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[color=dimgray][color=A52A2A][b]𝐌 𝐚 𝐫 𝐢 𝐬 𝐨 𝐥[/b][/color] ,  [color=FFF700][b]𝐑 𝐲 𝐥 𝐚 𝐧 𝐝[/b][/color] ,  &  [color=ff8c00][b]𝐒 𝐨 𝐧 𝐧 𝐲[/b][/color][/color]
[sub][color=dimgray]Collab with [@Dirty Pretty Lies] [@TootsiePop] [@Altered Tundra][/color][/sub]
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[indent]With earbuds in and his thumbs hooked on the outside of his jean pockets, Ryland drowned the hustle and bustle of his surroundings with Oh My Darling Don’t Cry by Run the Jewels. His overused drumsticks poked out of his red Jansport backpack, which held his packed lunch from his Aunt, as well as cookies that she made for his friends. As he strode with this nonchalant swagger, his shoulders leveled, down, and relaxed, his cold eyes locked with others that walked past him, like it was a competition and the first one to avert their eyes were weaker. 

A loser. 

So far, he was winning and all those rushing to work, or trying to get a cup-of-joe before their adventurous, strenuous, and long day,  were either too caught up with themselves or found it odd that a random kid had his unmoving brown pools deeply stabbing them with icy hostility. His two best friends knew he was in the area, but this would be the first he saw them since he arrived. They were busy. Whatever that meant in their case. He just hoped they’d be happy to see him.

It wasn’t like them to NOT see his texts, so he naturally assumed they were aware that he was heading over — he’d be damned if they headed to school without him. It wasn’t like he was in a [i]rush[/i] to go, or anything. If he were in a rush, he would’ve parkoured to Sonny’s, but in truth, he could care less about his attendance and rep. It was his last semester and he doubted any of the teachers, and other pretentious, rich kids, would invest their time and energy with the ‘last-minute’ transfer. He did, however, want to see his friends. The people he truly connected with and understood he wasn’t a complete and utter fuck up.

Sure, he has friends in LA, but they weren’t anything with substance or depth. They weren’t the Misfits. Perhaps, he was judgemental and selective, or maybe he didn’t want to waste his time with people he knew from the get-go weren’t going to tough things out for the long haul. He didn’t need many people in his life that he trusted and gave his undying loyalty to. Ryland simply needed enough so that his mind rarely thought about being a lonely, piece-of-shit. Because let’s be real, he was a piece of shit. And he was lonely. 

As long as he had the Misfits, he’d be okay, and that’s all that mattered. Especially Sonny and Marisol. As long as he had them, he’d never fully come to hate himself. Hate colors the soul, and the negative energy could race wildly within him, but because they check him, love him, and really fucking get him, the poison never spreads. The poison is there, waiting, like a sickness of the mind, and heart, for everything to go to shit and all those that he loves to disappear. But, as long as he has someone it won’t. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever. Stopping in his tracks, after checking his wristwatch, he looked at the house in front of him and shrugged. He was here, finally. 

And soon there came a series of knocks, which were loud enough to alert just about everyone in the house, which was also to say that only three occupied the Drake residence, the one who rushed to the door and met Ryland Aspen’s bored expression was probably not the person he was expecting. But, of course, had he known Sonny like he should (and especially in recent times), then for Ryland, it should come as no surprise that Sonny wasn’t who met him. A tall-ish blonde woman with the poise that put the First Lady to shame and a complexion that matched her [url=https://i.imgur.com/nA9qVdm.jpg]pristine fashion sense[/url] stared the lanky young man down. It was to first gauge him, blue eyes studying him and seeing him.  She tried to peel the layers with her intimidating gaze, coldly staring him down. 

As dull as his expression was, Rye was usually taken aback when he saw who Sonny’s mother was. A gorgeous milf, with vixen eyes. No matter how many times this same scenario happens, where he comes knocking on the front door and she opens, he gets a full reminder of what this world has to offer. She was the type of woman that was so sexy, it was dangerous. Just imagine a lip-bite… he could. Without a doubt, she was someone that knew how to get her way and all she needed to do was give a gaze that could kill. Full of intensity and allure. 

