The Stars That Night [boyxboy]

                "It's the first day of summer, and you two are already going to get us arrested."

                I paid no mind to Akira's pessimism as I hopped the fence, my fingers brushing against the "Private Property No Trespassing" sign on the way down. Jack steadied me as I landed and we turned to face Akira, who still stood on the other side of the fence.

                "Well?" I said. "Come on! We don't have all day."

                Akira opened his mouth, realized we never listened to him anyways, and shut it. He grabbed the fence and hoisted himself up and over.

                "Alright, it should've gone down not too far from here," Jack said, taking off through the tall grass. "Check yourself with ticks, boys. Don't need Lyme disease ruining our summer adventures."

                "What's the point in this anyways, Jack? You know it's not going to fly anymore," Akira said.

                "But I want to see the condition it's in! I'll keep experimenting until one of them doesn't burn up," Jack said.

                "I'm amazed your father still gives you money to buy these stupid toy planes when he knows you're just blowing them up," Akira said, shaking his head.

                "Blo- I- Agh!" Jack said indignantly. "This is for science, Akira. If I can find a toy plane that can handle small fireworks going off on it while it flies around, I could set up my own show."

                I sniffed the air. "Smoke. Must be close to the latest mechanical victim."

                "You're lucky nothing caught on fire," Akira said as we spotted the miniature wreckage on the ground. "Let's grab the damn thing and get out of here."

                Jack jogged forward and reached to pick up his destroyed toy plane. He yelped as his hand touched it and hopped away, shaking his hand off.

                "Hot!" he hissed.

                "The bag, Jack," I reminded. "You brought it for a reason."

                "Oh, right," he said, smacking his injured palm against his face and wincing. "Ow, dammit."

                "I'll make sure the cost is clear to head back," I said, heading towards a tree.

                "Garrett, don't you dare," Akira said.

                "Did I hear dare? I accept!" I said, grabbing a thick branch and pulling myself up. Akira groaned as he watched me climb higher and higher up the tree.

                I made it nearly to the top before I ran out of sturdy looking branches. I tipped my face up towards the cool breeze, taking in the sight of the private land surrounding us, a smile curving my lips. It looked so open, so free, so ready for adventure.

                I didn't spot anyone on the clear land near the owner's house, which meant we could probably make it back without being caught. I checked the time and felt my smile drop. Oh, shit. I was running late.

                "Pack it up, boys. We're late," I called, making my way down the tree.

                "Well, if Jack hadn't melted another plane with fireworks, and you hadn't climbed the stupid tree, we might've been on time," Akira said.

                "Don't talk about the tree like that. She's an intelligent lady," I said, patting the trunk and slipping down to a lower branch. I judged the distance to the ground and shrugged, leaping the rest of the way. I hit the ground hard in a crouch, wincing.