Hunter sprawled lazily on his sofa, his laptop perched across his knees, watching a playlist of random videos. With a cheap bottle of Bud Light in his hand, he laughed at the mindless pranking compilations, and took mental notes during the gaming walkthroughs.

This was how to spend a day, not at that hellhole of a school. No boring classes, no annoying teachers or classmates. No stupid projects.

As his favorite gamer died for the fifth time in the horror game he played, Hunter found himself trailing off into thought, something he rarely liked to do. A certain uptight, black-haired, glasses-wearing boy entered his mind, unwarranted. Ashley.

He may be a slacker, but Hunter wasn’t an idiot. He was fully aware that he left his partner high and dry, and didn’t bother to go next door to tell him what was going on. But he was sure that Ashley probably didn’t care, either. Hell, it was probably a huge relief for him to have Hunter absent. His cold indifference towards him spoke volumes, after all. They had their tentative understanding on the rooftop the other day, but when they were in class together, it was as if it never happened. Just two complete strangers sitting beside each other, from two seemingly different worlds.

It didn't matter to Hunter. He had enough people in his life looking down on him as if he was lower than dirt; he didn’t need another. And if him skipping did lead to more consequences…he was honestly over it. He didn’t stand a chance in hell of graduating with his GPA regardless, and if they finally decided to expel him for all his suspensions, so be it. Dropping out of school crossed his mind every other day anyway, even though at sixteen, he couldn’t do it without his guardian’s permission. Fuck whoever made that rule.

One thing was for certain. He knew that once he hit eighteen, he would be out of this shitty town. Sure, there was no solid plan in place yet, but just as he did with everything else, Hunter would figure it out. Maybe he’d work his way across the country, taking whatever odd jobs he could find in each new city. Maybe he’d find something that would become permanent and settle down there, all without having a diploma or having to go through any of that college bullshit. People worse off than him have made it, so why not?

The current video ended, transitioning to another clip. Hunter leaned back, running a hand through his tousled hair, beginning to return from his thoughts. A sudden, unexpected ring of the doorbell caused him to jolt, as it interrupted the flow of his evening and further snapped him out of the quiet contemplation.

Hunter hesitated, momentarily conflicted between the curiosity of the unexpected visitor and the reluctance to break away from the solitude he loved. But whoever it was, they were persistent, ringing the doorbell once more and knocking less than a minute later. With a tired glance at the clock and a low curse under his breath, Hunter begrudgingly decided to get up.

He lazily scratched his hip as he approached the door, yawning. He already had various ideas of things to say as deterrents to who he assumed was probably a security system salesman. But nope.

When Hunter opened the door, there stood Ashley, in all his emotionless glory. Except…wait, was it a trick of the light? Turned out, he didn’t look all that emotionless, upon further inspection of his delicate face. Hunter furrowed his eyebrows, part of him knowing this must be about school, but another part wondering if it was more than that.

“Hey, Ash…what’s up?”

The shorter boy flicked his eyes over Hunter’s disheveled appearance, which clearly showed how he’d spent the entire day lazing around. The faint crease in Ashley's brow betrayed what Hunter had come to expect of the usually composed teenager. His gaze bore into Hunter's, a fleeting moment that seemed to carry a certain weight. After a brief moment, Ashley inhaled, sharply.

“…what did you call me?”

Hunter paused. The tone in his voice was even more unexpected. Ashley had often been sarcastic with him since they met, but never did he sound like that. Well, well. Now this was something. The rebel shifted, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms.

“Ash. Sounds way cooler than Ashley, don’t you think?” He said with a smirk that Ashley wanted to smack off his face as soon as he saw it.

Hunter took a careless breath. “Seriously though, what do you want? I’m very busy, y’know.”

Ashley's lips tightened into a thin line, his previously restrained anger bubbling to the surface more with each passing second. “Are you serious?" His voice carried an air of frustration, his blue eyes flashing with even more intensity than before. “Are you really going to act as though I’m inconveniencing you?”

“Dude, learn to take a joke. It’s not that deep.” Hunter said with almost a shrug. “I mean, you knew this was gonna happen, so why’re you surprised? Just tell Thompson to let you do the project alone. I’m not going back there. Already told you, it’s just a waste of time.”

As he spoke, Ashley simply stared. He knew Hunter was an asshole, but for him to actually be this level of insensitive and carefree was almost astounding. It was the complete opposite of how Ashley lived his life. He couldn’t afford to do whatever he wanted like that. He couldn’t afford to not care. The boy sighed.

“Look, I get it. You have no interest in school, in this project, or in anything that doesn't fit your ‘bad boy’ persona,” Ashley continued, his words sharp and pointed. “But that doesn't give you the right to desert me without a single word.”

“Whoa, easy there.” Hunter began. His initial reaction to this interaction had been amusement, an almost incredulous smirk curving his lips at the other teen’s outburst. But as Ashley's words sunk in, an unexpected hint of guilt started to sneak up on him. "Look, it's not like you were dying for me to show up anyway. You, Thompson, everyone there…aren’t you happier when I skip out? I did you a favor, right? I--”

“You’re so selfish.”

Before Hunter could get another word out, Ashley had cut him off. He continued with a biting tone. “You think you’re the only one dealing with something? That you're the only one who doesn't want to give a damn? I didn’t even—”

Hunter watched Ashley wordlessly, as he let his façade of calmness drop like he’d never seen before.

“I didn’t even want to be here. Forced into a new school, alone, in this vapid town, and thrown into doing a project with someone like you.” Ashley stopped, almost surprised by his own vitriol.

The two boys stood there on Hunter’s doorstep, the only sound within earshot being that of passing cars down the street.

“Someone like me. Huh.”

Hunter shifted uneasily, Ashley's words running through his mind on a loop. It wasn’t just something he could laugh at or shrug off this time. He knew what it was like. That feeling of having your life suddenly upheaved, and not necessarily for the better. And while Ashley’s arrival in Meadowbrook was still shrouded in mystery, that reveal gave Hunter a little of that insight he wanted. A small window into this boy who had unwittingly caught his attention.

The anger faded from Ashley's eyes, leaving behind a lingering sense of disappointment that further managed to prick at Hunter.

“…I just wanted to let you know I’m continuing the project on my own. Goodbye.”

Feeling slightly awkward now, Ashley began to turn away, but was disrupted by a sudden pull on his arm. His eyes widened when he saw Hunter’s hand gripping him, but not in a way that it hurt. Seeing the look on Ashley’s face, Hunter suddenly felt self-conscious at his motion, letting go right away.

"Yeah, whatever. I get it, okay? I’ll…” Hunter muttered, his earlier casualness waning as he glanced away, avoiding Ashley's intense eyes. “Look, I'll try to pull my weight. I’ll go to class on Monday. I mean it."

The apology—or Hunter’s version of one—didn't come easy for him, but there was a genuine regret hidden beneath his dismissive tone. Ashley exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing further.

“And you don’t lie.”

“That’s right.”

Ashley absently bit his bottom lip, his mind a jumbled mess. Would it be foolish to trust this person again? Besides that thought, the embarrassment of his uncharacteristic surge of emotion was now sinking in even more. Feeling exhausted despite having only been at Hunter’s house for around ten minutes, Ashley sighed. “I’ll hold you to that, then.”

The unspoken promise hung in the air as Hunter offered a hesitant nod and stepped back towards his doorway, seemingly conceding. Another tentative understanding. Hunter stood in the porch light, feeling a mix of uncertainty and determination as he watched Ashley’s figure disappear from view.