A/N: I am very sorry for the length of this update. Lyrics that appear in italics at the end of this chapter come from a little gem of a song called "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" by John Michael Montgomery (straight outta 1995, y'all). I also got it into my head that the song playing immediately after is "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" by Keith Urban. Make of that what you will.
CHAPTER SIX: LONE RANGER
"Sometimes I get high
Sometimes I get low
But I'm calm as can be
In a room full of strangers."
"Lone Ranger" - Rachel Platten
The silence between mother and son was an interim, spread out between perfunctory conversation about school and new friends. During this taciturn timespan, both sat in the rental car without speaking; while Riku alternated between eyeing his cell phone and scrutinizing what amounted to the totality of Radiant Hollow's modest downtown area, his mother scanned the front dashboard's digital clock at a frequency that had him convinced the minutes weren't actually changing between each individual glance.
He'd fielded a few questions about school and his classes, but his mother was an inattentive listener at best and the answers were admittedly vague on his end. There wasn't much to say about lessons that bordered on remedial compared to what he'd taken at his last school, and Riku's thoughts were determinedly wandering elsewhere anyway, still lingering on last period study hall, on blue eyes situated above a warm but tired-looking smile.
He could have been imagining things. Given the surprise of the afternoon prior, Riku was willing to concede that his Sora-centric observations were being colored by the new information he'd been unwittingly handed. His classmate had been his typical bubbly self during their last period together, offering ready smiles and easy conversation between lapses of mutual silence when they'd both turned back to their assigned readings.
Just the same, Riku couldn't help but feel that Sora's friendly demeanor had been somewhat offset by noticeable fatigue. He just wasn't sure if this was a new development or a relative standard, something he'd missed during the rest of the week in light of his own concerns about attaining some form of Southern high schooler social acceptability.
Either way, the dynamic hadn't been altered much between the two of them today, or when it came to Kairi who had generally kept quiet, ear buds in for most of the hour, injecting herself into their conversation to add supplemental information but otherwise keeping to herself, per norm. It was only Riku's internal musings on what he'd witnessed yesterday that'd plagued interactions that had in other respects been more than adequate.
Now that he had Sora's cell number, they'd even been able to exchange a few texts during breaks in between classes. Riku caught himself looking forward to the messages, particularly in light of the not-so-subtly insulting comments still being directed his way in the halls by a determined, vocal few whenever teachers and other school officials were out of earshot.
Sora's texts were usually succinct; they were written in grammatically correct English, with a distinctly light-hearted undercurrent. It was a total departure from Kadaj's one-word replies that not only made holding a meaningful conversation with him next to impossible but were also just as likely to be sent as ambiguous emojis rather than spelled out with letters that formed comprehensible words. The type of communication his cousin offered up didn't exactly fulfill a lot in terms of much-needed social interaction, but it hadn't been all that noticeable to Riku until Sora had given him something to compare it to.
"Remind me again," his mother said, finally breaking the silence that had formed between the two of them. "Where are you headed tonight and who will be there?"
Riku shifted in his seat, upper body turning away from the passenger-side window to a more front-facing position. "I got invited to a get-together with some other seniors. It's supposed to be low-key. Some sort of campfire roast, I think."
His mother nodded, eyes flickering back to the clock's digital read-out.
"I'm not really sure where it is," he continued, "just that it's outside of town at a place called St. Bastion, maybe. I think it might be near a swamp."
"Sweetie, that doesn't exactly narrow it down." His mother smiled but kept her eyes trained on the road as they left Radiant Hollow's city limits and headed in the direction of their rental property. "This region is comprised almost entirely of marshland."
Shrugging, Riku looked down at his iPhone, half hoping another text from Sora might have come through in the twenty second span of time since he'd last thought to check it. "I'll make sure to charge my phone before leaving so you can get in touch if you need to."
It was an offer void of any genuine materiality. His parents' work schedules had meant long and sometimes unconventional hours since he was a kid. The moment he'd been old enough to forego the services of his childhood nanny, Riku had been on his own, or with Kadaj or other friends, free to traverse the city at whim outside of school hours — so long as they stayed out of trouble, their grades remained strong, and he returned home at a reasonable hour on school nights. This new daily routine was the most consistent form of interaction he'd had with his mom in years. With his father spending weeknights at an extended stay hotel closer to the Gulf Coast where he was busy performing the work that had prompted the family's temporary relocation in the first place, quality time with the other Kimura adult was still more of a work in progress.
"The guy who invited me is in my study hall period," Riku continued, dutifully answering the rest of his mom's question, even though he doubted she'd have noticed if he'd dropped the topic after his penultimate sentence. "He seems really intelligent. I'd be surprised if he wasn't set to graduate with honors."
Assuming Radiant High even offered scholastic recognition like National Honor Society. Given the school's seemingly single-minded focus on athletic events, it wouldn't have surprised him if honoring academic achievement happened to be a glaring omission from the upcoming senior graduation ceremony.
"That's good. It's nice that you're making friends."
"Yeah." Riku nodded, even though his mother wasn't looking at him. His gaze soon returned to the side window as he made a quick game out of trying to place their current location based solely on the more notable landmarks of speed-blurred flora and fauna.
"Feel free to invite him and his family over for dinner sometime," his mother said. "It'd be nice to have the opportunity to meet some of the town locals. Your father would probably agree."
Riku was tempted to point out that making plans of any sort involving assurances that both parents were home at the same time might work out to nothing short of a miracle, divine or otherwise. He held back though as a vivid image formed of his family sitting at their dining room table with Sora present.
And Roxas.
Riku shook his head, more trying to jog it into accepting the scenario of Roxas in any room of their new house than disagreeing with his mother's comment. He just couldn't see it, any more than he could parse Sora being so closely related to such an acerbic personality — and at least he'd had a full day to process that revelation. While nothing noteworthy had happened in any of the classes Riku'd had with Roxas today, Thursday's incident in gym class was still prime for reflection. That scene alone was more than enough to immortalize the enduring differences between the two brothers for him.
"Maybe I'll ask sometime," he said, careful to keep his tone neutral. He wasn't worried about his parents meeting Sora. It was Roxas who was the wildcard; if the Strife family adults were anything more like the latter than the former, he wasn't totally sure having them meet his own parents would be such a great idea.
The conversation died down again, and Riku simply watched as the scenery outside the car window became increasingly rural, until they were leaving the main road and driving down what constituted nothing more impressive than a basic dirt path. A week hadn't been nearly enough time to acclimate to the revelation that there were still parts of the country that seemed to qualify as unexplored wilderness. The closest San Francisco got to something comparable was the three mile stretch of Golden Gate Park.
Even that had paved roads and bicycle trails.
Ayumi Kimura glanced over at her son. "Is it alright if I drop you outside and take off? I'm afraid I'm running a little behind schedule."
Riku nodded. No big deal; this was nothing new, and he still had a little over an hour to kill before Sora was set to arrive.
