Timestamp: During the Pep Rally
Location: The Parking Lot
Main Characters: Cael @Grimoire Gaming & Everly @Fabricant451
Aesthetics: Credit to @LovelyComplex
Location: The Parking Lot
Main Characters: Cael @Grimoire Gaming & Everly @Fabricant451
Aesthetics: Credit to @LovelyComplex
BHHS spirit week ended in a whirlwind of black and red. By the end of the school day, Cael’s mind was a vortex of thoughts, mostly positive, but eternally chaotic. He had to touch up his temporary spray-on red hair dye, which would no doubt just get sweat off while cheering for the game later. Minnie had not only taken his dare this morning in stride, she had surprised both himself and damn near the entire cafeteria with her danceposal — was it called a danceposal when you asked someone to a dance or was that only for prom? Cael wasn’t sure. Speaking of the dance, there was apparently going to be a party to follow! Well, that wasn’t too shocking, there was always a weekend party to attend in Beverly Hills, but this one was unique for its location — the Green Family’s Vineyard, hosted by none-other-than Stella’s disappointing boyfriend, Ethan Green. While that might seem dramatic, Ethan had ignored texts and stood Stella up this morning, which was a criminal offense against a Candy’s bestie. But a party should be fun, and Cael was looking to celebrate with—
Cael’s train of thought derailed when he opened his locker and a note tumbled down from the top shelf. It had been precariously placed, as if it had been shoved through the slats on the top of the door. Cael looked around the halls, curious to see if anyone was nearby that might’ve left it, but no one out of the ordinary stood out. Kneeling down, he picked up both the note and the duffel bag containing his cheer uniform from the bottom of the locker. He slung the bag’s strap over his shoulder and began unfolding the piece of paper.
The prince of Candyland’s heart thrummed in his chest as he read the contents. It was a dare, written in a somewhat feminine script, but it wasn’t Minnie’s, he would have recognized that. The handwriting was half cursive and as straight and neat as a font. Cael’s mismatched eyes scanned the words once, twice, thrice. It wasn’t just a dare, but an invitation to show up at Beverly Gardens Park dressed up before the dance tomorrow evening, and it was signed by a ‘Secret Admirer’. Cael bit his lip in excitement, bouncing up onto his toes in a way that would be uncomfortable for most, but not for someone who had spent years dancing en pointe.
Who could this secret admirer be? The handwriting seemed familiar, but not enough to identify who it was based on writing alone. Cael scanned the hallway again, looking for anyone that might be… well, secretly admiring him. No luck, the halls were mostly empty now, as students filed out to attend the pep rally — or go home, if they were boring. The Candy made one more attempt at playing Sherlock Holmes, and brought the note up to his nose to have a good, long sniff. It mostly smelled like paper but there was a lingering sweetness…. Fruity, like cherries…. Or maybe it was vanilla. The scent was vaguely familiar, but much like the handwriting, the identity eluded him. He needed to show Ramón as soon as possible or he would surely perish. Suddenly, the Homecoming Game couldn’t end soon enough.
Pocketing the precious piece of paper, Cael closed his locker and tried to collect his thoughts. He had planned to do something before the pep rally. What was it again? Oh, right! Parking lot! Party favors in the parking lot! He wanted to celebrate Minnie having a date — hell, maybe even himself having a date now — by trying something new together. Striding towards the exit to the student parking lot, Cael’s stomach did somersaults. How do you even buy drugs, anyway?
Cael went over a variety of scenarios and dialogue options as he walked. His panic rose with every step. He was out of time to prepare now, standing at the edge of the area where Everly Rigby and the school’s other skaters practiced their tricks. The brunette appeared to be taking a drink break and Cael approached, his grip on his duffle bag strap turning white-knuckled. “Hey…” he opened lamely, “Uh, how’s it going?” he winced, the blush he had on his cheeks since reading the note burned brighter. So much for practicing his lines…
Despite technically being ‘at school’, Everly’s parents were likely getting another message from the office about how she had unexcused absences today but at this point those messages were as common as telemarketers or campaign ads during election seasons. Everly, despite her affiliation with the PLC, was possibly the least responsible senior at BHHS. It was a coin flip on whether or not she would show up to class and the coin only ever seemed to land on ‘go to class’ on days where she was certain there was a test. School just bored her; human beings weren’t meant to stay in a single building for eight hours a day five days a week. Hell, at least prisoners got time in the yard to play basketball, lift weights, and bring back racial segregation; here at BHHS, the only difference between it and prison was segregation was based on class, not race. She wasn’t sure which was worse.
Her thoughts on school aside, no one could deny that she was part of the blood that kept BHHS flowing. She and the PLC as a whole provided a valuable service morning, noon, and after school - though after school they tended to take business off school property. Even Naomi, who typically made moves to oust the shadier and seedier aspects of student life that would reflect badly on the school as a whole, seemed to suffer the PLC in silence as if getting rid of them would be an act of social suicide. Everly couldn’t answer why she hung out at school if she didn’t go to class anyway. There was a little skate park, that was a reason, but she could’ve easily posted up at a larger one or gone to the movies or literally anywhere else, yet there she was, as she was every weekday, hanging out in the parking lot, skating, busting ass, selling grass. Some of the people were cool, she had friends here, but in a couple months those friends would move on and where would she be?
Probably still hanging out in the parking lot.
Skating the day away helped her ignore that fear, but the shadow cast by the high school constantly loomed overhead. But Everly, as always, remained unbothered - on the surface, anyway - as she cracked open a bottle of cranberry juice - good for vitamin C, according to the packaging anyway and those things never lied. Mid-drink, her board under the bench she was sitting on, Everly looked up at the seemingly flustered customer. She’d seen the type before, the person that constantly looked over their shoulder when all they wanted was some weed, like the PLC was running a sting for something illegal or whatever. “Well, if it ain’t the Candy Man.” Everly knew about the Candies and while Everly wouldn’t exactly call Cael a friend - simply from lack of hanging out together - she had no issues with him. In her books, he was cool. She once considered using their services for her Stella situation but decided against it; she wanted her eventual confession and inevitable shutdown to be organic. Aw natural. Or whatever. “Not, like, the horror movie dude with the bees and the hook. Like..the song from that old ass movie with the weird dude and the candy factory.” Everly had never met a person she couldn’t have an incredibly awkward interaction with. It was truly a gift. “You ever see it? Candyman can cuz he mixes it with love, makes the world taste good, or whatever.” There was an attempt to sing the lyrics, but Everly’s voice trended more towards an almost contralto Seth Rogen than it did a crooning Aubrey Woods.
“What’s up, dude? You want some?” Everly offered Cael a drink from her cranberry juice, pointing the open bottle in his direction. “I don’t backwash, I think.”
Cael was glad for the humorous musical distraction, quietly chuckling as politely as he could at her attempt to sing the lyrics. He smiled with a grin that was all cheeks as he hummed the familiar melody and bobbed his head along with her. Okay, he could do this, it wasn’t so scary. It helped that Everly was a peer rather than some dude in a sketchy alleyway, and she was funny too! Cael felt both his grip and his nerves relax as he let his bag down on the bench. He then crossed one arm over his chest while his other hand clutched at imaginary pearls in faux offense. “Do you really take me for the type to swap spit upon first introductions?”
“Well… I suppose you’re not entirely wrong there,” Cael shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m good though, thanks.” He cleared his throat gently and took on a more confident posture this time around. He could do this. “Funny that you mention the Candyman, because I’ve heard word around the halls that you are one of sorts yourself — not a man of course — hell, I don’t even consider myself a man.” He subconsciously reached to rub his chin and check for any unwanted stubble. “I want to be a pretty boy for as long as possible. If I made even a fraction of money that some of our classmates were simply born into, I’d already have gotten laser hair removal. ANYWAY, that’s oversharing, sorry, I do that. ADHD plus absolutely no filter from thought to mouth equals shameless chaos in pixie form. But yes… I’m Cael, Prince of Candyland, coming to peruse the shelves of your candy shop. I’m looking for something to bring as a party favor for my friends and I at the Green gathering tomorrow. Are you going?”
Everly, not innately aware that the question about swapping spit was likely rhetorical, shrugged her shoulders in response. It probably wouldn’t go over too well if she mentioned how most of her experience with swapping spit was after first introductions with girls at parties or hang outs and most of the time she didn’t even remember their name after they parted lips. The last thing she wanted Cael - or anyone - to think was that she was some kind of drug dealing slut. She loved sluts, she just didn’t consider herself one. Her mind was starting to wander, which it did when she was half focusing on what someone was telling her. It wasn’t as if she was disinterested in what Cael was saying, she could relate to the oversharing, lack of a filter thing but in her case she was pretty sure it wasn’t anything to do with ADHD and everything to do with a lack of shame. Or maybe she also had ADHD. She’d have to ask a doctor sometime. Maybe the next time she was in the hospital for fucking up her leg or arm or something.
“Green gathering? Tomorrow? Like…during Homecoming?” Everly had not heard word one about a gathering thrown by the Greens, but then she hadn’t seen the morning announcements or served any Green bloods today. The various members of the PLC had a knack for finding out when and where parties of note were, be it from hearing about it from people they dealt to or, Everly assumed, Addie sleeping with someone who was going and passing the knowledge around before leaving through a window like Spider-Man. “First I’m hearin’ of it. I don’t think I was invited.” That had never stopped Everly from showing up before. It likely wouldn’t stop her now.
