𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒 [a rini au]

THIRTEEN

          After a surprisingly enjoyable first week of classes, Ricky's notorious overthinking trait swarmed his body Friday night. Not having a single idea about how to approach this Creative Writing project was eating him alive, and it was off brand of him to not get head starts on his assignments. He constantly worried that if things he did were never started promptly, they would never be completed. Perhaps that was how he lived every area of his life.

Following dinner Friday night with none other than Big Red and another group of teen boys he managed to befriend, Ricky lied awake in his bed with his mind managing to run laps and be at a stalemate all at the same time. When he was tired of what he would call "non-productivity," the boy sat up in his tiny bed and checked his phone. The screen almost blinded him in the depths of the dark night, but the bright 1:03 am time greeted him almost more uncomfortably. He sighed in defeat, rubbing the heels of his palms into his eyes. When he rose his head, Ricky was met with a strange idea. He pulled back his blinds slightly, taking a peek at his view. Despite being so far away, the boy could see the intimidating structure that was Kingston Hall towering in the nighttime blackness. After some back and forth arguing with himself, Ricky slid out of bed. He threw an old sweatshirt on over his pajama tee shirt, feet slipping into his sandals. He grabbed his Creative Writing notebook, songwriting journal, and a pen before slinging his Leopard Leash around his wrist and heading for the door.

Ricky was grateful that the one rule this strict school didn't have was curfew for your own dorm. He swiped out of his building, giving the guard an exasperated smile before exiting into the muggy night. He made his way around Stoneham, traveling over the grass to reach his destination rather than resorting to the lit up sidewalks. As Ricky approached Kingston Hall, he felt his neck crank higher and higher. It was the closest he had ever been to the building, and he felt like it was about to grow arms and swallow him whole. Instead of letting the personified nightmare consume him, Ricky snuck around to the back of the dormitory, the side that faced the seemingly endless woods. He took a seat right before the miniature garden that lined the building. He tried to contain his curiosity as his eyes trailed over the curtain-covered bedroom windows only inches from the ground. But that's the point, Ricky. Curiosity, he told himself in a period of enlightenment. The boy whipped out his pen, yanking the cap off with his teeth. This is the inspiration you need.

For a solid amount of time, Ricky found himself scribbling his every thought about East Highland Academy into his composition notebook. Everything from the way the Kingston first floor windows were disproportionately separated to how the Leopard Leash title was awfully childish. It was like a domino effect, one thought falling into the next. He assumed the inspiration would never cease. That was until he heard a sudden crush of leaves.

The boy jumped in his spot. He could barely make out the person that just charged out of the woods for one of the first floor windows, but his eyes bulged out of their sockets when he was able to see the person's long hair, pin straight and falling down over her back – a girl. Ricky gaped at her with a befuddled expression, and he didn't have enough time to wipe it from his face before she finally noticed his presence.