With Roxas.
As his mom pulled up beside the house, Riku reached for the messenger bag at his feet and hopped out of the car. He offered a quick wave at the departing Mercedes, unable to curb the observation that nothing was really all that simple in this place, including making friends. That rang especially true if it involved also having to play nice with a classmate's brother he just didn't know how to get a firm read on as of yet.
Eyes traveling the property boundaries, Riku performed an about-face, trudging away from the house and back in the direction his mom's car had just disappeared, toward a pair of mailboxes that faced the turn-off to the main road. This was just another difference between his life in San Francisco and Radiant Hollow; while his parents had a nice house in the northern part of his hometown, it was flanked on both sides by other Victorian and Edwardian era homes, the mailbox consisting of nothing more than a convenient bronze slot on their front door. They had a backyard, a veritable luxury in such an urban setting, but it was small, only large enough for a modest patio area and a few potted plants along the edge of a ten foot high fence that offered only a modicum of privacy. The majority of their outdoor space was accessible from above, on a rooftop deck that boasted views of Golden Gate Bridge to the north, the Bay Bridge south of it, and Alcatraz between the two landmarks, iconic of well-known Northern California architecture.
Here, they could afford a veritable mansion for the price they'd paid for a four bedroom home on the West Coast, with acres of land, a separate guest house, and probably even an underground fall-out shelter in the event that the 'bleeding heart liberals' everyone seemed so concerned about launched a full-scale attack on traditional Southern values. But that was tempered by the fact that they'd have to call 'here' home, and Riku really wasn't sure it was worth the trade-off — particularly given the sticky mist that seemed to perpetually linger in the air all around him, making him feel even more uncomfortable than the closed-minded social attitudes people sported like badges of honor already did.
Still, such stark differences between two regions within the same unified country never failed to outright confound him.
Reaching the mailbox, Riku opened its rounded aluminum front panel and pulled out a small handful of envelopes. Most days, it ended up being spam or letters addressed to the previous tenant, but occasionally there'd be mail for his parents that was actually relevant.
Before he could do much more than glance at the return address on the top envelope, his attention was diverted toward the property's far border by the sound of an approaching vehicle. A car came into view, recognizable as the only foreign model he'd thus far seen in the town, apart from his family's own Mercedes rental. The Prius didn't slow as it passed him, although its driver did raise her hand in acknowledgement. Riku returned the gesture a moment too late for her to actually have seen it without glancing in the rearview mirror. He returned his attention to the mail in front of him and began sifting through what he'd retrieved as he started a slow walk back to the house.
Junk mail. A credit card offer meant for the last tenant. Something from the ABA for his dad.
And a postcard, addressed to him.
Riku stopped, taking in the familiar but nearly illegible scrawl of his cousin's handwriting. Before reading the message, he turned it over, eyeing the glossy picture on the front that depicted the Painted Ladies, a row of iconic Victorian houses facing one corner of Alamo Square Park. "Wish You Were Here" was emblazoned across the top left corner in a color and font that clashed to an equal extent. It looked like the work of an inartistic high school freshman who'd gotten ahold of a bootleg copy of Photoshop. Knowing Kadaj, he'd probably picked it up for cheap at a local Walgreens just to be snarky.
Flipping the card, Riku read the message on its back, an artful melodrama of written sentiment about just how much everyone back home was missing him. Eyes rising in a combination of exasperation and marginal amusement, he resumed his trek back to the house and pulled out his phone.
"I got your postcard," he typed out, then followed it up with a pointed, "who's being an asshole now?"
He got to the rental's front door, pausing to fish the house keys out of the front pocket of his messenger bag. Inserting one into the lock and twisting the door open, he saw Kadaj's near instantaneous return reply.
It contained nothing less than eight emojis, three of which were variations on the standard winking smilie. Riku waited an extended moment to see if Kadaj would reply with anything further before concluding he'd be getting nothing more out of this exchange from his cousin.
No big deal and nothing new, right?
Yeah, Riku thought, savoring the crisp feel of an air-conditioned house before shutting the door behind him. That sounded more or less accurate when it came to mosts aspects associated with people from a life in temporary limbo, half a world away back home on the West Coast in San Francisco.
o - o
Heading outside a few minutes before his ride's anticipated arrival, Riku sucked in a stifling breath of heavy, pre-summer air and looked down at Sora's latest text message with a dubious expression. He'd read it a good half dozen times since Sora had sent it an hour earlier, until the words had become almost as meaningless as the initial message had seemed contradictory.
"Be sure to bring an extra layer, like a coat or something similar."
Because it wasn't 80 degrees outside? Because, given the suffocating, sweat-inducing air quality, it wasn't inching toward 90 with the humidity taken into account?
Not wanting to seem like an idiot for asking a question with an answer that was probably obvious to anyone who'd lived here longer than the span of a week, Riku had confirmed receipt of the text without asking for clarification. He'd chosen to remain in the same jeans and shirt he'd worn during school earlier that day. Locating something long-sleeved had taken a little extra digging through a box of clothing he'd only managed to half unpack at this point, until he'd ultimately located a Cal hoodie buried near the bottom. At the time he had initially packed it, he'd probably assumed there'd be no use for it with summer approaching.
Apparently, Sora thought otherwise.
Unable to check the impulse, Riku looked down at his phone again, then began scrolling up through the message history of his conversations with Sora. They'd managed to amass a nice little string of written banter, considering they'd only exchanged numbers twenty-four hours earlier. Even with the most banal topics he'd started out with while trying to get a feel for the tone of their initial few exchanges, Sora had offered enough in return to give Riku something to work with in forming his responses. It was refreshing to feel like he was having a conversation with a person instead of a set of prefab emoticons, to be perfectly honest.
"I never understood how people could read entire novels on their phones."
The voice floated up from behind him, unexpected but ruminative with a feminine inflection. As he turned toward the speaker, a girl came into view over one of Riku's shoulders. Clad in a loose-fitting black sundress that reached to her ankles, the landlord's daughter was looking at Riku with an expression that exuded a mild spirit of inquiry. An over-sized fabric purse was slung over the pale skin of one bare shoulder, while she clasped a black coat in front of her in both small hands. The extra layer of clothing reminded him of Sora's seemingly antithetical text directive as well as the fact that his classmate had said he'd be arriving now at any minute.
"Oh." He turned more fully toward her. "I wasn't actually reading a book."
Head tilting just enough for her sleek bob of black hair to sway in time with the movement, the corners of the girl's mouth curved up into the intimation of a smile. "I'm aware."
Not confident on how to respond to the statement, Riku found himself wishing he'd been properly introduced at some point over the past week. The girl was in a few of his classes at school, he was pretty sure, but they'd never spoken. Now, when he was anticipating Sora's imminent arrival, he wasn't exactly yearning to launch into anything that approached an in-depth conversation.
"I'm guessing you're also aware of my name," he finally said.