How the hell did his friend get so lucky? 

At the moment she knew she had him, she gave him a smile. [color=daa520]“And you must be Ryland.”[/color] Viola’s English accent was very present and she stepped to the side. [color=daa520]“Sonny is upstairs. He [i]should[/i] be finishing getting ready for school, but knowing my son…”[/color] She laughed, looking to Ryland once more. [color=daa520]“Actually, I’ll just take you to him!”[/color] Viola had her moments of mischievous tendencies. Of course, she wasn’t near the levels of the two men in her life, but she certainly could pull one over them, such as leading Ryland with her as they both went upstairs to surprise Sonny. 

Before Rye could give any sort of response, he was already being led to his friend’s room. He preferred being called Rye, but he knew Sonny’s mom was a special case and more often than not used proper etiquette, especially toward individuals she could barely remember. Which was weird, since he visits AT LEAST once a year, but then again, he was a sliver in her life and she was a busy woman, so maybe it wasn’t as weird as he thought it was, [color=fff700]“Thanks, I guess.”[/color] 

As they stopped in front of Sonny’s bedroom door, Viola heard some sort of commotion, so it was obvious he was awake. She was only slightly annoyed that he didn’t come to greet his dear friend, so she punished him by knocking on his door. Just a moment away from doing that, however and her phone went off. One quick glance and she saw it was an important business call she was waiting for. [color=daa520]“Sorry, I have to take this. I’m sure you can get him out in time, right?”[/color] She didn’t wait to hear Ryland’s answer as she walked off, talking loudly into her phone.

With no chance for idle chat, the goddess had delivered him and then her phone went off. Without a second to waste, she sauntered away, out of sight, but not out of mind, to tend to her needs. Bringing his focus back to the door, having looked over his shoulder, to glance at her god-given gifts, Ryland reached for the knob and brought his attention to the matter at hand. The main reason he was here in the first place. His friends. With no hesitation, he flung the door open. [color=fff700]“Dude, your dad’s one lucky son-of-a—”[/color]

At that exact moment, when the noise in Sonny’s room faded into a sharp silence, nothing could be done to roll back time to a few moments before Ryland had walked into Sonny’s room. Nothing could be done to allow the young man to unsee the sight of Sonny, half-naked, on top of an also half-naked, Marisol. Nothing could be said to possibly explain the more-than-compromising position the two were in, let alone try and explain it to their close friend. 

So, what [i]could[/i] happen? Sonny had no fucking clue, but the silence dealt more blows than anything he could say, so he would take whatever shot he had. [color=ff8c00]“Oh, hey Rye. I thought you were going to wait downstairs.”[/color] Sonny immediately perked up, nervously grinning at Rye while signaling the petrified, wide-eyed Marisol to get up as soon as she could.

Surprise wasn’t an emotion Ryland took well. He hated surprise parties, he hated surprise visits, and he hated when people tried to surprise sneak up on him. Surprises were meant to be a good thing but only led to disappointment. The only reason why people did anything for a surprise was to get something out of it. It was an entirely selfish concept, which is why he hated it. This, though, was nothing like [i]that[/i] feeling. [i]This[/i] was worst. Far worse. 

Even if the first fraction of the second held a similar feeling, where he had a complete inability to compute, the aftermath, where everything inside him shattered like glass, was nothing he felt before. It was like a collision had just happened in his chest. A violent shock that rammed into his most vulnerable wounds he thought he covered up so well.  

In most cases, he would be explosive. That was his innate nature to throw a tantrum and yell, but behind his dejected stare and his emotionless expression, he redirected his thoughts. Away from what was in front of him. After grinding his teeth, he shifted his demeanor and let his lips rise into a faux smile. It wasn’t worth making a scene or overreacting. It wasn’t worth sharing how hurt he was, when they were in the middle of getting it on. It wasn’t worth confiding in them if they couldn’t share [i]this[/i]. 

It wasn’t worth it. 

