while Richard noticed Garfield bracing for something with the edge of his peripheral vision.

"Yeah, I'll be there on Monday so I guess I'll see you guys then." Roy started picking up on his stride as he raised his arm to wave goodbye.

"Hey! Dude!" Garfield jumped erratically on the spot in an effort to grab Roy's attention, "Did anything happen on Thursday? In the cafeteria?"

Richard tensed as Roy stopped on his track, his expression completely neutral.

"Uh, I remembered I had something urgent to do." Roy explained slowly. "Bad timing – I know…" he shrugged.

"Dude I was so worried!" Garfield went on, extending his arms forward expressively, "Plus the police had appeared and all that… it was weird…!"

"…definitely…" Roy mumbled as he looked around impatiently.

"Listen guys, I gotta get going." he added unenthusiastically, "See you guys on Monday, alright?"

"Right." Responded Garfield.

Richard merely nodded and watched Roy as he clumsily jogged up the avenue.

After several moments of walking in silence, Garfield started nodding intensively to himself, eventually expressing his inner thoughts by a rather inelegant "Nah, I ain't buying it…"

As if it was a meant as a response, police sirens came within hearing distance, followed by the patrol cars themselves which raced to the direction the boys were walking towards.

Thus, Richard and Garfield unanimously decided to call it a day, and turned back.

...

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Once again I'd like to thank the Mysterious Beta Reader, who did a exemplary and shift work in proofreading the chapter above. I thank him very much and I hope he'll continue to assist me.

Additionally, special thanks to Shaq, whom I love to discuss fanfiction with in general.

It has been a long while since the last update. I'm glad to be back.