She nodded with the same unchanging expression. Looking what he hoped was an appropriate level of contrite, Riku slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans.
"I'm afraid I don't know—"
"I'm Xion." Much to his surprise, the interjection hadn't felt abrasive, and Riku couldn't think of a time when he'd been cut off mid-sentence with such patent politeness.
"Xion," he echoed, considering both syllables with equanimity. The name sounded vaguely Chinese, but with blue eyes and pale skin, the girl in front of him didn't look particularly Asian, or even mixed-race. "Is that… French?"
"It's my mother trying to be unique," she replied. "I suppose you could make the argument that it's related to the Hebrew word Zion." She looked at him, the smile playing more fully across her features but the look in her eyes remaining subtly distant. "But then you'd be flat-out wrong, so the breath probably isn't worth the effort."
Before Riku could think of a response, a truck appeared in the distance and he looked away from her. Xion followed his gaze and watched the approaching vehicle without a word.
"I'm actually heading out for the night," Riku said, his free hand unconsciously brushing over the pocket of his jeans where his phone was stored, thoughts returning to Sora who he could just make out in the passenger seat of the dark flatbed pickup truck.
"I know that too," Xion said. "It's why I'm out here, same as you."
Surprised, Riku glanced over at her. "You're going to the marsh party... thing?"
Whatever the hell this get-together was officially called.
Another smile, and Xion was sliding past him, toward the gravel path that the truck was traversing on its way to them. "Of course. I'm going with Roxas, bless your unmindful little Yankee heart."
The truck pulled to a jerky stop and Xion passed around to the driver's side before Riku could even consider whether the comment had been meant as an insult. The moment he looked up at the passenger side window, he was treated to a bright, patented Sora smile.
Just like that, he was a whole lot less concerned with Xion's potentially condemnatory words.
As Roxas hopped out of the car, Riku watched in mute surprise as Xion approached him, then placed a brief, chaste kiss directly on his lips.
So, when she said she was going with Roxas, she actually meant with with. That was something he hadn't been expecting.
As Xion climbed into the pickup and scooted into the middle seat, Riku's gaze fell on Roxas who was eyeing him with the same unreadable, impassive expression he'd sported yesterday after the spectacle during gym. Gesturing to the truck's gated back-end with a flick of his hand, Roxas hopped back up behind the wheel and revved the engine.
Riku had never been in the back of a pickup truck, had never even ridden in a vehicle that was so much as missing a single seatbelt. Come to think, his parents' Tesla performed nothing short of an automated freakout whenever it was turned on without every passenger buckled in prior to switching over to automatic drive.
Something told him this truck didn't even have the most basic of safety features. With only a slight hesitation, Riku made his way around the truck bed, grabbing onto part of the metal frame. He swung himself up into the cargo area as it began to coast slowly forward.
Two pairs of eyes turned on him, one belonging to Hayner, the other set Pence's. Riku offered a one-word greeting, to which Pence inclined his head in acknowledgement. Hayner did nothing beyond fix his classmate with a stony gaze that made Riku desperately hope this journey wasn't going to take much longer than a few minutes. Even that, he suspected, would end up being considerably torturous.
As they approached the bend that would lead them to the main road, the truck slowed to a stop, waiting for another car on the main throughway to speed past. They started moving again, only to jolt due to a violent vehicular lurch, forcing all three boys to grab onto the nearest iron grates as the truck came to an abrupt stop. From the cab's open back window, Riku heard Roxas make a frustrated sound.
"Fuck this clutch seven ways 'til Sunday. Cloud should've fixed this ages ago."
Rubbing the area of his shoulder that had collided with the side of the cargo bar, Hayner shot the back of his friend's head a perturbed look.
"Don't make excuses for simply not knowin' how to drive, how about?"
The truck shuddered for half a second, then started to pick up speed, Roxas' only response being a raised middle finger out the driver side window.
Already feeling nauseated from the stop-and-go fluctuations, Riku glanced over at Hayner and Pence with a cautious expression. "He does have a driver's license though… right?"
Roxas glanced back for half a second. "Don't need no government-mandated permission to drive on backroads, last I checked. It's a free country and all that associated jazz." Once again, his accent thickened the more Roxas spoke. This time, Riku was under no illusions that the inflection was put on for anything other than his exclusive benefit.
Just the same, Riku felt the color drain from his face. Okay, fuck his life — what had Roxas said? Seven ways until Sunday? Yeah, that sounded appropriate, even if he was a little unclear on the meaning. He was sure there were plenty of acceptable paths by which to die at eighteen; in the back of some yokel's pickup truck in middle-of-boondocks Louisiana was one way he figured even the afterlife wouldn't be long enough for him to live down.
"That was a joke!" Sora's voice drifted back to him. "He's had his license since our sixteenth birthday."
The subsequent feeling of relief that coursed through him apparently wasn't restricted to a solely internalized emotion. Across from him, Pence outright laughed at the look on his face. Miracle of miracles, even Hayner cracked a small smile.
His classmate looked away a second later, gaze returning to the vehicle's main cabin. "Hey, Sor. Any reason Kairi didn't hop a ride? She comin' later?"
Riku saw brown hair whip in the wind of the open side window as Sora turned to look toward Hayner. "She should already be there," he said, the naturally softer volume of his voice at risk of being lost entirely in the drive-induced breeze. "The restaurant called her in for some sort of employee meeting right after school, so she said she'd make her own way over."
The truck slowed momentarily, then stalled before pitching forward again. Riku was just able to make out some of Roxas' more pointed curse words over the sound of Hayner's resonate laughter.
"Shut the fuck up and get up here if you think driving this piece of shit is straightforward."
Still grinning, it was Hayner's turn to flip Roxas the bird through one of the flatbed's slatted grates. "Pretty sure I got banned from driving you anywhere after Wednesday, you prissy little bitch."
The unanticipated insult caught Riku off-guard, and he only half-managed to stifle a snort of air as he tried to hold back laughter he wasn't sure would be in his best interests to make audible. Up front, Roxas' shoulders visibly tensed, blue eyes narrowing as he glanced back through the rearview mirror. While Xion snaked an arm around the back of his neck and offered an affectionate kiss to one cheek, Riku could see the tandem rise and falling of Sora's shoulders, one thin hand pressed up against his mouth as though stifling his own laughter.
It was a shared moment of humor, and one of the first of its kind in like company since Riku's arrival. If not for the appraising glance Hayner shot his way a beat later, Riku might almost have felt like he was fitting in, that he was well on his way to even making a few genuine friends.
As the truck continued toward their ultimate destination, jolting and jerking over increasingly uneven ground, Riku schooled his expression into its usual neutral and fisted the soft fabric of his Cal sweatshirt in front of him. This was a good start, potentially, with getting back on Hayner's good side, as well as better acquainting himself with some of Radiant High's other seniors. Just the same, Riku was quick to remind himself that wishful thinking had never done anyone any favors, least of all him. With that considerably more sobering thought in mind, he kept himself quiet, content to listen to the gradual return of conversation between the others for the remainder of their ride.
o - o
They walked as a group from the improvised parking area at the edge of the woods toward the marshland forest spread out in front of them, Pence and Hayner leading the way, with Sora behind them in between Roxas and Xion. Riku took up the rear, having secured his hoodie in a knot around his waist the moment they'd hopped out of the pickup truck a few minutes earlier.