“Anyway, if you’re askin’ for party favors I assume you’re not in the market for weed.” Hanging from the back of the bench was Everly’s bag, in which there was the closest thing to a menu she had. And by menu, of course, it was more like a bunch of baggies and prescription bottles. It was this bag that Everly grabbed and unzipped wide enough for Cael to also get a glimpse inside. Lookin’ was free. Touchin’ was not. “So what are we talkin’? Stims? Psychs? Benzos? It’s not, like, offensive if I say poppers, is it? Probably is. Better not. Gotta say, anythin’ that goes up the nose or in a needle I’m not your girl. Ain’t no one out here trying to turn rich kids into coke fiends or heroin whores. The 80s were lame enough already, no need to relive it.” Like any good salesperson, Everly took out an orange pill bottle with colored pills on the inside and shook it, like she was trying to amuse someone with a noisemaker. “Have you met my good friend Molly? Just as a suggestion.”
“Oh, Jesus, God, no!” Cael reacted viscerally at the implication that he might be looking for hard drugs. He hugged himself and rubbed at his arms, as if defending against unwanted needles. “Nothing crazy like that, I don’t even know what like half the words you’re saying are! I mean, I’m not a square or anything, I’ve smoked at parties and stuff and that's cool, but it makes me kinda sleepy. Probably because I don’t get enough sleep, but anyway, you’re clearly much more knowledgeable in… this, so I’m definitely open to suggestions! How about I just say what I’m looking to get out of it?”
Cael waited for a sign of encouragement before he kept going. “I really love dancing, I’ve done ballet since I was a kid and picked up some latin styles more recently too. So something that will keep me dancing all night for sure! But also, like, just feeling good. I’ve heard there’s stuff that like, makes your skin feel nice and, well…” A blush of pink once again began to tint the apples of his cheeks. “Like you said, I’m a Candy, I love love, and flirting, and touching, and… all that.” He stopped and chewed at his lip in anticipation. “Oh also, like, I work at an ice cream shop… I’m not really super loaded, so nothing crazy expensive.”
“Trust me, you don’t wanna smoke at a party. You wanna make sure you smoke before a party, especially one where there’s gonna be loud music and bright lights and shit.” Everly might not have been knowledgeable about many things they teach at school, but when it came to getting high she was like a damned guru. Between that and skateboarding, one of those had to be a career option for her; though only one would tend to keep her out of jail. “I never woulda figured you for a ballet dancer. I bet your feet are all kinda fucked up. Like that movie with the chick from Thor? Where she like…” Rather than simply say ‘masturbates’, Everly instead very poorly and very crudely mimed the act by flicking an index finger up and down next to her hand making half an OK sign. “I forget the name of it. Shit was crazy boring, dude. But ballet’s cool. Latin styles like…flamingo? I guess that makes sense, since ballet outfits are, like, pink and shit and so are flamingos.”
The Candy Prince chuckled, assuming that she was purposely saying flamingo as a joke. “I’ve never tried flamenco, mostly just the Latin American styles. Salsa, tango, bachata… that kind of thing. Trixie got me into it, she was running out of partners that could keep up.”
Everly’s ramblings rarely had a point beyond trying to connect with the various customers, which actually made her somewhat effective at her job even if she didn’t realize it. Cael had been nervous when he approached her and Everly had hoped that by letting him talk and being interested that he would be considerably less nervous. She absolutely did not think ballet was cool, she’d never seen a ballet performance outside a movie in her life - but it didn’t matter. If Cael did ballet, then it was cool because Cael was a customer and all customers were cool. Except for the dicks. But Cael wasn’t a dick. Simple.
“Since you’re new to this, I’m not gonna get into candyflipping but if you want my suggestion, you can’t go wrong with the classic E. Well, you can if you overdose but that won’t happen. There’s also 2C-B or K, but you don’t wanna do K at an unfamiliar place with a bunch of strangers; it’s like shrooms that way. Also between you and me, I don’t really ever like given’ K out cuz a lotta creep ass dudes use it like a roofie and I ain’t about that shit. Not that I think you would or anythin’.” Everly, as always, was getting off topic. Her pitches probably needed tightening up, but she’d rather be honest and upfront rather than just giving a rookie something that would make them have the worst possible trip.
“Eww, men are pigs.” Cael said with an expression dripping with disgust. “And, yeah, please nothing that is easy to overdose on… or super addictive. I’m just wanting to have a little extra fun, I’m celebrating!”
“Here, dude, this might be what you need.” Everly tipped a bottle into a small ziploc bag. Circular pills of purple, yellow, and blue fell into the bag and each one had a little smiley face or heart on it like it was some kind of vitamin for over the counter transactions.
“Take one of these. It starts kicking in about thirty minutes after and by an hour in you’re gonna be feeling like you’re movin’ in slow motion. You’re gonna be happier than you’ve ever been and if you get lucky and hook up, well…” She didn’t have a metaphor. She let it hang. “Anyway, lasts about six hours, give or take, but I absolutely don’t suggest doubling up. Drink plenty of water - coconut water if you got it - and the morning after, eat a banana. As for the price, if this is what you want, normally it’s 30 a pill. I dunno how many you want but I’d be willin’ to do some squid per row. Toss a discount at your ice cream shop and I can say 50 for a half dozen.”
Squid… per row? Cael was doing his best to focus on her instructions like they were gospel, he did not want to fuck this up. Assuming that any words he didn’t quite understand were just drug dealing speak that he didn’t want to embarass himself by asking about, he nodded fervently. He retrieved his wallet and plucked out two twenties and a ten dollar bill, having come prepared with cash, since he figured dealers didn’t want anything traceable. “This is molly, right? Sure, yeah, 50 sounds good, and as long as my manager isn’t behind the counter I'll just charge you for a baby cone or something else cheap.” He handed her the money with quick discreteness, feeling far more comfortable now that he got to know Everly a bit more. “They’re cute… they kinda do look like candies.”
“Molly, E, Scooby Snacks, Disco Biscuits, and even Candy…there’s like a dozen names for things. I don’t know why. Probably to throw off the cops or whatever.” Everly didn’t know every street name for the products the PLC sold, but she knew more than most would likely assume given her GPA and her difficulty with words having more than two syllables. “I should also probably mention that you probably don’t wanna have too much alcohol after you take it. If you get drunk then the molly’ll stay in you longer and then you run the risk of, like, havin’ a bad time.” Shit, she was sounding like an anti-drug PSA and that was annoying her something fierce. But as much as Everly wanted people to enjoy the products the PLC provided, she wanted them to enjoy them as responsibly as they could. That would lead to repeat business and less chance of cops, teachers, or worse, parents cracking down on them because some rich kid decided they could fly off the roof thanks to some hallucination. As much as she hated a lot of the elitism going around, Everly didn’t want anyone dead. Not even the Strattons.
“Oh, that’s fine. Too much alcohol makes me feel gross and bloated anyway. So not cute, t-b-h.” Cael flashed his signature cheeky grin. “Thanks for the explanations and, uh, everything.” He punctuated the sentence by gesturing with the bag of Candy before tucking it away safely in an inner zipper pocket of his duffel bag.
“Pleasure doin’ business with ya. While you’re still here…that, uh, Green gatherin’...you wouldn’t happen to know where and when it’s goin’ down? Just so I can, like, tell Sav and Adds and Nev.”
“Of course, I was actually gonna say — consider yourself officially invited. I heard it was kinda unofficially announced on The Morning Show, but I missed it. The scoop I got is that it’s like…. Risky Business themed so we’re supposed to like, have a change of clothes? Something about meeting in the parking lot after king and queen are announced, I don’t know if they’ll have a bus or multiple limos or what, it is the Greens, after all. Ethan is hosting it at his family’s vineyard which is like, a big deal apparently, I don’t think any of us peasants have ever even seen it before.” He shrugged in explanation, but his eyes were focused elsewhere. His mismatched gaze was locked on the skateboard Everly was rolling back and forth on the pavement beneath her foot.
“I bet you can do all kinds of cool shit, huh? Can you show me a trick?” One might mistake Cael for someone who actually knew their way around a board based on the way he dressed. He had a fondness for dark skinny jeans, Vans, and Converse, but it was mostly just an appreciation for the fashion rather than being an actual part of skater punk culture.
Everly’s initial thought, namely wondering what the fuck Risky Business was, quickly passed to the side when Cael did something few, if any, customers ever did: asked to see a trick. Anything else he said before that, about a bus or it being at a vineyard - she didn’t even know those existed outside of Napa or someplace owned by Martha Stewart on the east coast - no longer mattered as the skater girl lit up like a spotlight at a Hollywood premiere. “Fuck yeah I can show you a trick, dude. You just, like, skyrocketed up the list of favorite customers.”
Everly got to her feet and adjusted the baseball cap on her head while, at the same time, stepped on the back of her board to kick it vertically into her waiting hand. Not a movement was wasted, it was as if adjusting the hat activated a different Everly, one who had a look of gentle determination rather than aloof ease. Without a word, Everly turned and took off at a slight run, her skateboard in her left hand with the tail of the board dragging on the ground. Dropping the board onto its wheels on the concrete, Everly planted her dominant foot by the front bolts and her backfoot by the front of the tail. The way she balanced on the moving board gave off a confidence she rarely felt otherwise; it was here, on top of the board, where she truly felt in control of her own destiny.
