✓ | WELCOME TO DEADTOWN → original

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                         HOLLAND GLASER PULLED HERSELF UP ON THE VINES LEADING UP TO HER NEIGHBOR AND CLOSE FRIEND CASEY RIVERS' WINDOW. She rapped on it lightly, using her the toe of her Doc Martens to balance on the side of the house while her other hand clung to the dark green ivy. A couple of seconds later, Casey appeared, lifting open his window and looking down at her.

His brown eyes twinkled as his light pink hair fell across his eyes. "You could've come through the front door, Holland."

Holland shrugged, smiling. "Fuck the front door. Besides, isn't your dad home Monday mornings?"

She saw him stiffen. "Yeah. You're right."

He motioned for her to go back to the ground so he could climb out after her, and her feet hit the soft grass as he made his way down. He jumped to the earth below, dusting his hands off as he stuck the landing, his backpack digging into his shoulder blades as he swept his hands towards the sidewalk.

"After you."

Holland faked her "adoring lover" pose, one hand clasped to her heart, and then laughed as they fell into step together, Casey ducking his head as he began to inform her how his night had gone in his ever polite and quiet tone. They had been next door neighbors for as long as they could remember, with what had started out as signaling every once in awhile with flashlights to sneaking out to the woods. In some ways, they were each other's closest friend- and probably Casey's only true one.

He didn't open up much, but Holland knew he had trouble with his dad because she had confided in him about the blowouts her and her mom oftentimes had after her sister had left for college. He definitely had it worse however, considering his dad yelled at him and beat the shit out of him practically ever night. School wasn't a lot better; what with Kyle Becker and his posse of shitbags ganging up on him in gym class and outside around the back of the school building, Holland knew he had it worse than he let on, which was exactly why she tried to be there for him whenever she possibly could.

As they neared the parking lot, all of a sudden a hand reached out and yanked at Casey's arm. He automatically tried to put whoever it was in a chokehold, but the person was obviously much stronger and twisted his arm around. Whoever it was hissed, "It's me, dickwad!"

Holland and Casey craned their necks to see Aiden O'Conner staring at them from the shadows, his face urgent. He motioned for them to come to where he was, as he went and  crouched behind one of the stone walls separating the sidewalk from the parking lot. They did as he said, bending their knees and sharing equally confused expressions.

"What the hell?" Holland asked. "You scared the shit out of us!"

"Right, I'm sorry," Aiden waved a hand dismissively. "Get over it. Do you want to be killed, Glaser? Didn't think so. I just saved you from certain death."

Casey's brow creased. "Aiden, what the f-"

Aiden grabbed Casey's head and turned it so it was ever so slightly peering over the wall. A bright blue Subaru was sitting in the parking lot, and what the two hadn't seen as they had approached the high school were two heads in the front seat- one blonde, one dark headed.

Casey squinted, and said slowly, "Who-"

Before he could finish his sentence, whoever was in the driver's seat flung open the door, their Nikes hitting the pavement. Whoever it was snapped at the person in the passenger seat- "I'm so sick of this, you know that?"

The figure's face was thrown into the sunlight, and Holland let out a squeak of surprise. Aiden slapped a hand over her mouth, looking over at Casey, his face set in a grim line. "Told you, Rivers."