The terrain quickly became more unevenly ragged, and Riku noted with dismay that the ground was also getting softer as they made their way further from the parking area. Maybe he should've reconsidered his choice of wearing new running shoes along with two hundred dollar jeans.
Not that he owned anything less expensive. But still.
As they squished along, Riku looked down, noting that Xion was sporting open-toed sandals that she didn't seem particularly bothered about getting covered with mud and swamp-marsh detritus. In front of him, the group had slowed further and was taking their time. He noticed that Roxas seemed to have moved a step closer to Sora during a moment of his own inattention. The action seemed almost protective, and Riku took time to consider it as he gave up any pretense of keeping his shoes and the bottom few inches of his jeans completely free of mud and associated forest muck.
It wasn't even mud, at least under the standard definition of the substance that he was accustomed to. Instead, the wet dirt seemed denser. It was tinted red and clung to everything it came into contact with, and Riku couldn't help thinking that whoever decided it'd be a good idea to hold a party in veritable swampland had to be on thought-altering drugs boasting an impressive level of potency.
"The ground's drier at the meeting place," he heard Xion murmur. Although she didn't turn to look at him, it felt like the comment had been uttered for his sole benefit. Nodding, Riku remained quiet. While he was grateful for the information, he was also trying to suppress his growing irritation with the soggy mess their trek had made out of his shoes and pants.
Still trying to maintain his balance in slippery sludge on the path spread out ahead of him, Riku inhaled a breath of muggy air, then let it out slowly. It already felt like his shirt was becoming heavier, that there was a defined band of sweat around his waist where his hoodie was secured.
Still walking, Sora looked over one shoulder and offered Riku a conciliatory smile. "Sorry. I probably should've warned you about the mud."
With a light shrug, Riku glanced down at his newly mucked-up shoes. "I'll wash it out when I get home."
"Nah, you won't." Roxas' voice rang out, naturally louder than Sora's, but without the enthusiastic cadence Riku was becoming increasingly used to. "This here's clay soil. Stains something awful and doesn't wash outta nothing."
Awesome. Fantastic.
Tall, willowy trees spread out before them. As they made their way further into the core of the forest, Sora turned back forward to keep an eye on where he was going. "I'm guessing San Francisco's soil isn't quite as dense?" Although Riku couldn't see his face any longer, the smile was still discernible in Sora's upbeat tone.
"It's just dirt, I think." Riku said. "Like, the regular stuff?"
In front of him, Hayner responded with a scornful laugh. "Just dirt? That's real descriptive."
"Practically prose," Roxas chimed it, accent as thick as ever. "Write it up on a fancy typin' machine and you could publish that gem of English language for the literate masses and make a quick buck." He glanced back at Riku, eyes traveling briefly over his chosen clothing, brows pointedly rising. "Not that it seems you'd be needing it."
Sora extended an arm, jabbing Roxas with one knobby elbow, then glanced back at Riku. "Ignore them. They're just joshin' — well, except about the clay's staining properties."
Despite Sora's assurances, Riku felt his jaw lock in a patent refusal to let him respond. Keeping quiet almost by default, Riku couldn't help but wonder in what random-ass world teenagers got off talking about the consistency of earth like it was a topic that was even remotely worth the time they'd already spent on it.
At the same time, it seemed somehow appropriate that not even something as seemingly invariant as dirt was the same in a place like this.
Or the trees. Between the three mile expanse of Golden Gate Park within San Francisco proper and Muir Woods directly north of it, Riku was used to tall redwoods, with trunks so thick they could hardly be seen all the way around. The trees here were suppler, their lithe trunks rising up out of ground that was submerged in mossy, brackish water. Hayner and Pence had been forging a path along the clay silt that formed a trail between the forest's marshier areas while the forest rose on both sides all around them.
"Almost there now." Riku barely processed Sora's comment, distracted enough by his own discomfiture that he didn't even initially hear the music, although he saw Pence when began to bob his head in a rhythmic beat in front of him the moment he started.
Then it filtered over to him, the sound of pop music in tandem with indistinct undertones of other peoples' animated conversation.
Sora sped up, passing by Pence and Hayner and hopping a small hollow of pooled water in front of him. Nearby, Roxas made a disapproving sound. "Jesus, be careful."
But Sora had already made it into the clearing, the slopping sounds of his large shoes reaching Riku's ears as his classmate began to walk on more solid ground. The realization that his classmate was walking with more ease now than he'd just been seen laboring around on crutches one day prior wasn't lost on Riku for even a second.
As Sora turned to look back at the group, his eyes came to rest on Riku.
"Welcome to St. Bastion's, Radiant Hollow's largest bayou," he said with a grin. "Though most of us just call it The Usual Spot."
Riku looked around. The clearing was more or less circular, ringed with logs and felled tree trunks that looked like they'd been arranged with deliberate purpose. Above them, a canopy of trees provided incomplete cover, allowing enough sunlight to see their surroundings, even with dusk fast approaching. Directly center, Riku noted a fire pit bounded by a large ring of stones.
There were already a handful of people present, all students Riku recognized from school. Most of their names had made less of an impression in his short-term memory, with the exception of Tidus, Selphie, and Kairi. Riku watched as Sora made his way over to the familiar group standing with one other boy who'd been on his gym class basketball team. In front of him, Roxas, Hayner, and Pence broke off and headed over to a different gathering of students. Xion trailed along behind them moving much slower, eyes initially trained on the trees above, a wistful expression gracing her features.
Kairi came into more direct focus a moment later, perched on the top of what looked like an oversized cooler.
She met his gaze, one eyebrow rising, then slid to the ground, retrieving her eyesore of a fringed purse before ambling in Riku's general direction. An unhooked strap on her overall cut-offs swung behind her like an upturned animal tail, her plastic flip-flops making staccato clapping sounds with each progressive step toward him. With a swimsuit bikini top serving the dual purpose of a makeshift shirt and bra, she either hadn't gotten Sora's memo to wear warm clothing or had felt inclined simply to ignore it. To Riku, she looked like an extra straight off of the Dukes of Hazzard movie set, and he tried his best to maintain a neutral expression aimed at her chin at a bare height minimum. At least her outfit was devoid of any Confederate battle flag references, he noted, which seemed nothing short of an appreciable miracle.
Kairi stopped a few feet in front of Riku, then shot him a half-smile just visible at one corner of her mouth. "So, you came after all."
Stealing a glance back at Sora and rest of the group by the cooler, Riku nodded. "I did," he said. "Sora was persuasive."
