Pulling their blue and white flannel closer, Aaradhya ventured into the house. Teenagers danced as warm alcohol worked its way into their bloodstreams.

They continued towards the kitchen near the back of the house, sidestepping through the crowd and feeling the music pulse in their fingertips. All the while they not so subtly looked for the people who'd invited them. Aaradhya slightly bobbed their head with the blaring music, even if they didn't quite know what the song was. 

Leaning against the counter, Robbie Simmons folded his arms, "When they told me you were coming, I never really thought you'd show up." There was a thickness in his voice, resting on a cliff's edge somewhere between cynical and rude as he continued, "But apparently even the Reverends kid can change."

Robbie's long face was tied into a snarl as he watched Aaradhya for a moment longer. His blond hair was scraggly with drips of sweat curling the ends from the sheer amount of body heat blowing through the house. Robbie had always been taller than Aaradhya, his thin form towering over them with dark eyes. 

Aaradhya didn't respond, unsure of what exactly he was getting at, they instead began to tip back and forth on the tips and soles of their feet. 

Suddenly, like he remembered where he was, Robbie dug through the cabinet and poured a couple glugs of vodka into two slightly crumpled red solo cups, "Here. Primo off island vodka." 

"Thanks." They responded, plucking the cup from his hand by their fingertips. 

With the red cup in their hand, Aaradhya worked their way through the crowd and returned outside. It felt colder than they'd remembered it, a slight breeze ruffled through their clothes and over their dark skin. 

Sitting on the steps Kai Suzuki had placed his solo cup next to his hip. He was wearing another one of his homemade shirts, this time it was black with little stairs grouped together over the left side of his chest. Aaradhya began the conversation, ignoring the stupid thumping in their chest, "Hi. I-uh-see you found the vodka too." 

He turned and smiled up at them with fond eyes that crinkled at the edges. "You're here." 

"I'm here." He patted the wooden step next to him, in a stilted movement they joined him, the edges of their shoulders almost touching, "And with vodka."

His eyes flitted to the red solo cup in their hand, "Oh, how scandalous."

"Why are you sitting here all alone? I'm pretty sure the whole point of drinking is to do it with others." 

"You're here." He states, before taking a long sip of his drink, "I got invited, but drinking isn't really my thing." 

"Ah. Makes sense. It's not really my thing either if I'm being honest." 

A silence hung like the moon between them. This was when a small niggling feeling in Aaradhya's chest decided to bloom. "Hey, why did you decide to help me with all my work? Bless him but Mr. Hughes didn't even offer." In the end Kai had helped them through most of the pages, helping the best when it came to science. 

Kai turnedhis head towards Aaradhya, the wind slightly tousled his hair. "Honestly?" 

Aaradhya nodded, "Honestly." 

He took another tip, wincing at the taste, "I think it's cause I'm a bit of a narcissist." At this Aaradhya chuckled into the ground. Kai Suzuki was definitely not a narcissist. "I like explaining it all to you. I like being able to explain it all to you. I love science so its not big deal to help you anyway. Plus, I know how bad it feels to be left behind with nothing but a pile of homework and everyone telling me to catch up. Remember when I broke my arm in ninth grade gym class?" 

Aaradhya mimicked him, taking a sip of their overpowered drink. "We were playing dodgeball that day. Who hit you anyway? I don't think we ever talked about that." 

Shrugging, he answered, "No clue. But honestly I should track them down just to have them pay for all those medical bills. But anyways, I was out of school for three weeks and still there was so much work I thought I was literally going to drown in it." 

Aaradhya said, matter of factly, "So you're not a narcissist." Confused, Kai's eyebrows furrowed before they explained, "You're a saint." 

He smiled and rolled his eyes. 

Aaradhya shifted, the wooden step creaking as they moved. The silence set in for a moment as each of them took grainy sips and sat in the comfortable silence. 

Kai's deep voice broke the silence, "You know...I thought you didn't like me." 

"What?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "I thought that you had a problem with me or something...I don't know, sounds stupid when I say it out loud now." 

Aaradhya gazed up at the hanging moon in the sky, explaining in a starlit voice, "Sometimes, I just find it hard to make friends and be...you know, social." Both of them shared a floaty chuckle, "I like being alone and I think that makes people feel awkward around me. I never know what to say and then we inevitably end up standing in an unsure silence. It's not like I set out to make people feel awkward I-I just don't know how to not do that." 

"I get that." 

"Also," Aaradhya added, "If we're swapping war stories. I thought you didn't like me either. Well...maybe dislike me is the wrong word. More like...you were keeping your distance from me. Especially after the debacle that was the 2014 church pancake breakfast. 

Kai's eyes momentarily brightened at the memory, "Really? I mean it was only an entire town's size of pancake batter that you dropped on me." 

The memory replayed in Aaradhya's mind with such detail it was like they were still there. In the back room, the makeshift kitchen of the Church. The slight smoky taste in the air. Aaradhya had been put in charge of mixing all of the batter for breakfast. They stood on a wooden stool and had been mixing it all with a large wooden spoon in an almost industrial sized bowl. This was when Kai, silent as ever walked up behind them and scared the young Aaradhya, making them throw the bowl all over the kitchen and all over Kai. 

"Shut up." They pushed away his shoulder, "It was an accident! You scared me! And for your information I wasn't keeping my distance. I'm just awkward. Sometimes I think I'm too quiet for my own good." 

"Now you're starting to sound like me." 

His mahogany eyes flitted over them as they sat. The porch lights flickered but neither of them broke their gazing quiet. Kai's cheekbones were slightly illuminated by the moonlight, drawing shadows over the other side of him. His eyes almost sparkled under the saxe moonglow. 

Suddenly the door slammed behind them. A couple drunken giggles filled the night air. Both Aaradhya and Kai turned, their gazes setting on Alana and Suzanna as they walked past them. Both stumbling and laughing at nothing and everything. 

He stood and stretched his legs as he cleared his voice, "You want another one?" He looked down at them with kindling in his eyes. 

"I haven't even finished the first one." They said, Kai chuckled and walked back into the house. The music momentarily louder as he opened it before becoming muffled once again as the door clicked behind him. 

Aaradhya tapped their fingers as they tried to ignore their own racing pulse. Sprouting from the ground and implanting it into the ground, a strong oak tree grew. The branches were like sprawling arms, slanted and curled but there stood, miraculously a tree. 

Waving it away Aaradhya groaned with burning cheeks, "Oh fuck off."