After getting a brief distance away from Cael, she pivoted to face him while maintaining momentum and movement and, most importantly, speed. As the wheels carried her closer to the bench, she crouched a little, entering her ollie stance, and with foot movements that would make a hot butter knife feel jealous of the smoothness, she popped the board up with her backfoot and she was airborne. Her feet left the board, hovering above it as the board did a full rotation. It was only after the rotation ended that Everly’s front foot made contact with the board once again and stopped any further rotations before she landed with both feet just past the bench she had been sitting on.
“We call that a 360 Pop Shove-it. Took me half a summer vacation to master that one. I like to bust it out because people mistake it for a kickflip but it’s so much harder than a kickflip, dude. It’s pretty sick, right?” Everly rolled to a stop, stepping off her board and once again kicking it up into her left hand. “Do you board, dude? You seem like you board.”
Cael was still beaming from being called one of her favorite customers. She might call all of her customers that, but Cael was as optimistic as he was naive, so he took it as high praise. He liked being people’s favorite anything, even if it was their favorite pain in the ass. That’s what his dad always called him. Once Everly finished her 360 Bop-It or whatever, Cael clapped encouragingly. He might not recognize the name, but it definitely looked pretty cool. “That was sick! And, nah, I don’t skate. I was interested back in 7th grade and my parents got me a board for my 12th birthday because I begged for one… but then it was too hard to teach myself and none of my friends really did it so I lost interest pretty fast. I’m super jealous though, that was really cool!”
The Candy boy looked thoughtful for a moment as he sucked in his bottom lip. It only took a matter of seconds to make the quick decision to just ask what he wanted to. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, right? “Hey, I know I already asked you for a lot, but do you think you could teach me something simple? I could make it worth your while…” Cael smirked in offering. “I’ll provide you my services as a Candy. Tell me, Everly Rigby, what’s your type?”
Teach? It took Everly a good couple beats before she realized Cael must’ve been talking about a skateboard trick and not, like, something out of a textbook. That was a subject she was more qualified and, importantly, able to do. The first thing to learn, after balancing and the tic tac, was an ollie. If someone could ollie, they were basically on their way to doing kick flips and grinds and twists. “Yeah, dude, I can teach you something. You wanna use my board or-” Everly wasn’t interrupted by words, but by her brain fully processing the exchange Cael was proposing. The sudden pause in her words were partnered with Everly blushing like she finally realized she had a habit of saying things that made people wonder if she was playing with a full deck of cards.
“Uh…my type? Uh…like…my ideal girl?” She was stalling. She hoped he wouldn’t realize. He probably did. Fuck. That made it worse. She couldn’t just say that Stella Manning was her type - that wasn’t even necessarily true she just had a crush on Stella. But then why couldn’t she think of a type? She liked blondes but she liked brunettes and even redheads sometimes but if she just said her type was ‘girl’ that wasn’t helpful and also made her seem shallow or something. What the fuck why was this such a difficult question? “Well I’m pretty short so, like, someone taller than me?” She was 5’4” by her last count. She didn’t actually have a height preference but she did like the visual of having a taller girl collapsing into her arms after…well the picture only made her blush darken.
“Like…if I had to pick a hair color I guess…I guess blonde. She can’t, like, be into Jesus or whatever and she can’t be straight, obviously. Bisexual is fine - too many lesbians act like bi people don’t count and it’s lame as fuck, dude. Uh…physically I won’t, like, turn down someone who maybe is, like, a fan of getting a large order.” Trying to be nice about it only made it sound worse, she thought. “But I’d be lying if I said that would be my first choice. Uh…I’m a boob girl before a butt girl. If she laughs at my jokes then that’s a plus. Is…is any of that useful? I feel like it’s not. I dunno, dude, I never thought about it.” Everly was regretting not just describing her crush in detail; it would’ve been far less embarrassing.
“Oh, no, don’t worry, it’s totes useful! Hmm.” Cael tapped at his chin in thought. “You know, this would be my first lesbian ship. Honestly, sooo exciting. So… a busty blondie with a body that knows what she likes and has a good sense of humor. Understandable, good taste, good taste. You know…” He let his voice trail off, contemplating his next words carefully. Unfortunately for them both, Cael never was one for caution. “I might be suggesting something a little close to home, but it sounds like you’d really dig one of my besties. Stella Manning, you know her? She’s not exactly single right now, but she’s pretty pissed at her boyfriend, and between you and me, I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and… let’s just say I’m not so sure he’s been entirely faithful to my queen. Do with that what you will!” If he had a cup of tea, this would be the precise moment that he sipped it.
It was a good thing that Everly didn’t have her cranberry juice in hand or else it would’ve been staining the ground with artificial flavorings. Of course Cael was friends with Stella Manning, why wouldn’t he be, he was a cheerleader and did shit with the school or whatever. Did he know and this was his way of being oh-so-subtle or did he not know and Everly was just not very good at hiding her current fascination? Shit, she was this close to trying out for a school play before graduation if it meant getting to, like, run lines. She wouldn’t, though; Everly had no interest or chops for acting. “Shit, dude, did Sav put you up to this?” Her tone, despite the question, was not accusatory. Bewildered was more apt. “Or Penny Amato? Shit, man, I knew telling them about my crush on Stella was gonna bite my ass.”
“Wh—Sav? …Penny?” Cael began to ask in confusion before Everly inevitably sealed her own fate. “Oh, wow, damn, I’m better at this Candy shit than I thought. Nice!”
Wait, there was trouble in Stella’s relationship? That was…informative, but also something Everly had to tuck under her cap for the moment. Even if it was only for a night or out of revenge for a potentially unfaithful partner…being a rebound wouldn’t be the worst thing in Everly’s life. Hell, it might be one of the best. “I said that out loud. Fuck. Okay, yeah, dude, I have a crush on Stella Manning but, like, who doesn’t, dude. You can’t tell her, she’ll think I’m lame if you tell her. She’ll probably think I’m lame anyway but at least if I tell her it’s less lame. I guess you’re gonna tell the Candies or whatever. Shit at this point who doesn’t know. Her boyfriend is really cheatin’ on her? What a fuckin’ shit ass dumb fuck, dude. Ain’t no one in our year better than Stella Manning, dude, and some dumbshit is throwin’ that away? Don’t tell me who it is, man, or I’ll punch him for being an idiot.”
“Woah woah woah, no, don’t worry about any of that, babes. You’re good, I won’t tell her. That’s not how I do business. I plant seeds, like your friend Addie, ‘cept mine are seeds of loooove. Wait, that sounds lewd, not like that. Yeah, anyway. I’ve already planted one in telling you that juicy little tidbit.” Cael shrugged with a proud smirk, suddenly feeling quite full of himself. “I won’t say who it is, but I’m kind of surprised you don’t know already. Honestly, the fact that you don’t know is kinda suspicious, right? Like, who keeps dating Stella Manning on the D-L, she’s a fucking bombshell. I’d be screaming it from the rooftops if it were me, ya know, if I swung that way. Trust me, I’ve tried, but now even oysters freak me out — all the more for you, my new sapphic friend! Anyway, it’s not like I knowww he’s cheating,”
Cael was probably admitting more than he should be and this could definitely come back to bite him in the ass, but it all came from a place of love. Stella was one of his best friends, and she wasn’t really happy with Ethan, at least she didn’t seem to be. She deserved far better in Cael’s eyes. The starlet deserved someone that would treat her like a goddess, and he could tell from that hopeful desperation in Everly’s gaze that she would worship the very ground the blonde walked upon. Hell, she was already threatening violence against her transgressors. All things considered, Cael continued, “It’s just that I’ve seen him buying sunflowers and lilies before at the florist across the street from where I work. It’s Creamistry, by the way, for your discounts. I work on the weekends. But… anyone who knows anything about Stella knows she loves peonies, or even like, anything pink if he's too lazy to remember specifics. But sunflowers? And lilies? Kinda sus if you ask me. I guess he could've been buying them for his mom or whatever but.... Just some food for thought.”
And just like that, another seed had been planted. Everly now knew Stella’s favorite flower, what she did with all of this newfound knowledge was up to her. Cael had more than made good on his end of the bargain. “And you’re totally not lame, Ev. You’ve got a cool hobby and you’re really funny. I like you a lot, actually. If nothing else, I can see a budding friendship in our future. Now, how about that trick? Maybe you can help me look cool enough to land myself a skater boi!”
Peonies. Anything pink. Pink. Peonies. Pink. Peonies. Everly didn’t know the first thing about flowers - she thought roses having thorns was just a song lyric, like a metaphor or whatever - but she committed the word peonies to memory. If Stella liked peonies, Everly was going to make sure she had one on hand when she did eventually make her move. Or maybe it would be cool and possibly romantic if she sent a flower delivery to Stella during school hours. No, that was probably gonna be seen as creepy, plus did anyone go for secret admirer stuff anymore? Shit, why did this stuff have to be so hard? Why couldn’t it be simple? Like…skateboarding. Right. Skateboarding.
