las vegas, nevada.
"so, the bus is gonna be here to pick you up at 7:50 so you're gonna need to leave now or else you're not gonna be able to walk to the bus stop in time." jade said giving y/n a piece of toast before she grabbed her skateboard and headed out the door.
"bye!" jade yelled in which y/n responded by slamming the door.
she threw the toast on the ground before walking out to the bus stop. she got there a little earlier than the bus, waiting a couple minutes. she got on the bus, 2 other boys frantically running to get on. when she got on the bus numerous teens gave her meaningful looks. she sat next to a random girl who gave her a dirty look and proceeded to switch seats. y/n didn't mind, the airheads didn't need to bother her anyway.
english honors class was y/n's last class of the day whom which she sat behind two boys. one with black matted hair and another one with glasses who looked similar to harry potter. it wasn't so bad, no work just a brief discussion about english and whatnot.
back on the bus, it was swarming with kids already and y/n had to sit squished next to the same boys from english honors and earlier on the bus.
"hey, you're from my english honors class!" the boy with black matted hair said.
he had an accent, russian maybe?
"yeah, i guess so." y/n responded.
"huh! harry potter!" he said.
"fuck you." the same boy with the glasses said.
once the bus had stopped at the houses, coincidentally the three got off at the same stop. the houses were far out into the desert so maybe company with the boys wouldn't be so bad.
"theo." he said shaking the other boy's hand and yours.
"boris."
"y/n."
"where are you from?" theo asked.
"california. lived in a foster home for like half my fucking life." she said.
"russia, australia, poland, new zealand, texas, alaska, canada, sweden. originally from ukraine." boris said.
"jesus." theo said.
"yeah. we travel. my father digs mines. people hate us everywhere we go because the company promises we won't fuck up the environment. and they fuck up the environment! ha! but i figured here, who cares? you want to get drink? you too, y/n."
"huh?" she said.
"drink. i have beer at my house."
boris took out a black umbrella from his backpack, opening it.
"what are you doing?" theo asked.
"hot day. hate the sun."
the three of them walked for about a mile under the umbrella to boris' house. y/n knew jade and arlo would be worried considering it was her first day with them but she briefly thought to herself, 'i'll make an excuse up from school.'
boris' house was practically empty. there was a single couch, beer bottles and cigarettes everywhere, a small tv, and nothing to eat but bread and sugar.
"where's uh your parents?" y/n asked.
"well, mom died, and dad is away most of the time." boris responded grabbing three beers from the fridge.
"drink. it will be bitter at first but you'll get used to it."
with the help of boris, y/n and theo opened their beers, taking a small sip before scrunching their faces up at the strong taste.
"taste like ass." theo said.
"that's why i like it." boris said. "let's go outside. we can smoke and talk and drink our beers."
the three went out to boris' backyard where the pool was empty and growing with weeds and mold.
"cigarette?" boris asked.
"sure.." y/n said getting anxious about smoking for the first time.
"here, let me help you light it."
boris helped y/n light her cigarette in which she had a coughing fit from the disgusting, ashy taste.
"god, this shit taste fucking nasty!" y/n said.
"you'll get used to it. like the beer. want one, theo?"
"okay, yeah, whatever." theo said taking a cigarette.
"so, tell me about yourself, potter." boris said.
"my mom died in a bombing so i moved out to vegas with my dad and xandra or what my dad likes to call his girlfriend." theo said.
"what the fuck kind of name is xandra?" y/n asked, laughing.
"i know! couldn't it just be sandra?"
"she also smells like juicy fruit it's unbelievable."
"she probably chews an entire pack a day." y/n said laughing with theo.
"what about you, y/n?"
"there's not much to say other than the fact both my parents fucking died and i've been living with weird hippie rats since yesterday."
the three smoked and drank beer for a couple hours before going back inside to watch sos iceberg on boris' small tv.
"oh fuck! i gotta go home!" y/n said grabbing her backpack and skateboard.
"see you tomorrow, y/n!" theo said.
"fucking hell i stink of cigarettes." y/n mumbled to herself. "do you have any clothes, boris? i really can't go home smelling like i was in a fire or some shit."
"yeah, yeah." he said tossing a random shirt.
it surprisingly didn't smell like cigarettes but like boris.
"okay, i gotta get the hell home."
y/n changed her shirt while walking home and stuffing the cigarette smelling shirt at the very bottom of her backpack before skating so she could get home faster. she unlocked the door to the house, finding both jade and arlo's shoes on the rack.
"shit."
"where have you been?" jade asked.
"sorry, i was at school doing something for an uh campaign and i hung out with some friends at school."
"hey, it's fine just don't come late without telling us."
"yeah, sorry."
y/n went upstairs to her room, tossing her old t shirt in the laundry bin and passing out almost immediately. vegas isn't so bad without the parents.
