i firmly entwined my fingers with marshall's long ones and quickly pulled him onward behind me, thankful that his long strides were enough to keep up with my childishly eager pace. a small, giddy laugh i let slip out reverberated against the pale walls of the first floor of the tall building.
paul simply walked at a normal rate, trailing along nearby and stuffing his hands into the spacious pockets of the huge hoodie he was wearing. we most likely looked like a couple of ten-year-olds, but i could hardly bring myself to care.
i was absolutely smitten when the brisk air and warm sunshine that welcomed me once we were outside was accompanied by the sight of a white lincoln town car.
"ever since i drove a seventy nine lincoln with white walls, had a fire in my heart-" my sweet recitation was excitedly finished by marshall.
"-and a dire desire to aspire to die hard!" he raised a clenched fist as he belted out the last two words of the line perhaps too loudly, causing paul to snort and bluntly scold him.
"i don't think they heard you over in china, you wanna raise your voice s'more?"
he responded promptly by flipping him off, while i playfully stuck out my tongue.
reluctantly, i released marshall's hand from my grip as he made his way over to the passenger's side door, politely opening it for me to get in.
"lookit you," paul cooed teasingly, "whatta gentleman our mister mathers is!"
it was futile to hold back a grin as i settled into the comfortably cushioned seat and murmured a "thank ya," before he gently closed the door. i was suprised that paul hadn't snarkily protested to sitting in the back.
once marshall twisted the key into the ignition, i raised a brow and noticed that the radio's small screen displayed the numbers "07", suggesting that a cd was in place. as if on cue, the familiar, short guitar solo of (you gotta) fight for your right (to party) blasted from the speakers.
"what're the odds?!" i hollered over the music, leading marshall to glance at me and smirk as i gestured to my shirt and eluded to our discussion of the beastie boys during the interview. i leaned over and turned it down ever so slightly, then sang along as he drove.
"don't step outta this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear!" i commanded, tugging lightly on his jacket with a goofy smile on my face.
he smiled as well, enducing butterflies once again, and continued. "i'll kick ya outta my home if you don't-"
"-cut that hair!" suprisingly, paul joined in, dramatically pointing at my multicolored locks.
"ya mom busted in an' said, 'what's that noise?!'" i was practically shaking with anticipation of my favorite part as i uttered the next line.
"aw, mom ya just jealous it's the beas-" marshall glanced into the mirror at paul expectantly, who enthusiastically barked the following syllable. "-tie-"
"boys!" i finished, throwing my arms up and chuckling.
in unison and without hesitation, the three of us shouted the chorus.
"you gotta fight! for your right! to partay!"
in that particular moment, i don't think i'd ever been happier.
i realized that my throat was a bit sore from all the yelling i'd been doing when we pulled into the parking lot of seven eleven - although it was completely worth it. i wondered why marshall didn't bother to disguise himself as the little bell jingled upon our entrance.
immediately, i stepped over to the slurpie machine, and he followed suit while paul headed toward where the bags of chips were kept. i chose mountain dew, and snickered when i saw that marshall had selected coke zero, of all things.
"hm?" he demanded, pausing in the middle of dispensing the slushy substance into his cup.
"my grandma drinks that because regular coke is too sugary for her," i remarked tauntingly.
"i ain't that old!" he retorted, continuing to fill his cup with slight irritation, but smirking nonetheless.
i gazed at him affectionately as i sucked on the straw of my drink, watching as he fastened a lid onto his cup and swiped a purple straw before sticking it into his own refreshment. a blush creeped onto my cheeks when he acknowledged my staring.
"you checkin' me out?" he questioned, amused.
i shook my head, hoping that some humor would calm my nerves. "don't flatter yourself," i mumbled, shoving him lightly.
"c'mere, you crazy kids," paul called from near the counter, which was covered in bags of different varieties of cheetos and a few candy bars. he was holding up his phone, indicating that he was prepared to take a picture for the series.
we stepped to either side of him, and marshall reached over to make bunny ears with his fingers and place them just behind my head when paul snapped the picture. to think that he thought he was being sneaky, and that i wouldn't notice. i giggled as i placed a hand on paul's shoulder, standing on the tips of my toes to see him type the caption for his instagram.
"it's been a long time. #7elevenseries"