“Right, the trick. The squid per row. If I knew any cute skater boys I’d introduce you. Well there’s Dash but I think you’d, like, be exhausted by him. And not even in the fun, sweaty kinda way, y’know? But anyway, here.” Everly placed her board down in front of Cael and stood to the side of it, across from Cael with the board between them. “First thing to do is get on, you probably have before since you had one but just to remind - if your front foot is the right then that’s goofy stance, left foot forward is regular. Put your forward foot by the bolts up front and your dominant foot on the back, by the tail. You can use my shoulders for support if you need it, dude. Just get on and find your balance. Even weight between your legs. You think you got it, dude?”
“Like a super relaxed fourth position, yeah, I remember that” Cael nodded before stepping up on the board. He was sure the ballet reference went over Everly’s head, but it helped him conceptualize how he should stand. The wheels rolled forward slightly with his added weight upon the board, but he kept his balance without much effort. “Balance shouldn’t be a problem, and yes, super familiar with weight between my legs, got it.” He joked with a chuckle. “Okay, what’s next?”
“Now comes the fun part.” Everly took a step back and looked down at the board, specifically at Cael’s feet and how they were positioned. An approving nod fueled the way to the next part of her lesson. “What you’re gonna do now is snap the tail, that means push down with your back foot and then jump up and, at the same time, roll your front foot to the nose of the board. That creates lift. it sounds weird, dude, cuz it is, but it’s just timing. Snap, jump, roll, all at the same time. And then when you’re in the air, straighten your legs out as the board levels and land it. It might be shaky at first, but with the right timing you’ll get it. This is, like, the foundation of most tricks. Learn this and you can learn other shit. Give it a try. Remember: snap, jump, roll.” Everly snapped her finger after each direction. “You got this, dude. Just think of all the cute skater boys in your future.”
“Shit, don’t say that! I’ll get all distracted and then I will fuck it up.” Cael giggled as he revisited Everly’s instructions in mental preparation. Snap, jump, roll. Snap, jump, roll. He practiced shifting his weight, tilting, and moving his ankles in the correct patterns without putting any weight behind it, just to get a feel for the motions before he tried it for real. It seemed simple enough. Too simple, if he was being honest, but she was the expert here. Cael was far from a good student, but never from lack of effort. He’d already taken one big risk today, so this seemed paltry in comparison. You know, unless he fucked up an ankle and could never dance again.
Cael swallowed what felt like a solid rock. Shit, he was thinking about it too much, he was gonna pussy out. He closed his eyes tight and took in a sharp inhale of breath to prepare. Snap, jump, roll. Three. Two. One.
The pixie punk-in-training put his weight and calf muscles into the maneuver this time. Despite giving it a good college try, the board only leapt a few centimeters off of the pavement. There was that, and Cael landed a little too far forward on the right side of the board, causing it to jump out from behind him while he stumbled towards his skater sensei. Catching himself with quick footwork and a steadying hand on Everly’s shoulder, he let out a nervous chuckle. From the outside, it was a pretty pathetic ollie, but with the rest of this afternoon’s stressors factored in, it had Cael’s heart racing.
“Haha, I don’t know man… I might be too amped up right now.” His words sounded surprisingly breathless, and a little self-doubting. Cael’s gaze flicked towards the bleachers and the field. The pep rally was already underway, he couldn’t stick around too much longer without his absence being noticed. “Squid per row… what a weird name for a trick. Could we try it another time? Maybe with some more show and tell — here, let’s get each other’s numbers.” He suggested, plucking his phone out of his right pocket and tapping out a quick contact name for her: Everly 🛹.
“That was a good try, dude, honest. My first attempt at it landed me on my ass. You’ll get it.” Everly never understood people who saw someone not get it right the first time and get frustrated; no one got it right the first time, that was the whole point of practicing. Hell, even the pros fell off their boards like anyone else. “You want a lesson, I’m here to teach it any time, dude.” There was a brief look of confusion when Cael referred to the trick as squid per row but figured she must’ve caused said confusion by using the term in the first place. Correcting people always made you look like an asshole, though, so she didn’t do it. Instead, she took out her phone - the front of the case had a crack on it from one too many bails on the board - and her contact name for Cael came with the descriptor ‘Ice Cream and Candy’. “I’m here every weekday. On weekends I’m usually by the EZ Park store or hangin’ out somewhere. Just hit me up for a lesson or whatever, we’ll work it out. Does your name start with a ‘k’. Like the chips? Kale?”
Cael didn’t even bother to contain his giggles, his shoulders shook with laughter. “Do— haha, Do I look like a leafy vegetable to you?” He took a breath to gather himself before explaining. “Cael with a C, it’s Irish. C-A-E-L. My mom is big into fantasy and elves and stuff and wanted to name me Caeldyn, but my dad said that was too weird. I dunno though, I kinda like it. Maybe I’ll change it to the original some day.”
“Oh, that’s cool as hell, I wish my mom was into fantasy and not, like, afternoon martinis and plastic surgery. My parents couldn’t decide between Evelyn or Emily and Everly came out.”
While saving Everly’s contact info, Jonah’s name caught Cael’s eye from his recent contacts list. He was reminded of the mysterious note waiting to be solved in his other pocket. Would Jonah call himself a ‘Secret Admirer’? The admiration was hardly a secret. It’s not like there was any label to what they were exactly… friends with benefits, perhaps? Nothing serious, just some teenage fun on speed dial. Cael decided that even though it would be weird for Jonah to sign a note as anything other than himself, he might as well reach out just to be sure. To cross a possibility off of the list, so to speak. Cael considered Jem as well for a moment, but then laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought — A) he would never do something so cheesy and B) his handwriting was definitely not that neat.
Not wanting to be rude and stare at his phone for too long, Cael pocketed the device after sending the texts. He brought his attention back to the skater girl before him. “You really are hilarious, you know that? I think Stel would definitely laugh at your jokes.” He beamed an encouraging smile her way. A cacophony of hoots and hollers sounded from beyond the bleachers, once again calling to the cheerleader like a siren song. “Hey, I’ve loved this. All of this, really, and I’m sorry I was so awkward at first, but… I should probably get going before they start calling my name on the loudspeaker and everyone finds out I was buying drugs in the parking lot. Bad press for both of us with teachers still being about and all.”
“I’ll see you soon, maybe at the party tomorrow? I’ll bring coconut water!” Cael gave her a purposefully dorky thumbs up and then waved goodbye. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket after he took a few steps, but then suddenly remembered something from earlier that he had meant to ask but forgot about — a common issue with having about a hundred thoughts a minute, even more if caffeinated. “Oh, wait a sec, I meant to ask earlier… what’s a popper?” And why did she think it was offensive to assume he wanted one? Them?... It?
This time, the sidewalk wasn’t so lucky; Everly had taken a sip from her cranberry juice and the mouthful was now decorating the ground as Cael asked his question. Fuck. She forgot she had mentioned poppers out loud, but then most of her thoughts found a way to leave the relative safety of her brain one way or another. Cael was cool, he would probably not be mad about an explanation, but it still made for an…awkward ask and even more awkward was the way Everly was stammering and ‘Uhming’ and ‘Uhhing’ as her eyes darted around looking for a way out.
But the only way out was through.
“Poppers are like…uh…it’s like…a chemical…it’s…they come in like little jars…uh…” She wasn’t doing a good job explaining it. She knew she wasn’t but what was she supposed to do? Be upfront and honest? Probably. “You..like..inhale them. Like sniffing. Like…smelling gasoline. Uh…I asked cuz..like..poppers have an effect…like…uh…beyond just…beyond just the high…it…uh…I mean…I just thought…you like skater boys and you’re…I mean I don’t wanna assume but…” Everly wanted to die. In her mind this was how she was gonna sound when talking to Stella and why she still hadn’t.
“Poppers…fuck…they…gay dudes, not like all but like…club dudes…gay dudes like to sometimes…use poppers before…” Everly made an ‘OK’ gesture with her left hand and pushed her right index finger into the ‘O’. Back and forth. “Poppers…help relax the butthole. It makes…it makes anal sex…like…feel better. And since I assumed you might…uh…hook up…I just…I mean I wouldn’t really have a use but..uh..yeah…they’re…they’re used for anal.”
It didn’t feel any better now that she had gotten it out.
Cael’s eyebrows stitched together in confusion at Everly’s sudden stuttering. Was she getting nervous talking about drugs? He didn’t think drug dealers would get anxious about their own product, but that said, it made him feel far less embarrassed about his own antics earlier. As soon as she said ‘gay dudes’, everything started to make sense. The stuttering, the assumption — Cael’s lips formed a surprised ‘O’ when buttholes were suddenly in the conversation.
“Oh… oh oh!” The Candy murmured as the realizations came pouring in. Despite typically being quite the empath, Cael’s body language didn’t mirror Everly’s sudden bashfulness. Being raised by a sex ed teacher as a mom meant that Cael grew up with very little shame and a healthy attitude about the topic. His hungry appetite for sex, however, was entirely nature rather than nurture.
“Oh, wow, so that’s what those were. I just recently got an ID, so I’ve only been clubbing a couple of times, but I thought people were just, like, taking weird shots... Jesus, good thing I didn’t drink one!” Cael laughed at his own naivety. How embarrassing! His cheeks flushed pink and he covered his giggling mouth with a hand. Once his laughter subsided, he cleared his throat to speak.
“Well, I definitely don’t need any help relaxing, and I like it a little rough anyway. Plus, you said nothing that goes up your nose, right?” Cael adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder with a smirk.
