Chapter Text
Dax was standing by his locker, twisting the lock while his friend Lukas stood beside him insistently kicking him. He shuts the door and slowly turns with a sigh.
“Dude would you quit that?:(“
“Yeah yeah,” His friend waves him off and they walk over to their class. “Hey so I was thinking… me and Stephan wanted to go and hang out with some people at the mall this weekend. You should come.”
“Nah I'm busy” He slumps his head over his folded arms and takes in his surroundings. Free pencil right over there…
He hears a scoff and turns back to him. The expression he receives from Lukas is so unbelievably priceless and annoyed looking that he has to stifle a laugh. “Doing…what exactly?” He drawls out.
He just had to ask huh? “Uh I don't know. Like stuff.” A kick to the shins. “Ow what the fuck-” Dax rubs his leg which concerningly already shows purple bruises blooming from all the shitty kicking.
“I asked your mom beforehand. It'll be like a fun birthday hangout with your friends!” He says.
“You said that last time and last time I ended up sitting in a shopping cart and wheeled into the river.” He gets cut off as Lukas starts cackling and subconsciously hitting him. “I was soaked,” he whines. “Shut up, it's not funny!”
He rubs his eyes with that dumb grin still on his face. “Kay but last time wasn't a birthday hangout. And we'll just be at the mall with other people.”
Hold up. “Wh-” The teacher choose that exact moment to start attendance. He huffs and starts copying down the notes with a pencil shorter than him and a mangled eraser. He eyes the disgrace and starts to form a word on his assignment as the pencil snaps and hits him right in the face. He grimaces and hears a snicker beside him.
“Yo-” he's already shaking with laughter.
“Shut. Up.” He grits out. “Or so help me.”
Dax grips his next pencil slightly lighter.
A monotonous hour and however many minutes of straight bullshit later, class is dismissed and he immediately slips out.
He now sits on a bench outside kicking his feet as he scrolls mindlessly on Instagram when all of a sudden he hears this agitating, grueling voice…
“Yo Dax!” He sets his phone down on his lap and gently brushes a stray blade of grass from his jeans. The voice grows closer and a few seconds later he looks up to see Stephan standing in front of him.
“Yeah hi, what's up?”
“Since you're coming to the mall with us and since I know Lukas didn't give you details for shit, it's on Sunday. At like 12,” he shuffles to the side. “Text us when you get there!” Stephan waves to him and walks over to his car.
Shaking his head, “Bye then…?” Dax leans his head back.
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They send him a message telling him to meet at the food court. It seems as though he's gonna have to guess where exactly. The cool air rushes through his hair as he heads over in search of his group. He hears the faint lyrics of a song playing and various conversations as he walks by.
“Hey Dax, you're here!” Sasja exclaims. His friends look up, or should he say; his friends and a few new people, and he takes a seat. “This is my girlfriend Lauren and her friends,” he gestures to a brunette with purple gradient ends sitting beside him. She's currently conversing with the three other girls. “The one sitting beside her is Nova, then Lea,” he points to each one respectively, “and the blonde one is Sai!” They all greet him and a chorus of “happy birthdays” are shouted at him.
He smiles. “Hi guys. Thank you:)” The caramel haired girl, Nova, has a funny look on her face and seems to be communicating with her friends through glances. Dax looks at her for a moment longer before turning back to his friends and listening to their dumb conversation.
Half an hour later, Dax now sporting a birthday hat, they all get up and start walking around the mall. Carter is laughing his ass off with Sai beside him making weird gestures, Stephan and Lukas walk with him talking his ear off, and Sasja runs around laughing with Lauren on his back. Nova and Lea walk in front holding hands while she waves her phone at Nova who's muttering unkind things under her breath.
Lea stops suddenly holding a hand out and Sai trips over her. “Guys it's Hot Topic.” She speeds up, dragging Nova along.
“Noo really?” Nova's next to stumble. Carter skips ahead and into the Hot Topic. Dax blinks a few times as the lighting darkens to adjust his eyes. The music changes once more and the air is hotter. Quite a few people stroll around the store and he wanders off to do the same.