"Can be when he wants something, yeah."
The impish pitch to her tone forced Riku's attention back toward Kairi. Between her shrewd look and more bare skin than he wanted to risk being accused of gawking at, Riku wasn't sure where to direct his eyes. He ultimately settled on the space between Kairi's mouth and nose, figuring that was probably the safest of his available options.
"Come on then." Still sparing him the smallest hint of a smile, Kairi turned back in the direction she'd arrived from, and Riku found himself following the path Sora had just traveled. Tidus and Selphie both looked up as they got closer, while Sora and the other boy were busy digging through the contents in the cooler in front of them.
Selphie made up what little remained of the distance and wasted no time wrapping her arms around Kairi for a quick hug, before stepping closer and looking up at him. "Hi, Riku." Her smile was genuine, although when Riku tried to return it, the girl moved her gaze away from him almost shyly. Behind her, Tidus nodded in greeting but said nothing.
Emerging out from the cooler, Sora shook his head, with tufts of hair flying in every direction. In a way, Riku mused, the level of follicle volume both Roxas and Sora maintained was impressive given the oppressive amount of moisture in the air all around them.
Eyes quickly locating Riku, Sora beckoned him over.
"Have you met everyone?"
"Yeah." Riku nodded. "I mean, kind of. We're all on the same team in gym."
Sora nodded encouragingly as Riku glanced over at the boy next to both of them. "I kind of suck at names though." It was a veiled way of admitting that he'd managed to forget that guy's name specifically.
Their fellow senior pointed at his chest. "Wakka."
If that wasn't the most stereotypically hokey Southern name he'd ever encountered, Riku really didn't know what would've counted as a viable alternative.
Oblivious to Riku's thoughts, Sora gestured with an index finger, aiming his hand first at Tidus, then Selphie, as he identified them both. Dutifully, Riku followed Sora's motion with his eyes, nodding after each name.
With introductions over, Sora looked up at Riku and patted the edge of the cooler. "So, we have burgers and hot dogs. What's your pleasure?"
Oh, shit. He froze.
Right. About that…
Riku swallowed, looking from Sora to the cooler, then up again. How he'd managed not to anticipate the kinds of food typically eaten at a campfire party was honest-to-god beyond him.
Remembering Hayner's reaction when he'd balked at ordering pre-made cafeteria food, Riku looked back at the contents of the cooler in an attempt to stall for time and figure out how much of an explanation he wanted to offer.
"Neither, actually," he finally said after letting the pause extend as long as he thought he could get away with. "I'm a vegetarian."
Next to Sora, Wakka cocked his head, brows furrowing. "What?"
Riku opened his mouth, still unsure exactly how much more to say, but Sora beat him to it. "Vegetarian," he repeated, features thoughtful as he looked over the food in the cooler. "He can't eat any of this."
"Oh, okay." Wakka's expression remained subtly perplexed.
Bounding up beside him, Selphie ducked between Wakka and Sora and pulled out a generic-brand cola, then stole a glance at Riku. "When'd you decide on being that?"
"Um." Riku could see Kairi and Tidus approaching on both sides of his peripherals, felt eyes on him from everyone involved in the conversation.
And then some.
This was exactly what he hadn't wanted to get into, considering every other building in Radiant Hollow seemed to be some type of variation on an evangelical church. He also saw no way to avoid addressing the question, at least in part. "I didn't. Decide on it, I mean. My parents are vegetarians, so it was just how they raised me."
Tidus whistled. "That's intense. And a little hippie-sounding, no offense."
Shoulders tight, Riku made no effort to correct the assumption. Under the circumstances, being viewed as a hippie seemed more socially acceptable than the entire senior student body knowing that his dietary restrictions were associated with his parents' adherence to Shingon Buddhism. Something told him that admittance would have him fielding a new set of questions entirely.
"So, you've never eaten a burger?" Wakka asked, the question seemingly posed more out of curiosity than with any real negativity.
Before Riku could explain the concept of vegetable-based meat alternatives, Selphie cut in.
"Or pork chops? Or, my goodness, not even steak?" Her expression turned from one of contemplation to horror so quickly it would have been comical, if not for the feeling that he still needed to remain on guard while trying to gauge the reactions of everyone else around him.
Once again, Sora stepped in and offered a reprieve from the rapid-fire inquiries. Turning to Wakka, he nudged his classmate lightly. "Did you bring anything else he could eat instead?"
With a look of initial doubt, Wakka glanced over at another stack of supplies. "We've got colas, a few beers Tidus got his older brother to buy, and s'mores-making supplies. That's about it." He shrugged. "Oh," he said, noticeably perking up. "And craploads of weed."
Sora didn't seem put off by the statement, responding to Wakka a beat later with a good-natured grin. "Unless it's baked into something, that probably isn't gonna suffice." He looked back over at Riku. "How do you feel about graham crackers?"
Maybe Riku shouldn't have been surprised by the pot reference. Just the same, it seemed much more a West Coast pastime than something he'd ever imagined taking place in the rural South. So much for that assumption, he thought, as he added it to the growing list of pre-conceptions he'd compiled prior to arriving that had ended up being completely off-base now that he was actually here.
Riku inclined his head, trying to make himself seem nonchalantly agreeable. "I'm not opposed to them."
He was rewarded with a big smile that reached all the way to Sora's eyes. "Sweet. Then you're the luckiest of us all, getting dessert first."
Despite his lingering trepidation, Riku couldn't help but return the expression with a small smile of his own. As Wakka pointed out the unrefrigerated supplies in a pile nearby, Sora took one final look Riku's way. "If you can grab me a cola and pick a drink for yourself, I'll deal with the graham crackers."
Riku followed Sora's directive, slipping past his other classmates as he sprinted to catch up. For someone he'd seen moving with patent care on crutches just a day earlier, Sora was surprisingly quick on his feet and already halfway to one cluster of logs at the edge of the clearing before Riku had even started walking, one sweating aluminum soda can gripped in each hand. He watched as Sora lowered himself into a seated position and waved the graham cracker box he'd acquired like a prize in front of him.
Slowing as he approached the makeshift bench, Riku glanced back toward the rest of their group. "Should we be helping with food prep?"
Sora shook his head. "Wakka and Tidus are gonna be arguing about how best to cook it for awhile. Longer if Kairi and Selphie get involved. That's what always happens, so it's best to just let them duke it out and pinch whatever we want afterward."
He smiled, then looked away long enough to pat a spot on the seat beside him. Taking the cue, Riku untied his hoodie, draping it over the far edge of the log before sitting. He offered one of the colas to Sora, who placed the grahams box in his lap and took it from him.
"Sorry about your jeans," Sora continued. "I really should've explained how evil clay can be so you were on notice to bring a change of shoes, at least."
Riku glanced down at his feet. His sneakers were covered in reddish mud, the bottoms of his jeans stained dark with clay and marsh water. Strangely enough, neither was really bothering him at the moment.