“You really just immediately pegged me for a bottom, huh? Here’s hoping that’s not the only pegging you’ll do in the future,” he said with a teasing wink, firing a goofy finger gun at her. Sure, he was making a bit of an assumption on her sexual preference, but so did she. He figured he was fairly owed one back. His phone vibrated again in his pocket, and this time Cael reached down to check the two messages he'd missed.
The last three messages would be unintentionally ghosted as Cael's stomach began doing more flips than the cheer squad was about to — as long as Cael's thoroughly distracted mind could focus long enough to catch them, that is.
Cael’s train of thought derailed when he opened his locker and a note tumbled down from the top shelf. It had been precariously placed, as if it had been shoved through the slats on the top of the door. Cael looked around the halls, curious to see if anyone was nearby that might’ve left it, but no one out of the ordinary stood out. Kneeling down, he picked up both the note and the duffel bag containing his cheer uniform from the bottom of the locker. He slung the bag’s strap over his shoulder and began unfolding the piece of paper.
The prince of Candyland’s heart thrummed in his chest as he read the contents. It was a dare, written in a somewhat feminine script, but it wasn’t Minnie’s, he would have recognized that. The handwriting was half cursive and as straight and neat as a font. Cael’s mismatched eyes scanned the words once, twice, thrice. It wasn’t just a dare, but an invitation to show up at Beverly Gardens Park dressed up before the dance tomorrow evening, and it was signed by a ‘Secret Admirer’. Cael bit his lip in excitement, bouncing up onto his toes in a way that would be uncomfortable for most, but not for someone who had spent years dancing en pointe.
Who could this secret admirer be? The handwriting seemed familiar, but not enough to identify who it was based on writing alone. Cael scanned the hallway again, looking for anyone that might be… well, secretly admiring him. No luck, the halls were mostly empty now, as students filed out to attend the pep rally — or go home, if they were boring. The Candy made one more attempt at playing Sherlock Holmes, and brought the note up to his nose to have a good, long sniff. It mostly smelled like paper but there was a lingering sweetness…. Fruity, like cherries…. Or maybe it was vanilla. The scent was vaguely familiar, but much like the handwriting, the identity eluded him. He needed to show Ramón as soon as possible or he would surely perish. Suddenly, the Homecoming Game couldn’t end soon enough.
Pocketing the precious piece of paper, Cael closed his locker and tried to collect his thoughts. He had planned to do something before the pep rally. What was it again? Oh, right! Parking lot! Party favors in the parking lot! He wanted to celebrate Minnie having a date — hell, maybe even himself having a date now — by trying something new together. Striding towards the exit to the student parking lot, Cael’s stomach did somersaults. How do you even buy drugs, anyway?
Cael went over a variety of scenarios and dialogue options as he walked. His panic rose with every step. He was out of time to prepare now, standing at the edge of the area where Everly Rigby and the school’s other skaters practiced their tricks. The brunette appeared to be taking a drink break and Cael approached, his grip on his duffle bag strap turning white-knuckled. “Hey…” he opened lamely, “Uh, how’s it going?” he winced, the blush he had on his cheeks since reading the note burned brighter. So much for practicing his lines…
Despite technically being ‘at school’, Everly’s parents were likely getting another message from the office about how she had unexcused absences today but at this point those messages were as common as telemarketers or campaign ads during election seasons. Everly, despite her affiliation with the PLC, was possibly the least responsible senior at BHHS. It was a coin flip on whether or not she would show up to class and the coin only ever seemed to land on ‘go to class’ on days where she was certain there was a test. School just bored her; human beings weren’t meant to stay in a single building for eight hours a day five days a week. Hell, at least prisoners got time in the yard to play basketball, lift weights, and bring back racial segregation; here at BHHS, the only difference between it and prison was segregation was based on class, not race. She wasn’t sure which was worse.
Her thoughts on school aside, no one could deny that she was part of the blood that kept BHHS flowing. She and the PLC as a whole provided a valuable service morning, noon, and after school - though after school they tended to take business off school property. Even Naomi, who typically made moves to oust the shadier and seedier aspects of student life that would reflect badly on the school as a whole, seemed to suffer the PLC in silence as if getting rid of them would be an act of social suicide. Everly couldn’t answer why she hung out at school if she didn’t go to class anyway. There was a little skate park, that was a reason, but she could’ve easily posted up at a larger one or gone to the movies or literally anywhere else, yet there she was, as she was every weekday, hanging out in the parking lot, skating, busting ass, selling grass. Some of the people were cool, she had friends here, but in a couple months those friends would move on and where would she be?
Probably still hanging out in the parking lot.
Skating the day away helped her ignore that fear, but the shadow cast by the high school constantly loomed overhead. But Everly, as always, remained unbothered - on the surface, anyway - as she cracked open a bottle of cranberry juice - good for vitamin C, according to the packaging anyway and those things never lied. Mid-drink, her board under the bench she was sitting on, Everly looked up at the seemingly flustered customer. She’d seen the type before, the person that constantly looked over their shoulder when all they wanted was some weed, like the PLC was running a sting for something illegal or whatever. “Well, if it ain’t the Candy Man.” Everly knew about the Candies and while Everly wouldn’t exactly call Cael a friend - simply from lack of hanging out together - she had no issues with him. In her books, he was cool. She once considered using their services for her Stella situation but decided against it; she wanted her eventual confession and inevitable shutdown to be organic. Aw natural. Or whatever. “Not, like, the horror movie dude with the bees and the hook. Like..the song from that old ass movie with the weird dude and the candy factory.” Everly had never met a person she couldn’t have an incredibly awkward interaction with. It was truly a gift. “You ever see it? Candyman can cuz he mixes it with love, makes the world taste good, or whatever.” There was an attempt to sing the lyrics, but Everly’s voice trended more towards an almost contralto Seth Rogen than it did a crooning Aubrey Woods.
“What’s up, dude? You want some?” Everly offered Cael a drink from her cranberry juice, pointing the open bottle in his direction. “I don’t backwash, I think.”
Cael was glad for the humorous musical distraction, quietly chuckling as politely as he could at her attempt to sing the lyrics. He smiled with a grin that was all cheeks as he hummed the familiar melody and bobbed his head along with her. Okay, he could do this, it wasn’t so scary. It helped that Everly was a peer rather than some dude in a sketchy alleyway, and she was funny too! Cael felt both his grip and his nerves relax as he let his bag down on the bench. He then crossed one arm over his chest while his other hand clutched at imaginary pearls in faux offense. “Do you really take me for the type to swap spit upon first introductions?”
“Well… I suppose you’re not entirely wrong there,” Cael shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m good though, thanks.” He cleared his throat gently and took on a more confident posture this time around. He could do this. “Funny that you mention the Candyman, because I’ve heard word around the halls that you are one of sorts yourself — not a man of course — hell, I don’t even consider myself a man.” He subconsciously reached to rub his chin and check for any unwanted stubble. “I want to be a pretty boy for as long as possible. If I made even a fraction of money that some of our classmates were simply born into, I’d already have gotten laser hair removal. ANYWAY, that’s oversharing, sorry, I do that. ADHD plus absolutely no filter from thought to mouth equals shameless chaos in pixie form. But yes… I’m Cael, Prince of Candyland, coming to peruse the shelves of your candy shop. I’m looking for something to bring as a party favor for my friends and I at the Green gathering tomorrow. Are you going?”
Everly, not innately aware that the question about swapping spit was likely rhetorical, shrugged her shoulders in response. It probably wouldn’t go over too well if she mentioned how most of her experience with swapping spit was after first introductions with girls at parties or hang outs and most of the time she didn’t even remember their name after they parted lips. The last thing she wanted Cael - or anyone - to think was that she was some kind of drug dealing slut. She loved sluts, she just didn’t consider herself one. Her mind was starting to wander, which it did when she was half focusing on what someone was telling her. It wasn’t as if she was disinterested in what Cael was saying, she could relate to the oversharing, lack of a filter thing but in her case she was pretty sure it wasn’t anything to do with ADHD and everything to do with a lack of shame. Or maybe she also had ADHD. She’d have to ask a doctor sometime. Maybe the next time she was in the hospital for fucking up her leg or arm or something.
“Green gathering? Tomorrow? Like…during Homecoming?” Everly had not heard word one about a gathering thrown by the Greens, but then she hadn’t seen the morning announcements or served any Green bloods today. The various members of the PLC had a knack for finding out when and where parties of note were, be it from hearing about it from people they dealt to or, Everly assumed, Addie sleeping with someone who was going and passing the knowledge around before leaving through a window like Spider-Man. “First I’m hearin’ of it. I don’t think I was invited.” That had never stopped Everly from showing up before. It likely wouldn’t stop her now.
“Anyway, if you’re askin’ for party favors I assume you’re not in the market for weed.” Hanging from the back of the bench was Everly’s bag, in which there was the closest thing to a menu she had. And by menu, of course, it was more like a bunch of baggies and prescription bottles. It was this bag that Everly grabbed and unzipped wide enough for Cael to also get a glimpse inside. Lookin’ was free. Touchin’ was not. “So what are we talkin’? Stims? Psychs? Benzos? It’s not, like, offensive if I say poppers, is it? Probably is. Better not. Gotta say, anythin’ that goes up the nose or in a needle I’m not your girl. Ain’t no one out here trying to turn rich kids into coke fiends or heroin whores. The 80s were lame enough already, no need to relive it.” Like any good salesperson, Everly took out an orange pill bottle with colored pills on the inside and shook it, like she was trying to amuse someone with a noisemaker. “Have you met my good friend Molly? Just as a suggestion.”