Casually, calmly, he ran his hand through his long, unruly waves and laughed it out, while avoiding eye contact, more out of respect for Marisol’s body than anything,  [color=fff700]“My bad, man. Your mom kind of just pulled me, you dig?”[/color] His gaze was distant, and by this point, they should both know this was something they needed to let sit. They needed to give him space right now, for their friend was a ticking time bomb. [color=fff700]“Anyways! Don’t rush on my account.”[/color] He beamed a cheesy grin, before turning to the door, [color=fff700]“I’ll wait. Downstairs.”[/color] He lied and left the room, not wasting any more time to hear their retort. 

With Rye’s sudden departure, Sonny tried to get a word in -- both him and Marisol tried to -- but before a single word could be uttered, instead of trying to explain to Rye what he just walked into, the sound and image of his bedroom door literally being slammed in his face was all he was given; and in turn, left Sonny with the most expressionless expression he could muster. 

Ryland was one of his closest friends. He wasn’t as close as Marisol was and he didn’t get to see him as often as he did Kavi and Stella, but if there was a top-five, Ryland cracked it easily. There was a sense of brotherhood there and a whole lot of trust. The history between his family, Rye’s, and Marisol's dates back to a time before any of them were even an afterthought. So, maybe seeing the other two halves of that long family history in present-day was too much of a shock?

[b]“Shit.”[/b] That was all Sonny and Marisol could both say in unison. 

After thinking in silence for about half a minute and trying to process just how quickly he skurted away. Sonny, of course, understood why. Given his change of scenery, consistency was exactly what he wanted right now. But at the same time, Sonny honestly felt Rye had overreacted. He knew it was a lot to take in all at once and Sonny tried to put himself in Ry’s shoes, but he just couldn’t. 

He had enough of quiet reflecting and turned to Marisol. [color=ff8c00]“I suppose that could have gone smoother,”[/color] he commented, taking a seat next to her on his bed. [color=ff8c00]“I know we would have to break the news to him sooner or later, but I figured, you know, we’d at least get the chance to talk about it before …[i]that[/i].”[/color]

Mari, who had also been watched in horror as the events unfolded in front of her eyes, was rendered uncharacteristically speechless. She had known that telling their friends about their newly dating status was bound to bring them some snarky and disapproving comments, but [i]this[/i]? The hurt and disappointment in Ryland’s face and the thought of everyone else reacting in the same disheartening manner made her rethink the decision she’d made on Christmas day.

It wasn’t until Sonny sat next to and addressed her that she found her voice again. [color=brown]“In our defense, we haven’t told anyone yet. But you know, since he didn't even give us a chance to [i]say[/i] anything, we'll end up looking like the bad guys,"[/color] she grumbled, frowning while she occupied herself with buttoning up her blouse. [color=brown]"This is so fucking annoying. It's too early for this shit."[/color]

Sonny found it reassuring they were on the same page. [color=ff8c00]“Yeah, tell me about it.”[/color] Sonny sighed deeply as he tossed his shirt on and looked at Marisol. [color=ff8c00]“So, what do you think the odds are he’s still downstairs? I don’t want to think that this was enough to get him to forget about riding with us, but Rye being Rye…”[/color] Sonny remembered his anger and how that sometimes blinded Rye from seeing to reason.

[color=brown]"The same odds I have of becoming America's Next Top Model,"[/color] the short girl snickered, rising from her spot in the bed to stand in front of Sonny and fixing the collar of his shirt. [color=brown]"Son, do you think us dating is a good idea?"[/color] she asked her boyfriend.  The worry in her face was evident in the way she avoided his gaze, even when she tried to not let it show.

He didn’t know what he was more annoyed at: Rye being Rye and overreacting, which in turn had negative effects on his two closest friends, or that these effects were working and forced doubt to creep into his girlfriend’s heart.