"At least you brought an extra layer." Sora pointed at Riku's hoodie. "It can get chilly after the sun goes down."
He was going to have to take Sora's word on that one, because right now Riku still felt overheated as hell. The idea of adding the fuzzy-thick hoodie fabric onto an already sweat-dampened t-shirt made his neck itch just thinking about.
"UC Berkeley, though," Sora chattered on, eyes directed at Riku's sweatshirt, legs bouncing beneath him in a jittery rhythm. "Is that where you're going to college?"
Riku shook his head. "My cousin starts there in September. I decided on Stanford."
Eyes widening, Sora went still. If not for the opportunity his classmate's now stationary position gave him to get a better look, Sora's expression alone might have started Riku on a worrying jag about having said something wrong again.
His vision was suddenly filled with the blue of Sora's eyes though, a shade not really so different from Roxas' when Riku took a second to stop and think about it. Except there was no way Roxas could match the radical intensity of his brother's gaze, and, at such close proximity, Riku realized the sole reason for what he'd initially assumed was an illusion of their study hall library's dim lighting was, in fact, associated with a discernibly blue tint around the edges of Sora's irises where they otherwise should've been white.
Sora blinked, and Riku was quick to look down, suddenly aware he'd been staring. Again.
"Stanford. Wow." Oblivious to his classmate's intense scrutiny and corresponding chagrin, Sora was looking at him with an expression of unconcealed admiration. "A top ten school. That's seriously impressive."
Suppressing the urge to shrug, Riku accepted the praise without pretense, still trying to piece together the significance of what he'd just observed. "Thanks."
In truth, he'd never really thought about the school's ranking. His parents had given him a list of universities they'd determined were acceptable to apply to. Stanford had been one of them. Located just down the peninsula from San Francisco in Palo Alto, it was close enough to home that he could still see his family on weekends, with Kadaj a relatively short trip across the San Mateo Bridge and up 880 when he started at Berkeley. It'd seemed like a logical choice, and one that had made his parents happy, which was often no small feat given the magnitude of their academic expectations. He'd deal with the fact that he didn't particularly want to go to medical school at a later juncture, Riku figured.
Not wholly comfortable with the admiration that was radiating off the boy next to him, Riku turned Sora's question back on him. "What about you? What college did you decide on?"
For a moment, Sora just looked at him, his warm expression slightly faltering. "There's a community college a few towns over," he said. "Roxas and I are enrolling there to do our general ed requirements."
Riku looked at Sora with a measure of surprise, the enigma surrounding his eye coloring momentarily forgotten. For someone as smart as it seemed Sora was, he'd assumed his classmate would be heading out East and attending an Ivy.
Catching the look, Sora glanced down, then worked two front teeth over his bottom lip before supplementing. "It's cheaper than private universities, or even a state school," he offered. "My family doesn't make a lot, and with two of us graduating in the same year..."
Tempted to bring up how easy it'd be for a smart kid to get both merit- and need-based scholarships, Riku ultimately held his tongue. There seemed to be something Sora was holding back, but he wasn't exactly sure what. He also didn't know if it was his place to start digging, even if it had piqued his curiosity.
"That's cool," he opted for instead. "And it sounds like you'll be close to home to visit if you want."
Sora looked up, features still marginally less expressive than Riku had become used to seeing from him. "Yeah. It should be a good arrangement."
For a moment, they held one another's gaze. Despite the subdued mood that had settled between them, Riku found himself still somewhat taken aback by how comfortable it felt to simply look at another person like this with no overt expectations.
All around them, the sounds of others filtered in — of music and laughter and the arrival of newcomers. Yet in that brief moment, it felt like the world was composed singularly of just the two of them.
This time it was Sora who looked down first. A playful grin quickly forming, he popped the top of his soda can open. "So." He glanced at Riku out of the corner of his eye. "A vegetarian from San Francisco who got into Stanford for undergrad. If there's anything else socially damning I should know about you, now'd be a good time to admit to it."
Momentarily flustered by the sudden change of subject, Riku found himself stumbling over his words as he grappled for something adequate to respond with. "I …play water polo?"
Alright, so that might not've been damning, per se, but it sure seemed to have thrown Hayner off.
Sora, not so much.
"We don't have a team for that," he returned before taking a sip of his cola. Setting it down on the ground by his feet, he reached for the graham cracker box and made quick work of opening one side before offering Riku a small mountain of honey-flavored squares. "Radiant High does have a pool though."
As Riku accepted the food offering, his eyes drifted back toward the fire that Tidus and Wakka had just gotten kindling. The mention of polo had induced a twinge of memory, reminding him he hadn't gotten to finish his final year with a team he'd been a member of for almost four years. "Yeah, that's what Hayner was telling me."
He felt Sora shift beside him but didn't redirect his gaze, still lost in nebulous, nostalgic thought.
"Maybe you could check with your gym teacher to see if you can get permission to use it."
Laughter drifted over to them from another area of the clearing, Sora's eyes traveling toward the source of the noise at the same time that Riku nodded and offered what by now was becoming a trademark form of noncommittal response.
"Yeah," he said with a shrug, voice quiet as he considered the possibility. "We'll see. Maybe I could."
o - o
They sat in comfortable silence, both for some time seemingly content to nibble on their graham crackers and watch the goings-on around them. The sun had fallen lower in the sky, was almost near to setting, and Riku could feel a change in the air, the slight hint of a chill as each successive spindly breeze passed through the clearing.
Tidus and Wakka had distributed the first round of burgers and hot dogs, making their way toward them first, but Sora had been quick to wave them off toward other seniors in the general vicinity.
They'd both made a few attempts at smalltalk, each line of conversation fizzling out before it really got going. That, Riku figured, was mostly his fault; he was still distracted by a handful of topics that probably weren't appropriate to broach, from water polo and missing his friends back home to thoughts of Sora's disappearing-act crutches and unnerving eye coloring.
And there was the admission about his classmate's college plans. That also hadn't seemed to add up in his mind.
That being said, it seemed a much more appropriate topic to bring up than any of the others he was currently considering.
"After community college," Riku started, watching as Sora turned his attention back to him, "have you considered transferring somewhere else?"
He didn't get an answer. Before Sora could respond, the volume of music that had been drifting unassumingly around them increased at least tenfold without warning. Both boys looked over in time to see Selphie bounce up and away from an iPod attached to a battery-operated stereo, a satisfied look written plain on her face. Nearby, Tidus and Wakka shot her exasperated expressions from where they remained crouched roasting more food over the fire.
Top 40s pop music assaulting their eardrums, Riku watched as Roxas hopped up from his seat on a log across the clearing from their current location, then strode over to the stereo with purpose. With an uninspired roll of his eyes, he twisted the volume down to a more acceptable level, albeit still higher than what it'd been playing at initially.
Instead of returning to his friends, Roxas continued onward. Walking past Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, and pointedly ignoring Kairi who was playing waitress by the cooler, he made a beeline directly toward the two of them.