“Oh, Jesus, God, no!” Cael reacted viscerally at the implication that he might be looking for hard drugs. He hugged himself and rubbed at his arms, as if defending against unwanted needles. “Nothing crazy like that, I don’t even know what like half the words you’re saying are! I mean, I’m not a square or anything, I’ve smoked at parties and stuff and that's cool, but it makes me kinda sleepy. Probably because I don’t get enough sleep, but anyway, you’re clearly much more knowledgeable in… this, so I’m definitely open to suggestions! How about I just say what I’m looking to get out of it?”
Cael waited for a sign of encouragement before he kept going. “I really love dancing, I’ve done ballet since I was a kid and picked up some latin styles more recently too. So something that will keep me dancing all night for sure! But also, like, just feeling good. I’ve heard there’s stuff that like, makes your skin feel nice and, well…” A blush of pink once again began to tint the apples of his cheeks. “Like you said, I’m a Candy, I love love, and flirting, and touching, and… all that.” He stopped and chewed at his lip in anticipation. “Oh also, like, I work at an ice cream shop… I’m not really super loaded, so nothing crazy expensive.”
“Trust me, you don’t wanna smoke at a party. You wanna make sure you smoke before a party, especially one where there’s gonna be loud music and bright lights and shit.” Everly might not have been knowledgeable about many things they teach at school, but when it came to getting high she was like a damned guru. Between that and skateboarding, one of those had to be a career option for her; though only one would tend to keep her out of jail. “I never woulda figured you for a ballet dancer. I bet your feet are all kinda fucked up. Like that movie with the chick from Thor? Where she like…” Rather than simply say ‘masturbates’, Everly instead very poorly and very crudely mimed the act by flicking an index finger up and down next to her hand making half an OK sign. “I forget the name of it. Shit was crazy boring, dude. But ballet’s cool. Latin styles like…flamingo? I guess that makes sense, since ballet outfits are, like, pink and shit and so are flamingos.”
The Candy Prince chuckled, assuming that she was purposely saying flamingo as a joke. “I’ve never tried flamenco, mostly just the Latin American styles. Salsa, tango, bachata… that kind of thing. Trixie got me into it, she was running out of partners that could keep up.”
Everly’s ramblings rarely had a point beyond trying to connect with the various customers, which actually made her somewhat effective at her job even if she didn’t realize it. Cael had been nervous when he approached her and Everly had hoped that by letting him talk and being interested that he would be considerably less nervous. She absolutely did not think ballet was cool, she’d never seen a ballet performance outside a movie in her life - but it didn’t matter. If Cael did ballet, then it was cool because Cael was a customer and all customers were cool. Except for the dicks. But Cael wasn’t a dick. Simple.
“Since you’re new to this, I’m not gonna get into candyflipping but if you want my suggestion, you can’t go wrong with the classic E. Well, you can if you overdose but that won’t happen. There’s also 2C-B or K, but you don’t wanna do K at an unfamiliar place with a bunch of strangers; it’s like shrooms that way. Also between you and me, I don’t really ever like given’ K out cuz a lotta creep ass dudes use it like a roofie and I ain’t about that shit. Not that I think you would or anythin’.” Everly, as always, was getting off topic. Her pitches probably needed tightening up, but she’d rather be honest and upfront rather than just giving a rookie something that would make them have the worst possible trip.
“Eww, men are pigs.” Cael said with an expression dripping with disgust. “And, yeah, please nothing that is easy to overdose on… or super addictive. I’m just wanting to have a little extra fun, I’m celebrating!”
“Here, dude, this might be what you need.” Everly tipped a bottle into a small ziploc bag. Circular pills of purple, yellow, and blue fell into the bag and each one had a little smiley face or heart on it like it was some kind of vitamin for over the counter transactions.
“Take one of these. It starts kicking in about thirty minutes after and by an hour in you’re gonna be feeling like you’re movin’ in slow motion. You’re gonna be happier than you’ve ever been and if you get lucky and hook up, well…” She didn’t have a metaphor. She let it hang. “Anyway, lasts about six hours, give or take, but I absolutely don’t suggest doubling up. Drink plenty of water - coconut water if you got it - and the morning after, eat a banana. As for the price, if this is what you want, normally it’s 30 a pill. I dunno how many you want but I’d be willin’ to do some squid per row. Toss a discount at your ice cream shop and I can say 50 for a half dozen.”
Squid… per row? Cael was doing his best to focus on her instructions like they were gospel, he did not want to fuck this up. Assuming that any words he didn’t quite understand were just drug dealing speak that he didn’t want to embarass himself by asking about, he nodded fervently. He retrieved his wallet and plucked out two twenties and a ten dollar bill, having come prepared with cash, since he figured dealers didn’t want anything traceable. “This is molly, right? Sure, yeah, 50 sounds good, and as long as my manager isn’t behind the counter I'll just charge you for a baby cone or something else cheap.” He handed her the money with quick discreteness, feeling far more comfortable now that he got to know Everly a bit more. “They’re cute… they kinda do look like candies.”
“Molly, E, Scooby Snacks, Disco Biscuits, and even Candy…there’s like a dozen names for things. I don’t know why. Probably to throw off the cops or whatever.” Everly didn’t know every street name for the products the PLC sold, but she knew more than most would likely assume given her GPA and her difficulty with words having more than two syllables. “I should also probably mention that you probably don’t wanna have too much alcohol after you take it. If you get drunk then the molly’ll stay in you longer and then you run the risk of, like, havin’ a bad time.” Shit, she was sounding like an anti-drug PSA and that was annoying her something fierce. But as much as Everly wanted people to enjoy the products the PLC provided, she wanted them to enjoy them as responsibly as they could. That would lead to repeat business and less chance of cops, teachers, or worse, parents cracking down on them because some rich kid decided they could fly off the roof thanks to some hallucination. As much as she hated a lot of the elitism going around, Everly didn’t want anyone dead. Not even the Strattons.
“Oh, that’s fine. Too much alcohol makes me feel gross and bloated anyway. So not cute, t-b-h.” Cael flashed his signature cheeky grin. “Thanks for the explanations and, uh, everything.” He punctuated the sentence by gesturing with the bag of Candy before tucking it away safely in an inner zipper pocket of his duffel bag.
“Pleasure doin’ business with ya. While you’re still here…that, uh, Green gatherin’...you wouldn’t happen to know where and when it’s goin’ down? Just so I can, like, tell Sav and Adds and Nev.”
“Of course, I was actually gonna say — consider yourself officially invited. I heard it was kinda unofficially announced on The Morning Show, but I missed it. The scoop I got is that it’s like…. Risky Business themed so we’re supposed to like, have a change of clothes? Something about meeting in the parking lot after king and queen are announced, I don’t know if they’ll have a bus or multiple limos or what, it is the Greens, after all. Ethan is hosting it at his family’s vineyard which is like, a big deal apparently, I don’t think any of us peasants have ever even seen it before.” He shrugged in explanation, but his eyes were focused elsewhere. His mismatched gaze was locked on the skateboard Everly was rolling back and forth on the pavement beneath her foot.
“I bet you can do all kinds of cool shit, huh? Can you show me a trick?” One might mistake Cael for someone who actually knew their way around a board based on the way he dressed. He had a fondness for dark skinny jeans, Vans, and Converse, but it was mostly just an appreciation for the fashion rather than being an actual part of skater punk culture.
Everly’s initial thought, namely wondering what the fuck Risky Business was, quickly passed to the side when Cael did something few, if any, customers ever did: asked to see a trick. Anything else he said before that, about a bus or it being at a vineyard - she didn’t even know those existed outside of Napa or someplace owned by Martha Stewart on the east coast - no longer mattered as the skater girl lit up like a spotlight at a Hollywood premiere. “Fuck yeah I can show you a trick, dude. You just, like, skyrocketed up the list of favorite customers.”
Everly got to her feet and adjusted the baseball cap on her head while, at the same time, stepped on the back of her board to kick it vertically into her waiting hand. Not a movement was wasted, it was as if adjusting the hat activated a different Everly, one who had a look of gentle determination rather than aloof ease. Without a word, Everly turned and took off at a slight run, her skateboard in her left hand with the tail of the board dragging on the ground. Dropping the board onto its wheels on the concrete, Everly planted her dominant foot by the front bolts and her backfoot by the front of the tail. The way she balanced on the moving board gave off a confidence she rarely felt otherwise; it was here, on top of the board, where she truly felt in control of her own destiny.
After getting a brief distance away from Cael, she pivoted to face him while maintaining momentum and movement and, most importantly, speed. As the wheels carried her closer to the bench, she crouched a little, entering her ollie stance, and with foot movements that would make a hot butter knife feel jealous of the smoothness, she popped the board up with her backfoot and she was airborne. Her feet left the board, hovering above it as the board did a full rotation. It was only after the rotation ended that Everly’s front foot made contact with the board once again and stopped any further rotations before she landed with both feet just past the bench she had been sitting on.
“We call that a 360 Pop Shove-it. Took me half a summer vacation to master that one. I like to bust it out because people mistake it for a kickflip but it’s so much harder than a kickflip, dude. It’s pretty sick, right?” Everly rolled to a stop, stepping off her board and once again kicking it up into her left hand. “Do you board, dude? You seem like you board.”
