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On Saturday mornings, the campus of Night Raven College was relatively a peaceful place. Most students slept in, had breakfast with friends, and went into town. There was weekend work to complete, but most students waited until the last minute to complete it. Some decided to do their work earlier, but Riddle took this to another level, and he couldn’t be prouder of it.
As on all other days, he started his weekends by waking up at the crack of dawn and getting ready for day. This particular morning was going to be an exciting one for him, because his mother had sent him a present for getting the highest marks on his most recent series of tests: a new note-taking kit.
It came with sleek, no-smudge pens, highlighters, and a notebook. Staying ahead of schedule made Riddle happy, but it only added to the fun when new stationary was involved. Settling into his office, all of his stationary neatly organized on his desk, the tip of his pen was about to hit the paper when there was a knock at the door.
Who was at the door this early in the morning? Turning his head in the direction of the window, Riddle noted that the sun was hardly even up yet. Sigh. He would just answer the door real quick, see what the person wanted, and be back to his school work in no time. For all he knew, it was a prank being played on him by one of the troublesome first years.
Upon opening the door, Riddle came face-to-face with none other than Cater. Despite his need to be on Magicam all day, Cater was a loyal friend who knew how to lift someone’s spirits. Riddle was also grateful for Cater’s more hidden, sincere side, that was able to provide clarity when situations got tough.
“Heya there, Riddle! You got a sec?”
Stepping out of his office fully, Riddle closed the door behind him.
“Very well. What can I do for you this early, Cater?”
Smiling, Cater had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
“Oh~ Trey said I could find you here, and that it’d be better to do so before we lose track of you!”
Quirking an eyebrow, Riddle wasn’t amused. More confused, than anything else.
“Why did Trey ask for you to come and find me? I’d better not find out you two are trying to hide something from me. As the housewarden of Heartslabyul, it is my job to keep order within this dorm.”
Resting his palm on the back of his neck, Cater smiled nervously.
“You really can’t hide something from a housewarden, can you? Trey planned a little get-together for us and another buddy of yours today, so we have to get going, ‘kay?”
Crossing his arms, Riddle was taken aback by the sudden information. It was unlike Trey to make plans so suddenly, unless…they were planning to do something Riddle would say no to otherwise.
“Cater, what kind of activity is Trey looking to do at this gathering? And who else was invited?”
“Sorry Riddle, but Trey told me you’ll just have to find out when ya get there!”
Taking hold of Riddle’s wrist, he began leading him in the direction of the stairs. To say that Riddle was surprised is an understatement. His notes, the new stationary, staying ahead of the schedule! He tried to stammer out an excuse to stop Cater from pulling him away from his work, but Cater seemed to not hear him.
Though he wouldn’t admit it, Riddle was a little curious what would happen when he and Cater showed up wherever it was that he was leading them. Riddle trusted Trey, and he hadn’t spent very much time with his friends since they got back from winter break. Just maybe, a little break couldn’t do too much harm.
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At the gate entrance of NRC stood Trey and Chenya, Riddle and Trey’s other childhood friend. Chenya attended Royal Sword Academy, their enemy school. However, he was nothing like their enemy, as they shared a special bond no one could take away from them.
“Chenya? What a surprise. What brings you all the way out here?” Riddle approached them, resting one hand on his hip.
“What, you expect four-eyes to plan a little get together and I do not know about it? I see more than you know, Riddle?”
Glancing at Trey, Riddle silently asked what this was all about. Chenya was always a bit of an odd one, but Riddle loved him all the more for it.
“Heheh! Don’t worry, Riddle, I properly invited him. We are headed to the skate park for a few hours this morning, and thought you might like to join us.”
Cater let out a laugh, smirking at Trey.
“Oh wow, I’m hyped to see Trey pull off some sick moves today~”
Eyes widening, surprise was evident in Riddle’s voice.
“Trey? You never told me you knew how to ride a skateboard.”
Chuckling nervously, Trey adjusted his glasses.
“Well, you see, I can’t. The other day, a couple of the first years were teasing me for being ‘uncool’. I said I was, so they told me to prove it.”
Deadpan expression on his face, Riddle could not believe Trey would think to let a few punks put him down. Seeing the look in Riddle’s eyes, Trey reiterated his point.
“While that did happen, it reminded me of when I was young. In middle school, there was actually a phase I went through where I did ride a skateboard. And I wasn’t too shabby at it, if I do say so myself.”
Laughing loudly, Chenya rested an elbow on Trey’s shoulder.
“Heeheehee! I remember that now! You were trying to be all edgy to blend in with the other boys at school. Not feeling dangerous enough to wear all black, you colored in the white lines of your shoes with a black marker!”
Cater’s eyes instantly lit up, leaning forward in intrigue.
“Wait, hold up! Trey here had a ‘wannabe-emo’ phase?! Pics or it didn’t happen!”
As Cater was speaking, Chenya was already pulling out his phone and scrolling down in the photo album. Flustered, Trey did NOT want to relive that little blip in time.
“N-Now guys, we want to start making our way over to the park before it becomes too crowded!”
Picking up a green skateboard from behind the fence, Trey quickly ushered the group out onto the sidewalk.
