Stress Relief

Welcoming Gift

Chase loved making people smile ever since he was a kid. Whether it be with words, actions, gifts, he loved bringing out peoples' joy. Sometimes going to certain lengths when he gets particularly good ideas for how to go about doing just that.

"You better have a good excuse for calling me this late." Diego's grumbly voice spoke through the phone.

"I got an idea." Chase said excitedly, pausing his pacing. Yet to change into his pijamas and too elated to do his homework, which he would definitely regret later.

Diego groaned knowingly. "What the hell are you plotting, it's eleven bro."

"So basically," he began, despite the question being rhetorical, "Elijah never got a senior parking spot since he came to school a month late, and I figured we could maybe get Coach to pull some strings and surprise him with one."

"Okay...then why are you calling me?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the floor of his bedroom. "Well I was hoping you and the guys would come get some paint with me and paint one."

"...you want us to go to school, at eleven at night, and paint a parking space for Elijah?"

He pressed his lips together, hopeful but hesitant. "...yes?"

"I seriously don't get how Rachel is the way she is dude." He decided not to think about what that meant as Diego sighed. "Most of the guys have leftover paint from their spaces, we can use that." He said with a strained voice as he no doubt got up out of bed. "You want me to call 'em?"

"Yeah, I gotta grab the paint from my garage." He tried not to sound too excited as he slipped his shoes back on and hurried down the stairs.

"You owe us for this man."

"It's a gift from all of us." Chase reasoned, pulling the door to his garage open and shutting it behind him. Thank God his dad was a heavy sleeper.

"Fine, yeah."

And so, two hours later the seven of them were standing by their parking spots and staring at the blank space to the left of Chase's spot. Everyone- besides Chase- were in their pijamas and all of them- besides Chase- were exhausted.

"I can't believe you dragged us out here for this." Anthony grumbled, a black Nervana t-shirt, sweatpants, and sandals making up his attire.

"Yeah, well, suck it up. You go to bed at like one." Alex sighed, wearing basically the same thing except with basketball shorts, earning a glare that really showed Anthony did not have the patience for Alex's attitude tonight.

Carson yawned, fist coming up to cover his mouth, a bandaid on the inside of his elbow. "Seriously," he smacked his lips, "like I'm all for getting Elijah a nice welcome gift but couldn't we do this like...tomorrow afternoon?" He had plaid pj's on, slippers too. Matt had some shirt with a wave on it and shorts, wearing sandals as well.

"Chase wanted it done immediately, you know how he is." He gave Diego a look, who returned it equally. "Do not give me that, do you remember last summer when you wanted to see if Anthony would fall for the same drive-thru prank twice?"

He did. He literally drove to Diego's house right after he thought of the prank, and grabbed Matt who has a knack for great impersonations, and the three of them went and did it the same day. "I'm determined." He defended with a shrug. He did actually fall for it, it was pretty funny, and it got Anthony to laugh when he was having a rough day.

"Okay, whatever, do we know what Elijah likes?" Jase rubbed his lightly furrowed brows before setting a hand on his hip and shifting his weight over, paint brushes and a bucket of paint gathered in his opposite hand.