Chapter Text
“It was three grams of weed, Elizabeth. You actin’ like I’m sellin’ rail to a bunch of helpless kids.”
Rio chuckles from the driver's seat, shooting Elizabeth a look with a pronounced smirk. She huffs at him and stretches her legs out to perch them on the dashboard. Her red hair is tied up in a ponytail, so he is in full view of her various facial expressions. She picks at her fingernails, a nervous habit of hers, and replies sharply.
“It’s not the product I’m worried about, Christopher, it’s the location. What if you get caught?”
He rolls his eyes at her sardonic use of his full name. She isn’t mad at him, not really. Sometimes he could swear she just likes to start fights. It would drive him fuckin’ nuts if he didn’t find their petty arguments so entertaining.
“People been doin’ deals in that locker room since before we was born. Don’t worry ‘bout it.”
Elizabeth reaches into the center console, pulling out the wad of cash he had just received and examining it like it might bite her.
She’s known since they were in middle school that he would eventually be dealing drugs to their classmates. Hell, it’s been months since he started selling regularly and she still isn’t completely used to it. He knows it’s just because she’s worried. She worries about everything. But, this life is a part of him. She has never left his side and obviously this incident isn’t enough to send her running. In fact, she should be stoked, since he’ll probably end up spending most of his profits on her anyways.
“I’m not saying I condone it, but thirty bucks is more than enough to treat your best friend to Sonic, don’t you think?”
She suddenly asks and he glances at her, wondering, not for the first time, if she can read his mind. She’s smiling with playfulness in her eyes, her dramatized charade over, and he flips on his turn signal. He shakes his head at her, grinning nonetheless. Her goofy ass moods stopped giving him whiplash a long time ago.
“Strawberry milkshake with extra whip, comin’ right up.”
—
Beth pulls her coat tight, shielding herself from the wind that knocks over her empty Sonic drink. She and Rio are sitting on the roof of his house- something they often do to escape the chaos of his life and the loneliness of hers- discussing Rio’s little sister’s crush. The sun it setting and, pretty soon, it’ll be tomorrow. And she is not looking forward to tomorrow.
Tomorrow is her seventeenth birthday.
She shudders at the thought, pushing it away and attempting to zone back into her best friend’s story.
“I mean, she wouldn’t shut the fuck up about ‘em after her first day, so obviously Luis started teasin’ her.”
Beth smiles at him knowingly as he talks about his siblings. The four of them are very close and Beth loves that they consider her a part of the family since she and Rio have been inseparable since first grade. She and Annie are close, but Annie is still dependent on Beth as a caregiver and a role model. Luis, Rio’s older brother by two years, has always been sweet and inclusive when it comes to the Marks girls. He often tells Beth that she’s “the little sister he always wanted”, which never fails to earn a laugh since he does have a little sister, Clara. The oldest Rivera child, Laura, is two years into college. She’s a genius- she graduated summa cum laude and earned her way to Stanford. These accomplishments naturally made her the Rivera family golden child. That is, until Luis’s club soccer team won their national championship last year. She often wonders how Ms. Rivera managed to raise seemingly perfect children all on her own. Every one of them is talented in their own unique ways but, in Beth’s opinion, Christopher is the best of the brood.
She might be a tad biased, though.
He nudges her shoulder with his, offering her the rest of his mozzarella sticks without taking his eyes off of the sunset before them.
“What’s goin’ on in that big ole brain o’ yours?”
She crunches on the cheese stick and crosses her legs out in front of her. Her bare calves scrape against the roof shingles.
“Oh, y’know, just thinking about how utterly perfect your family is.”
Rio huffs on a laugh and shrugs.
“Not perfect. Pretty close though, yeah.”
They look at each other warmly, eyes catching and holding, until Rio’s grin grows into a beaming smile that splits his handsome face.
“You wanna know what I was thinkin’ about?”
She shakes her head, but it’s no use. He’s already leaning in, encroaching on her personal space, per usual, and lowers his voice for dramatic effect. She guesses what he’ll say before the words even leave his lips.
“Your birthday tomorrow.”
“Shut up.”
She giggles, shoving him back. To her horror, he instantly stands to his feet and cups his hands around his mouth.
“Elizabeth Marks turns seventeen tomorrow!”
She shushes him incessantly, but he only grows louder, more enthusiastic. Beth tugs at his pant leg.
“I will throw you off of this roof!”
He stops shouting and snaps his attention back down to her, mischievous eyes shining.
“That a challenge?”
Before she can process what he said, her body is being flung over his sturdy shoulder. She squeals in surprise and starts to pound on his back lightheartedly.
“Put me down, Chris!”
He just laughs, bends slightly so he can fit both of them through the open window in his bedroom.