He dragged a smaller log out in front of Riku and his brother, then plopped down with a look of barely concealed disdain before allowing his features to return to a more neutral blank. "This music is total shit."
Noting the more palatable Southern inflection without a word, Riku was inclined to agree. "Is country more your thing?"
By his side, he heard Sora make a noise that might have sounded more like laughter if he hadn't just stuffed a few squares of graham crackers straight into his mouth a moment earlier.
Roxas' eyes narrowed. "No. That's a whole lot worse."
Fingers traveling over the remaining stack of grahams still in his possession, Riku sat back, taking a moment to regard Sora's brother as he broke off a piece of the honey-flavored cracker, popped it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. As his arm came to a rest next to Sora's shoulder, he felt the last vestiges of his classmate's gently shaking laughter quickly still. He could have imagined it, but Riku was almost convinced he could feel Sora leaning into him.
Eyes still trained on Roxas in an attempt to maintain his focus, Riku took a sip of his soda. "Okay. What type of music do you like then? Give me some band names."
"Oh, don't get him started," a voice called out from nearby. Glancing up, Riku saw Hayner and a corresponding look of light exasperation as he made his way closer. By his side, Pence had a pair of beers pressed together in one hand by their narrow, sweating necks. The two boys took a seat on either side of Roxas who, in turn, rolled his eyes again in one practiced motion. With the arrival of the two newcomers, Riku couldn't tell if the expression was meant for Hayner or him.
"Don't matter," Roxas scoffed, directing his eyes back at Riku, accent suddenly thickening. "You wouldn't've heard of 'em anyway."
Lips thinning, Riku was momentarily quiet. Was he being serious? Did Roxas really want to get pinned as a categorical hipster here spouting lines like that?
Beside him, Riku felt Sora shift slightly away. The lack of contact felt oddly disappointing, like the absence of touch was more offensive than its recent presence. He took in Roxas' expression with raised eyes of his own in silent acceptance of the implied challenge.
"Try me."
Passing a beer to Hayner behind Roxas' back, Pence exchanged a look with Sora, then glanced at his friend. "Hey, guys? Maybe this isn't the best way to get to know each other…"
Ignoring him, Roxas dropped his chin onto open palms, supported by elbows resting on bent legs below him. "+44."
Okay, he liked bands from the mid-2000s. Easy. With only a hint of a smile, Riku kept his eyes pointedly fixed on Roxas.
"Los Angeles group, formed with two members of Blink-182 after it broke up." Riku watched as Roxas' friends glanced at him as if for confirmation and was a little surprised when he immediately conceded with a curt nod.
"Anberlin," Riku offered up.
"Everyone knows 'Feel Good Drag'," Roxas shot back. "And they were formed in Florida. How about Blue October?"
One eyebrow rising until it almost disappeared under silver hair, Riku leaned slightly more forward. "Nice middle ground. They're from Texas. Their best known song is probably 'Hate Me', maybe 'Into The Ocean'. I think 'Come In Closer' is better."
Not waiting for Riku to offer him another band name, Roxas forged on. "Okay, fine. Let's do British. Heard of The Wombats?"
Nodding, Riku brought the remaining graham cracker closer to his mouth. "Their last album was Glitterbug." He took a bite. "If you like them, you should try Years & Years."
From the way Roxas' shoulders stiffened, Riku knew he'd gotten him on that one. "They've been together for awhile and released an EP but their first album doesn't come out until July." As he offered the information in as neutral a way as possible, Riku saw Roxas subtly relax, listening intently as though filing away the knowledge for future reference. "They're a little more electronica than alternative but still worth a listen."
Roxas looked thoughtful. "So, like a band version of La Roux."
Riku inclined his head, agreeing. "They have a few slower songs they released as singles this spring. Try 'Eyes Shut' when you get a chance. Or 'Worship'."
"'Please to excuse." Next to Roxas, Hayner cleared his throat. He downed a long swig of beer, then eyed both classmates. "In case y'aren't aware, I just thought you should know y'all're both complete freaks for knowing any of this nonsense."
Hayner was gifted with two middle fingers from Roxas, one of them splinted with sweaty off-colored medical tape, a smirk from Riku, and an outright laugh as Sora rocked back so far on the log Riku had to make a quick grab for his shoulders to keep him upright as his balance teetered.
A moment later, Riku found himself caught on the uneasy expression that passed over Roxas' face as his sharp blue eyes directed themselves to Sora. It was unconscious and brief, but might have persisted longer if not for the sudden presence of a new interruption.
"Hey, losers."
Seifer's voice took a moment to place, but when he was able to, it was Riku's turn to tense. He glanced up, forcing his shoulders down and chest out, as he tried to keep his expression as impassive as he could manage.
Seifer wasn't looking at him though, nor was any member of his posse, which included two girls and a trio of senior boys Riku didn't recognize. While most members of his group had some form of sneer on their faces, the girl standing closest to Seifer looked almost nervous, her eyes darting from Roxas to Pence, then over to Riku in a quick, nervy sequence.
If Riku had expected Roxas to belt out a snarky response akin to the likes of yesterday, he was well off the mark. Roxas merely looked up and raised a hand in a hint of a wave. The gesture was dismissive but not even remotely confrontational. Seifer's gaze moved from Roxas to Riku, then past him, over his shoulder to Sora.
"You sure know how to pick 'em, dont'cha?" The statement was spoken in a snide tone, but felt like a tame response, even in Riku's estimation.
Despite the relatively harmless exchange, Riku remained on edge, remembering Seifer's words from the past two days and the acknowledgement that it had been him who'd been responsible for the number done to Roxas' hand. Unconsciously, Riku shifted forward, partially shielding Sora, his stance understated but inarguably protective in nature.
Seifer didn't press the matter, and Riku had just enough time to make note of a pair of tense looks passed between the girl and Hayner before his meathead of a classmate moved on, the others in his group following wordlessly behind him.
Watching their departure, still feeling perplexed as to why the encounter hadn't escalated into something physical, Riku's eyes fell on a triad of girls approaching, Kairi in the lead with Selphie trailing closely behind, both with food loaded up on paper plates in their arms. Hands empty save for the over-sized fabric bag pressed against her body and the black coat draped over one forearm, Xion was far behind the other girls and walking so slowly that Riku couldn't tell if she was part of their group or simply making her gradual way over to them solo.
Selphie paused in front of Seifer's group, presenting her plate to let them take their pick of the most recent batch of cooked food, while Kairi continued on over to them. She extended the plates she was carrying as well, expertly balancing both on upturned palms.
"Which of y'all wants a burger, now?"
For the next few minutes, the boys who'd recently joined them kept busy claiming the food Tidus and Wakka had cooked. Beers drained and Roxas down a beverage to begin with, they soon rose and headed over to the cooler to retrieve drinks, Xion altering the trajectory of her movement to follow them as they passed her. Riku looked on, still nibbling at his own makeshift dinner. Eventually, he turned to Sora.
