The Small Town

Sweet Dreams City Boy

Keith learned a lot about the Holts while he was there. For one; Matt was very protective of his little sister. He always made sure he knew where she was when she went out, even more so than their parents, and it annoyed the hell out of Pidge.

Two; Mr. Holt, Matt, and Pidge all had their own workshops. Keith spent most of his time in Pidge's shop alongside her. She often snuck out of the house at night to go and work on things, causing Matt and Mr. Holt to put her projects out of her reach, even with a stool or step ladder.

Three; They had all been riding horses since they were children, and it was a lot harder than they all made it look. Even Shiro was struggling to keep himself on the horse. Goats and cows kicked when you didn't milk them properly. Chickens chased you around the field if they seemed threatened. Keith had been running around for about a half an hour while Pidge watched, unable to contain herself with laughter.

Four; all four of them could shoot guns, and hit the target every time. They tried to teach Keith and Shiro, but it didn't work too well, ultimately resulting in a jammed rifle and a cracked scope. Keith had apologized profusely, even after the Holts assured him it was alright.

He also learned things about Pidge and her friends. Pidge and Lance were very competitive, always making bets and playing games like slaps and knuckles. That's why their hands were always bruised. Hunk stayed out of their bets and competitions and was amazing at cooking, well, anything. Lance was a flirt, getting turned down by every girl he hit on. Pidge got quite moody at that time of the month, and stayed in her room or shop, watching videos on her laptop. She was also the best of all of them at zombie games.

Then there was Lotor. He and his large group of followers were complete jerks, especially to Pidge, Keith and the others that they were with at the time. He pulled pranks, told lies, and uploaded everything he did onto Instagram. The four of them had started following him, only to see what he was doing and who he was picking on at the time. He filmed it and posted it, or he live-streamed what he was up to. He was from a rich family, so he wasn't affected by lawsuits or anything like that. He could get away with anything.

Keith had even taken the temporary job as a drummer in their band, lightening the load on Pidge slightly. They even had him sing a song. They titled it 'Middle Finger'. Pidge had removed her one song from their album (against the wishes of the other band members), and they had created a new album too. They called 'Falter'. No real reason, Hunk just liked the word.

Keith had grown very close to the Holt family and their friends, even Lance. Which is what made it very hard for him to say goodbye to them when he and Shiro had to leave.

"We're really gonna miss you," Pidge mumbled when she, Hunk, and Lance gave him a group hug. Keith smiled sadly at the petite teen. Shiro was loading their bags into the trunk of the car. When he finished he came and broke up the hug, saying that it was time for them to hit the road.

"I'll video chat you guys when I get home," Keith offered to the other three teenagers. They all nodded, and Pidge pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying.

"See ya, Mullet," Lance said as he patted Keith on the back. Keith rolled his eyes at the name but smiled nonetheless.

"Drive safe," said Colleen, hugging both Keith and Shiro. Sam shook hands with both the boys, and Matt hugged them as well. Pidge gave Shiro a hug and turned to Keith with a sad smile. He returned the expression and opened his arms. She flung herself into them and hugged him tightly.

He chuckled slightly, and hugged her back. "I'll text you when I'm on the highway, 'kay?"

She nodded into his shoulder. They broke their hug and Keith and Shiro loaded themselves into the car and waved as they drove the length of the driveway.

Keith plugged in his headphones and played 'Constellation's' songs. He listened to his own song, since it was the first to play when he hit shuffle. He cringed at the sound of his own voice, but listened to the song anyway, recalling all the different things the group had done together.

"You show me love then spit in my face,
Making your money off all of my pain.

You put an eagle inside of a cage,
And you think I'm not strong enough to escape."

He remembered what everyone had told him about Lotor, and what he had done to them.

"But I refuse to let you make me feel like I can't fly.
Not only will I soar again, I'll own the fucking sky.
Yeah."

He remembered the way Pidge had bounced back (mentally and physically) after being pushed off the cliff.

"So I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave.
My generation's had enough,
And you should be afraid.
Oh Woah oh, not your prisoner,
Oh Woah oh, better listen when I say:
I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave."

He remembered what Pidge had done for him, and how he had repaid her.

"You couldn't even look me in the eye'
When you let me go and then left me to die.
But there was no question that I would survive,
An artist on fire is one that's alive."

He remembered listening to their song, even though they had never performed. It really wasn't a performance, but he thought it was good nonetheless.

"You can't surround a lion with a bunch of lazy sheep.
The one thing about royalty is that we love to feast."

All the good food he had eaten, made by Hunk, Colleen, or even the diner.

"So I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave.
My generation's had enough,
And you should be afraid.
Oh Woah oh, not your prisoner,
Oh Woah oh, better listen when I say:
I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave.

Living like a riot,
Setting off the sirens.
Fists are clenched, I'm fighting,
Soul has been ignited.
Ain't got time for dying,
I'm too busy thriving.
More than just surviving,
Heart is beating violent.
Living like a riot,
Setting off the sirens.
Fists are clenched, I'm fighting,
Soul has been ignited.
Ain't got time for dying,
I'm too busy thriving.
More than just surviving,
Heart is beating violent."

Pidge's reactions to winning bets, losing games, and her determination when she built something or practiced a song. Her smile, and sun-kissed cheeks when she was outside for too long, her freckled cheeks and oversized glasses perched on her small nose. They made her already large amber eyes look ten times their size. Keith pushed his inky black hair from his eyes as he thought about the girl, and the last chorus played.

"So I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave.
My generation's had enough,
And you should be afraid.
Oh Woah oh, not your prisoner,
Oh Woah oh, better listen when I say:
I put my middle finger up,
I'm done being your slave."

When they reached the highway, he messaged Pidge over a personal chat.

Keef: Finally on the highway. 

Glasses: Yeah. How long is the drive?

Keef: 19 hours. Ugh. Gonna sleep through most of it.

Glasses: 😂 Sweet dreams City Boy!

He dozed off, listening to the album made his best, and only real friends.