Cael was still beaming from being called one of her favorite customers. She might call all of her customers that, but Cael was as optimistic as he was naive, so he took it as high praise. He liked being people’s favorite anything, even if it was their favorite pain in the ass. That’s what his dad always called him. Once Everly finished her 360 Bop-It or whatever, Cael clapped encouragingly. He might not recognize the name, but it definitely looked pretty cool. “That was sick! And, nah, I don’t skate. I was interested back in 7th grade and my parents got me a board for my 12th birthday because I begged for one… but then it was too hard to teach myself and none of my friends really did it so I lost interest pretty fast. I’m super jealous though, that was really cool!”
The Candy boy looked thoughtful for a moment as he sucked in his bottom lip. It only took a matter of seconds to make the quick decision to just ask what he wanted to. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take, right? “Hey, I know I already asked you for a lot, but do you think you could teach me something simple? I could make it worth your while…” Cael smirked in offering. “I’ll provide you my services as a Candy. Tell me, Everly Rigby, what’s your type?”
Teach? It took Everly a good couple beats before she realized Cael must’ve been talking about a skateboard trick and not, like, something out of a textbook. That was a subject she was more qualified and, importantly, able to do. The first thing to learn, after balancing and the tic tac, was an ollie. If someone could ollie, they were basically on their way to doing kick flips and grinds and twists. “Yeah, dude, I can teach you something. You wanna use my board or-” Everly wasn’t interrupted by words, but by her brain fully processing the exchange Cael was proposing. The sudden pause in her words were partnered with Everly blushing like she finally realized she had a habit of saying things that made people wonder if she was playing with a full deck of cards.
“Uh…my type? Uh…like…my ideal girl?” She was stalling. She hoped he wouldn’t realize. He probably did. Fuck. That made it worse. She couldn’t just say that Stella Manning was her type - that wasn’t even necessarily true she just had a crush on Stella. But then why couldn’t she think of a type? She liked blondes but she liked brunettes and even redheads sometimes but if she just said her type was ‘girl’ that wasn’t helpful and also made her seem shallow or something. What the fuck why was this such a difficult question? “Well I’m pretty short so, like, someone taller than me?” She was 5’4” by her last count. She didn’t actually have a height preference but she did like the visual of having a taller girl collapsing into her arms after…well the picture only made her blush darken.
“Like…if I had to pick a hair color I guess…I guess blonde. She can’t, like, be into Jesus or whatever and she can’t be straight, obviously. Bisexual is fine - too many lesbians act like bi people don’t count and it’s lame as fuck, dude. Uh…physically I won’t, like, turn down someone who maybe is, like, a fan of getting a large order.” Trying to be nice about it only made it sound worse, she thought. “But I’d be lying if I said that would be my first choice. Uh…I’m a boob girl before a butt girl. If she laughs at my jokes then that’s a plus. Is…is any of that useful? I feel like it’s not. I dunno, dude, I never thought about it.” Everly was regretting not just describing her crush in detail; it would’ve been far less embarrassing.
“Oh, no, don’t worry, it’s totes useful! Hmm.” Cael tapped at his chin in thought. “You know, this would be my first lesbian ship. Honestly, sooo exciting. So… a busty blondie with a body that knows what she likes and has a good sense of humor. Understandable, good taste, good taste. You know…” He let his voice trail off, contemplating his next words carefully. Unfortunately for them both, Cael never was one for caution. “I might be suggesting something a little close to home, but it sounds like you’d really dig one of my besties. Stella Manning, you know her? She’s not exactly single right now, but she’s pretty pissed at her boyfriend, and between you and me, I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and… let’s just say I’m not so sure he’s been entirely faithful to my queen. Do with that what you will!” If he had a cup of tea, this would be the precise moment that he sipped it.
It was a good thing that Everly didn’t have her cranberry juice in hand or else it would’ve been staining the ground with artificial flavorings. Of course Cael was friends with Stella Manning, why wouldn’t he be, he was a cheerleader and did shit with the school or whatever. Did he know and this was his way of being oh-so-subtle or did he not know and Everly was just not very good at hiding her current fascination? Shit, she was this close to trying out for a school play before graduation if it meant getting to, like, run lines. She wouldn’t, though; Everly had no interest or chops for acting. “Shit, dude, did Sav put you up to this?” Her tone, despite the question, was not accusatory. Bewildered was more apt. “Or Penny Amato? Shit, man, I knew telling them about my crush on Stella was gonna bite my ass.”
“Wh—Sav? …Penny?” Cael began to ask in confusion before Everly inevitably sealed her own fate. “Oh, wow, damn, I’m better at this Candy shit than I thought. Nice!”
Wait, there was trouble in Stella’s relationship? That was…informative, but also something Everly had to tuck under her cap for the moment. Even if it was only for a night or out of revenge for a potentially unfaithful partner…being a rebound wouldn’t be the worst thing in Everly’s life. Hell, it might be one of the best. “I said that out loud. Fuck. Okay, yeah, dude, I have a crush on Stella Manning but, like, who doesn’t, dude. You can’t tell her, she’ll think I’m lame if you tell her. She’ll probably think I’m lame anyway but at least if I tell her it’s less lame. I guess you’re gonna tell the Candies or whatever. Shit at this point who doesn’t know. Her boyfriend is really cheatin’ on her? What a fuckin’ shit ass dumb fuck, dude. Ain’t no one in our year better than Stella Manning, dude, and some dumbshit is throwin’ that away? Don’t tell me who it is, man, or I’ll punch him for being an idiot.”
“Woah woah woah, no, don’t worry about any of that, babes. You’re good, I won’t tell her. That’s not how I do business. I plant seeds, like your friend Addie, ‘cept mine are seeds of loooove. Wait, that sounds lewd, not like that. Yeah, anyway. I’ve already planted one in telling you that juicy little tidbit.” Cael shrugged with a proud smirk, suddenly feeling quite full of himself. “I won’t say who it is, but I’m kind of surprised you don’t know already. Honestly, the fact that you don’t know is kinda suspicious, right? Like, who keeps dating Stella Manning on the D-L, she’s a fucking bombshell. I’d be screaming it from the rooftops if it were me, ya know, if I swung that way. Trust me, I’ve tried, but now even oysters freak me out — all the more for you, my new sapphic friend! Anyway, it’s not like I knowww he’s cheating,”
Cael was probably admitting more than he should be and this could definitely come back to bite him in the ass, but it all came from a place of love. Stella was one of his best friends, and she wasn’t really happy with Ethan, at least she didn’t seem to be. She deserved far better in Cael’s eyes. The starlet deserved someone that would treat her like a goddess, and he could tell from that hopeful desperation in Everly’s gaze that she would worship the very ground the blonde walked upon. Hell, she was already threatening violence against her transgressors. All things considered, Cael continued, “It’s just that I’ve seen him buying sunflowers and lilies before at the florist across the street from where I work. It’s Creamistry, by the way, for your discounts. I work on the weekends. But… anyone who knows anything about Stella knows she loves peonies, or even like, anything pink if he's too lazy to remember specifics. But sunflowers? And lilies? Kinda sus if you ask me. I guess he could've been buying them for his mom or whatever but.... Just some food for thought.”
And just like that, another seed had been planted. Everly now knew Stella’s favorite flower, what she did with all of this newfound knowledge was up to her. Cael had more than made good on his end of the bargain. “And you’re totally not lame, Ev. You’ve got a cool hobby and you’re really funny. I like you a lot, actually. If nothing else, I can see a budding friendship in our future. Now, how about that trick? Maybe you can help me look cool enough to land myself a skater boi!”
Peonies. Anything pink. Pink. Peonies. Pink. Peonies. Everly didn’t know the first thing about flowers - she thought roses having thorns was just a song lyric, like a metaphor or whatever - but she committed the word peonies to memory. If Stella liked peonies, Everly was going to make sure she had one on hand when she did eventually make her move. Or maybe it would be cool and possibly romantic if she sent a flower delivery to Stella during school hours. No, that was probably gonna be seen as creepy, plus did anyone go for secret admirer stuff anymore? Shit, why did this stuff have to be so hard? Why couldn’t it be simple? Like…skateboarding. Right. Skateboarding.
“Right, the trick. The squid per row. If I knew any cute skater boys I’d introduce you. Well there’s Dash but I think you’d, like, be exhausted by him. And not even in the fun, sweaty kinda way, y’know? But anyway, here.” Everly placed her board down in front of Cael and stood to the side of it, across from Cael with the board between them. “First thing to do is get on, you probably have before since you had one but just to remind - if your front foot is the right then that’s goofy stance, left foot forward is regular. Put your forward foot by the bolts up front and your dominant foot on the back, by the tail. You can use my shoulders for support if you need it, dude. Just get on and find your balance. Even weight between your legs. You think you got it, dude?”
“Like a super relaxed fourth position, yeah, I remember that” Cael nodded before stepping up on the board. He was sure the ballet reference went over Everly’s head, but it helped him conceptualize how he should stand. The wheels rolled forward slightly with his added weight upon the board, but he kept his balance without much effort. “Balance shouldn’t be a problem, and yes, super familiar with weight between my legs, got it.” He joked with a chuckle. “Okay, what’s next?”