"Didn't you want to eat something else besides graham crackers?"
Shoving his hand back into the box that hadn't yet left his lap and emerging with yet another honey graham, Sora shook his head. He raised the square out in front of them both. "Solidarity!"
Glancing at Riku with a grin, he placed the cracker half in his mouth, then spoke out of the other side of it. "Plus, I'm not super hungry at the present moment anyway."
Taking in Sora's thin frame and unable to keep himself from silently wondering, Riku looked back, not quite capable of matching the effortless exuberance in his classmate's smile. "Ah."
With the sun now completely set almost fittingly upon Seifer's arrival, the fire served as the sole means of seeing their surroundings, and Riku was beginning to understand what Sora had meant about the need for layered clothing. In this way, the evening-induced chill wasn't that different from San Francisco, where toting along a jacket was almost a necessity on every outing, given the city's varied microclimates.
It was Sora who started shivering first. Without a moment's hesitation, Riku reached for the hoodie beside him. "Here." He held it out in front of Sora.
With a slight shake of his head, Sora tried to decline. "Oh, it's okay. The wind just caught me by surprise."
Riku's eyes traveled the bare skin of Sora's arms, noting the goosebumps that had formed just moments before with a subtle raise of his brows. "Come on. It might as well get some use since I brought it all the way out here, and I'm not cold."
Sora hesitated, eyeing the Cal sweatshirt as though considering his offer. With a slight nod, he finally conceded, then reached out to take it. He slipped it over his head, then pulled his arms through the sleeves and pushed himself to standing so he could smooth it down his upper body. The hoodie was a size too large for him, reaching mid-thigh, the sleeves needing to be bunched up at his forearms to keep them from reaching past his hands entirely.
Looking at Riku, then back down at himself, Sora's face flushed a subtle shade warmer than his natural coloring, perhaps in silent acknowledgement of how much Riku's clothing dwarfed his already modest frame. "Thanks."
Roxas appeared behind him, a plate of food and soda in hand, with Xion and her own food a few steps further back. He took in Sora and his newly acquired attire without a word, before settling himself back onto the log where he'd been sitting before.
Hearing a whoop from the fire pit, all four of them turned, just in time to see Selphie reaching for the stereo and changing up the iPod playlist. The resulting music originated with a twang that rose in an off-putting crescendo as she further increased the volume.
Well, I went down to the Grundy County Auction, where I saw something I just had have…
"Oh my gosh, this song." Remaining standing, Sora's eyes practically danced as they moved from Selphie in the distance back to Riku still seated in front of him. "I haven't heard it in forever!"
"Fuck's sake," Roxas muttered, shooting a beleaguered look Riku's way. "Here we go. Prepare yourself." Xion merely smiled a rueful smile and settled herself next to Roxas, her body moving subtly in time with the plucky music.
Yeah, I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine, man I gotta have her, she's a one of a kind.
It was Sora and Selphie who started belting out the lyrics to the most stereotypically country chorus Riku'd ever had the misfortune of hearing. With wordless incredulity, he watched as Kairi joined them, the strap of her overalls swinging as she skipped up to Sora and acted out the role of a woman up for sale on an auction block.
Off in the distance a few others were watching with light amusement; some were even cheering the trio's antics. Others still mouthed the words to a song Riku had literally never heard before.
Just as the song petered out, it looped back to the start, thanks to Wakka crouched at the stereo. He offered up a saucy grin and gave their group two thumbs up before sprinting over to join them. He made a grab for Selphie, both hands clasping her waist, then swung her up and around in a loose circle in tandem with her delighted peals of laughter.
As Sora turned away from Kairi momentarily and pointed at Xion, mouthing the next string of lyrics with a goofy grin, Roxas stood up.
I'm goin' once, goin' twice, I'm sold to the lady in the long black dress. Well, she won my heart, it was no contest.
"Right, I can't take it anymore. Fuck this literal noise." Looking nothing short of mentally pained, Roxas abandoned his half-eaten burger and a vaguely smiling Xion before padding off in the direction opposite the fire pit. As Sora laughed and danced in awkward motions along with the most sincere, smiling version of Kairi that Riku had thus far been privileged to lay eyes on, Roxas disappeared into the cover of trees behind their seats.
The song ceded to something more subdued but no less country, and the group slowed their movements, Riku watching the rise and fall of Sora's chest as he paused to catch his breath and looked back over at him.
"You've seriously never heard that song before? It's a classic."
His amusement was probably obvious, but Riku couldn't say he minded. "Seriously never," he confirmed. "I'm guessing you weren't familiar with most of the bands Roxas and I were talking about either though."
Abandoning the other country music revelers as he made his way back over to Riku, Sora rolled his eyes in near perfect mimicry of his brother before taking the seat next to Xion that Roxas had just vacated. "That's different. You two are a phone book full of hipster stereotypes."
Comment catching him completely off-guard, Riku's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"It's true." Xion nodded, glancing between the two boys before she herself stood, swaying in an ambiguous rhythm to the currently playing song. She crouched to retrieve Roxas' discards, then left on her way to the plastic bag that had been designated the garbage repository for the evening. Riku watched as Xion passed Kairi who was in the active process of making her way over in their direction. Sitting down by Sora on the log across from him, Kairi turned and planted an affectionate kiss on Sora's cheek, then raised a hand up to ruffle his already hopelessly mussed hair.
Across the clearing, Riku could see fleeting flashes of smaller lighters, followed by the lazy curl of smoke trails. With occasional breezes still traversing the open space with lax persistency, it didn't take long for the sweetly acrid smell of pot smoke to drift over to them.
Although he hadn't smoked anything tonight, the scent was in many ways reminiscent of home for Riku, of the Haight District with its myriad herbal dispensaries, even of Kadaj and his other friends, their idle smiles stark in his memory after a few hours of deeply inhaled hits on lazy afternoons in Golden Gate Park.
"Y'all two are something else." Kairi's words drew his attention back to the two people across from him.
Riku turned to face her with a look hinting at mock offense. "Hey now. What did I do?"
With a laugh that sounded more genuine than anything he'd yet heard from her, Kairi regarded both of her classmates in tandem. "It's not what you've already done, just what you're probably gonna, knowin' clueless you."
The look of patent confusion that flashed across his face wasn't lost on either Kairi or Sora. They both eyed him, then glanced at each other before dissolving into a slap-happy fit of snickering laughter.
By the time they'd managed to compose themselves, even Riku had a small smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. It came along with an oddly warm but as yet unfamiliar sensation in the deepest part of his chest. Some, he figured, might refer to it as the feeling of belonging.
Okay, he thought, so this wasn't San Francisco and these weren't the friends he'd grown up with. This was something else new entirely. For now, Riku was increasingly willing to concede that, with Kairi and Sora and maybe even a few others, this whole setup might be more tolerable to get him through the next few months than he'd initially predicted.