Bringing his hand to his chin, Riddle let out a soft chuckle. Seeing them interact this way together was rather refreshing.
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Sage’s Island had a small population that valued peace and quiet, so preserving nature was important to its civilians. The park consisted of extensive trees and winding trails, playgrounds, and places where outdoor events could be hosted. In a shaded corner of the park, a relatively good-sized plot of concrete stood.
Within the past few years, it had been converted into a small skate park with ridges and places to practice tricks. Because it was so early in the morning, no one besides the four of them were there. Beams of sunlight danced between the tree leaves, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
“All-righty, Trey! Show us what ya got!”
Whipping out his phone at the ready, Cater held the camera in front of his face. Trey rolled his eyes, letting out a nervous laugh.
“I said I haven’t done this a while, so I may be a little out of practice.”
Amused, Cater’s encouragement easily spread to Riddle and Chenya, as well.
“No time like the present, Trey!” Riddle gingerly took the skateboard from Trey, setting it on the ground.”
“Ehehe, no regrets, four-eyes!”
Standing a little taller, Trey nodded his head. However, a small slice of sun was ever so conveniently at his eye level. Having thought ahead, he put on a cap to block the sun. Riddle nodded in approval.
“Clearly my positive influence. Thinking ahead, I see. Very well done.”
At first, Trey’s attempts to stay on the skateboard were clumsy at best. He would balance on the board, only to wobble and be forced to step off. With the support of his friends, soon, he was skating forward and back while maintaining his balance. Then, Trey started to attempt doing some tricks.
Leaping off platforms and spinning through the air while landing on the board started to come back to him. Cater took the liberty of catching the best action shots, saying how it would ‘seriously boost his fame’ on Magicam. Chenya hummed an off-key tune to himself, daring Trey to try harder stuff.
Riddle was pleasantly surprised by the sheer quickness of how Trey remembered how to perform the skateboard tricks in the matter of an hour. At first, he had assumed Trey was taking up a silly challenge from some first years. Though, perhaps their challenge also reminded Trey of a forgotten part of himself.
After some more tricks, Trey came jogging over with the skateboard.
“Hey! I hope it hasn’t been too boring just watching me. How did I do?”
Clapping, Cater held his phone out to Trey, swiping between photos on the screen.
“No need to apologize! On the contrary, looks at all the cool pics I got~”
Standing up, Riddle smiled up at Trey in approval.
“It was quite remarkable to see the speed of your progression. You should have more faith in your capabilities.”
Wiping his forehead, Trey nodded gratefully before glancing at each of his friends.
“Thank you! Though, now, I can’t help but be curious. Would any of you like to give it a try?”
For a moment, no one said a thing. Then, Chenya and Cater turned their heads to look at Riddle, both smirking. Eyes shifting back and forth, Riddle examined their faces, realizing they wanted him to ride the skateboard. Leaning backward, his eyes widened.
“I don’t think I like the direction this is headed in.”
Reducing himself to a floating smile, a now invisible Chenya removed the cap from Trey’s head and rested it on Riddle’s.
“Oh, you can’t forget the cap, Riddle. Someone may assume you’re ‘uncool,’ ehehe!”
Stepping forward, Cater smiled happily.
“What fun! There’s just one teeny, tiny thing missing, though.”
Cater then spun the cap on Riddle’s head around, so now he was wearing it backwards. Looking up, Riddle gasped in shock.
“Cater, really? What is the meaning of wearing any article of clothing in such an improper way? I-I’ll look silly!” (And there weren’t even any helmets in sight)
Turning away to hide a smirk, Trey held the skateboard out toward Riddle.
“Well well, it appears the people have spoken. What do you say? I can help you if you need it. Give it a chance?”
Hesitantly, Riddle reached out to take the skateboard. Setting it on the ground, he looked back at his friends before putting one foot on the board and pushing himself forward. After a few seconds, he began to wobble side to side, stepping off the skateboard.
Trey showed Riddle the correct way to hold his arms for balance and how to steer himself in his desired direction. Each time, Riddle glided a little farther, increasing his determination to learn how to ride the skateboard. After some time, he challenged himself to ride along the curve of a small ramp.
Taking a deep breath in, Riddle propelled himself forward on the skateboard, leaning his weight to the right when he came up at the curve. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as he was diagonal from the concrete. Then, he safely swerved around and back toward Trey.
The three of them clapped, walking up to Riddle. Trey nodded, a proud tone in his voice.
“That was awesome, Riddle! See, I told you that with enough practice, you’d start to get the hang of it.”
Removing the cap and handing it back to Trey, Riddle shook his head.
“Oh, I wasn’t nearly as good as you. I only just learned the basics.”
Cater ran up, resting his elbow on Trey’s shoulder.
“Don”t sell yourself so short! I got some fire action pics of you too, Rid!”
As he was about to lecture Cater about not calling him by random nicknames, Riddle sighed. The photos actually turned out better than he had thought they would. Resting his hands behind his head, Chenya peaked over at the phone screen.
“See? I told you wearing the hat backwards would increase your coolness factor!”
Rolling his eyes playfully, Riddle dramatically took the cap off his head and handed it back to Trey. As the group walked away from the skatepark, they chattered energetically amongst each other. Riddle looked back over his shoulder, smiling fondly.