He sighed, looking at her. [color=ff8c00]“Don’t you start that,”[/color] he warned her sternly. [color=ff8c00]“Rye will come to terms one way or another, but I’m not going to let his overreaction get in the way of something that’s been nearly a year in the making,”[/color] he assured her, kissing her. [color=ff8c00]“And for the record, you’d make an amazing Top Model. None of those starving human xylophones would stand a chance against you!”[/color]

Marisol couldn't help but laugh. There was no way she would even consider becoming one of the famished runway zombies of this day and age, but Sonny's confidence in her was still sweet. [color=brown]"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’ll stick to the surf and turf,”[/color] she answered, grabbing her school blazer from the floor and slipping it on. [color=brown]“And as much as I would love to stay here and avoid the world, I think we should get going. I couldn’t give a flying fuck, but the last thing we want is our folks getting worked up because we were late on the first day back.”[/color]

As much as he wanted to disagree and just lay in bed with her, Marisol was right, but more importantly, she wasn’t the only woman in this house who would get on his ass for being late on his first day back. Lord knows just how ruthless his mother could be, especially when he deliberately tried her limited patience. If there was ever someone who struck the fear of the Devil into his eyes, it was Viola Banks.

So as he rolled his eyes, giving her one last kiss, Sonny propped himself up and stretched as he did his best to loosen the joints in his body. Satisfied, he grabbed his bag and gestured Marisol to follow him. Just as they were about to head out and as Sonny opened his door, his mother was standing in front of it. Thankfully, Marisol was fast in hiding behind it.

[color=daa520]“Sonny, I have to go into work a little earlier,”[/color] she informed him suddenly. [color=daa520]“I might not be home until late, so do me a favor and try and not burn the house down. Your father might be home around the same time, so I wouldn’t wait up.”[/color] She sighed, looking at him. [color=daa520]“And one more thing: try and put on a happy face for Ryland. He looked distraught for some reason.”[/color] She gave him a cheek kiss and walked away, leaving Sonny with a wave of information.

He closed the door somewhat and stared at Marisol, both of them probably feeling like their hearts were about to explode. [color=ff8c00]“Holy fucking shit…”[/color] Sonny had to catch a breath. [color=ff8c00]“I haven’t felt that type of excitement since your parents almost caught us last week.”[/color]

Now that she was sure the coast was clear, Mari was in a sudden fit of giggles. [color=brown]"I know, right?! I almost shit my pants when I heard her!"[/color] she snickered, doubling over in laughter while trying to catch her breath. [color=brown]"Fuck, man, at least it was Ry the one who walked in on us. We would be hanging by our toes from the ceiling if it had been your mom."[/color]

[color=ff8c00]“You’d think I might be given the son discount but that mother of mine is fair and just in her punishment.”[/color] Sonny said that with the realization just how cruel his own mother was. [color=ff8c00]“And that absolutely terrifies me.”[/color]

He sat on that thought for a good, long moment until he was able to shake it off and he led Marisol downstairs. He held her hand as they descended down the stairs. It didn’t even feel weird to do it so casually. For him, it felt as natural as breathing.  

When they were downstairs, Sonny was optimistic and hopeful that despite Rye’s sudden disappearance from his room, that somehow he stuck around after cooling off; that maybe he was going to let the two of them explain. But, of course, when he saw that the only thing downstairs was the interior decor and a strong feminine presence in the air, the light of his optimism drained to the point where his shoulders slouched and he sighed.

[color=ff8c00]“I can’t believe it. He actually left!”[/color]

[color=brown]“What else did you expect?”[/color] Mari snorted with a shrug. [color=brown]“He’s pissed. You know he doesn’t hang around when he’s pissed.”[/color]

Sonny shrugged as well. [color=ff8c00]“I don’t know, a chance to properly explain? I figured he’d give us [i]that[/i] much.”[/color] He lamented for a moment longer before shrugging it off and he threw his bag over his shoulder and grabbed his keys from a bowl on a pedestal near the door. [color=ff8c00]“Forget it, let’s just get out of here.”[/color]

[color=brown]“Don’t have to tell me twice!”[/color] the girl said before running after Sonny, grabbing his hand and rushing out of the Drake-Banks home before they could get caught again.[/indent]