“Now comes the fun part.” Everly took a step back and looked down at the board, specifically at Cael’s feet and how they were positioned. An approving nod fueled the way to the next part of her lesson. “What you’re gonna do now is snap the tail, that means push down with your back foot and then jump up and, at the same time, roll your front foot to the nose of the board. That creates lift. it sounds weird, dude, cuz it is, but it’s just timing. Snap, jump, roll, all at the same time. And then when you’re in the air, straighten your legs out as the board levels and land it. It might be shaky at first, but with the right timing you’ll get it. This is, like, the foundation of most tricks. Learn this and you can learn other shit. Give it a try. Remember: snap, jump, roll.” Everly snapped her finger after each direction. “You got this, dude. Just think of all the cute skater boys in your future.”
“Shit, don’t say that! I’ll get all distracted and then I will fuck it up.” Cael giggled as he revisited Everly’s instructions in mental preparation. Snap, jump, roll. Snap, jump, roll. He practiced shifting his weight, tilting, and moving his ankles in the correct patterns without putting any weight behind it, just to get a feel for the motions before he tried it for real. It seemed simple enough. Too simple, if he was being honest, but she was the expert here. Cael was far from a good student, but never from lack of effort. He’d already taken one big risk today, so this seemed paltry in comparison. You know, unless he fucked up an ankle and could never dance again.
Cael swallowed what felt like a solid rock. Shit, he was thinking about it too much, he was gonna pussy out. He closed his eyes tight and took in a sharp inhale of breath to prepare. Snap, jump, roll. Three. Two. One.
GO!
The pixie punk-in-training put his weight and calf muscles into the maneuver this time. Despite giving it a good college try, the board only leapt a few centimeters off of the pavement. There was that, and Cael landed a little too far forward on the right side of the board, causing it to jump out from behind him while he stumbled towards his skater sensei. Catching himself with quick footwork and a steadying hand on Everly’s shoulder, he let out a nervous chuckle. From the outside, it was a pretty pathetic ollie, but with the rest of this afternoon’s stressors factored in, it had Cael’s heart racing.
“Haha, I don’t know man… I might be too amped up right now.” His words sounded surprisingly breathless, and a little self-doubting. Cael’s gaze flicked towards the bleachers and the field. The pep rally was already underway, he couldn’t stick around too much longer without his absence being noticed. “Squid per row… what a weird name for a trick. Could we try it another time? Maybe with some more show and tell — here, let’s get each other’s numbers.” He suggested, plucking his phone out of his right pocket and tapping out a quick contact name for her: Everly 🛹.
“That was a good try, dude, honest. My first attempt at it landed me on my ass. You’ll get it.” Everly never understood people who saw someone not get it right the first time and get frustrated; no one got it right the first time, that was the whole point of practicing. Hell, even the pros fell off their boards like anyone else. “You want a lesson, I’m here to teach it any time, dude.” There was a brief look of confusion when Cael referred to the trick as squid per row but figured she must’ve caused said confusion by using the term in the first place. Correcting people always made you look like an asshole, though, so she didn’t do it. Instead, she took out her phone - the front of the case had a crack on it from one too many bails on the board - and her contact name for Cael came with the descriptor ‘Ice Cream and Candy’. “I’m here every weekday. On weekends I’m usually by the EZ Park store or hangin’ out somewhere. Just hit me up for a lesson or whatever, we’ll work it out. Does your name start with a ‘k’. Like the chips? Kale?”
Cael didn’t even bother to contain his giggles, his shoulders shook with laughter. “Do— haha, Do I look like a leafy vegetable to you?” He took a breath to gather himself before explaining. “Cael with a C, it’s Irish. C-A-E-L. My mom is big into fantasy and elves and stuff and wanted to name me Caeldyn, but my dad said that was too weird. I dunno though, I kinda like it. Maybe I’ll change it to the original some day.”
“Oh, that’s cool as hell, I wish my mom was into fantasy and not, like, afternoon martinis and plastic surgery. My parents couldn’t decide between Evelyn or Emily and Everly came out.”
While saving Everly’s contact info, Jonah’s name caught Cael’s eye from his recent contacts list. He was reminded of the mysterious note waiting to be solved in his other pocket. Would Jonah call himself a ‘Secret Admirer’? The admiration was hardly a secret. It’s not like there was any label to what they were exactly… friends with benefits, perhaps? Nothing serious, just some teenage fun on speed dial. Cael decided that even though it would be weird for Jonah to sign a note as anything other than himself, he might as well reach out just to be sure. To cross a possibility off of the list, so to speak. Cael considered Jem as well for a moment, but then laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought — A) he would never do something so cheesy and B) his handwriting was definitely not that neat.
To: Jonah 🎲:
Hey
Did you leave a note in my locker today?
Not wanting to be rude and stare at his phone for too long, Cael pocketed the device after sending the texts. He brought his attention back to the skater girl before him. “You really are hilarious, you know that? I think Stel would definitely laugh at your jokes.” He beamed an encouraging smile her way. A cacophony of hoots and hollers sounded from beyond the bleachers, once again calling to the cheerleader like a siren song. “Hey, I’ve loved this. All of this, really, and I’m sorry I was so awkward at first, but… I should probably get going before they start calling my name on the loudspeaker and everyone finds out I was buying drugs in the parking lot. Bad press for both of us with teachers still being about and all.”
“I’ll see you soon, maybe at the party tomorrow? I’ll bring coconut water!” Cael gave her a purposefully dorky thumbs up and then waved goodbye. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket after he took a few steps, but then suddenly remembered something from earlier that he had meant to ask but forgot about — a common issue with having about a hundred thoughts a minute, even more if caffeinated. “Oh, wait a sec, I meant to ask earlier… what’s a popper?” And why did she think it was offensive to assume he wanted one? Them?... It?
This time, the sidewalk wasn’t so lucky; Everly had taken a sip from her cranberry juice and the mouthful was now decorating the ground as Cael asked his question. Fuck. She forgot she had mentioned poppers out loud, but then most of her thoughts found a way to leave the relative safety of her brain one way or another. Cael was cool, he would probably not be mad about an explanation, but it still made for an…awkward ask and even more awkward was the way Everly was stammering and ‘Uhming’ and ‘Uhhing’ as her eyes darted around looking for a way out.
But the only way out was through.
“Poppers are like…uh…it’s like…a chemical…it’s…they come in like little jars…uh…” She wasn’t doing a good job explaining it. She knew she wasn’t but what was she supposed to do? Be upfront and honest? Probably. “You..like..inhale them. Like sniffing. Like…smelling gasoline. Uh…I asked cuz..like..poppers have an effect…like…uh…beyond just…beyond just the high…it…uh…I mean…I just thought…you like skater boys and you’re…I mean I don’t wanna assume but…” Everly wanted to die. In her mind this was how she was gonna sound when talking to Stella and why she still hadn’t.
“Poppers…fuck…they…gay dudes, not like all but like…club dudes…gay dudes like to sometimes…use poppers before…” Everly made an ‘OK’ gesture with her left hand and pushed her right index finger into the ‘O’. Back and forth. “Poppers…help relax the butthole. It makes…it makes anal sex…like…feel better. And since I assumed you might…uh…hook up…I just…I mean I wouldn’t really have a use but..uh..yeah…they’re…they’re used for anal.”
It didn’t feel any better now that she had gotten it out.
Cael’s eyebrows stitched together in confusion at Everly’s sudden stuttering. Was she getting nervous talking about drugs? He didn’t think drug dealers would get anxious about their own product, but that said, it made him feel far less embarrassed about his own antics earlier. As soon as she said ‘gay dudes’, everything started to make sense. The stuttering, the assumption — Cael’s lips formed a surprised ‘O’ when buttholes were suddenly in the conversation.
“Oh… oh oh!” The Candy murmured as the realizations came pouring in. Despite typically being quite the empath, Cael’s body language didn’t mirror Everly’s sudden bashfulness. Being raised by a sex ed teacher as a mom meant that Cael grew up with very little shame and a healthy attitude about the topic. His hungry appetite for sex, however, was entirely nature rather than nurture.
“Oh, wow, so that’s what those were. I just recently got an ID, so I’ve only been clubbing a couple of times, but I thought people were just, like, taking weird shots... Jesus, good thing I didn’t drink one!” Cael laughed at his own naivety. How embarrassing! His cheeks flushed pink and he covered his giggling mouth with a hand. Once his laughter subsided, he cleared his throat to speak.
“Well, I definitely don’t need any help relaxing, and I like it a little rough anyway. Plus, you said nothing that goes up your nose, right?” Cael adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder with a smirk.
“You really just immediately pegged me for a bottom, huh? Here’s hoping that’s not the only pegging you’ll do in the future,” he said with a teasing wink, firing a goofy finger gun at her. Sure, he was making a bit of an assumption on her sexual preference, but so did she. He figured he was fairly owed one back. His phone vibrated again in his pocket, and this time Cael reached down to check the two messages he'd missed.
From: Jonah 🎲:
No.
You have a secret admirer? 😜
To: Jonah 🎲:
wait... it really wasn't you?
uhm
maybe?
From: Jonah 🎲:
You would know if it were me.
I’m not subtle when it comes to you.
And maybe? How does the letter read?
The last three messages would be unintentionally ghosted as Cael's stomach began doing more flips than the cheer squad was about to — as long as Cael's thoroughly distracted mind could focus long enough to catch them, that is.
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