Fire and Rain [🗸]

2. young, dumb and broke

"I SUPPOSE YOU'RE WONDERING why I have gathered you all here today."

Josiah says this, pacing up and down his front lawn, hands clasped together. The sunlight brings out his blond curls and his face is dead serious, which only makes the entire situation more amusing. 

"I'm pretty sure it was for pizza," Sadie says, and Josiah raises a hand.

"And to coerce my parents into sponsoring our trip," Josiah's hands still remain clasped together like a cartoon villain from one of those 80's TV shows.

"So," Azul says, amusement rising to their lips. "What's the plan?"

Josiah comes to an elegant stop, still possessing that strange-as-fuck drama flair that stuck with him throughout college. "Alright, so, I ordered the pizza."

Elliot releases a little cheer and Josiah plows on. "And we're going to head to the greenhouse to plan everything out."

The greenhouse is the place where things happen.

It's a little transparent shed in Josiah's backyard with plants and little chairs and posters that have accumulated over the years.

The greenhouse is where we always hung out as kids. It's where we argued and made up and laughed and broke and mended and remade. 

We looked after the plants—which was the agreement we struck with Josiah's parents—and were surrounded by flowers as we made plans and had coming outs and ranted about teachers and grades.

So, now, as the five of us walk into the greenhouse, the scent of fresh-air and different flowers rising to the air— I'm hit with just about a thousand waves of nostalgia.

"Holy shit," Azul says, voicing my thoughts. "I feel like I'm in high school again."

Josiah grins as we all settle down in the greenhouse, spread onto beanbags, camping chairs and mats on the floor.

"This place hasn't changed a bit," Sadie says. She glances from plant to plant. "Who's looking after the plants?"

"My mom has my dad water them at least once a week nowadays," Josiah snorts. "He's pretty much distraught that we're all in college because now he actually has to do the work himself." 

Josiah's dad has always been this large, grinning man with a specific set of skills that came with being an orthodontist. Which means, he's essentially a disaster when it comes to something else like art or planting. He's a little confused in those fields, but he has the spirit. 

"So, before we get into everything—any life updates?" Josiah says, wiggling his eyebrows as he leans back in the little red chair he's been sitting in since we were kids. "You know, what's the latest with everyone?" He turns toward Azul. "Azul?"

"Well, I'm dating Anna now!" they say, a grin rising to their lips. 

Elliot claps his hands together and Sadie lets out a low whistle. Anna Winslow is the blonde bisexual that Azul's pretty much been obsessed with for the past three years.