After Elias had gotten a few hours of rest, he'd snuck back out once everyone was asleep and joined Sunshine for another night of staking out the Neet's place. They took shifts to conserve energy, talked about the most random things to pass the time, and drank a few bottles of Sun's mother's stashed Red Bulls to keep their eyes open. However, when Elias noticed Sunshine sit-jumping and rocking, he cut him off before he popped.

It was a long night. About as long as could be expected while having to stare at the same boring house. Elias kept telling himself that in a few minutes the door would open and the Neet would finally show his face. Those minutes slowly turned to jaded, tiresome hours. Unfortunately, nothing happened during that night either, and Elias returned home unsatisfied once more.

It was now Monday; his alarm had just gone off, and it was time for him to get Ava and himself ready for school. Finally dragging himself out of bed, he sluggishly walked down the hall to her room, slowly pushing her door open while rubbing his eye.

"Ava-" he stopped, shocked to see Brie kneeled beside her bed.

She looked back at him whispering, "She's got a fever."

"Oh..." Elias rose both brows, looking at Ava, who seemed paler than usual. Judging by the beads of sweat sliding down her face and her irritated pink nose, Eli could tell she really wasn't feeling good. She let out an intense cough, making him stiffen. He wanted to give her a hug and wish her well, but she was still fast asleep.

"I'm going to stay with her today." Brie added, caressing her cheek. "You go on ahead to school."

Elias frowned. For some odd reason he felt responsible. This whole time he had been too fixated on La Mort Noire to notice that his sister had fallen ill. He hated when she was sick. She wasn't herself. To be fair, no one is themself when they're sick, but Ava was a special case...at least for Eli. As weird as it sounded, he looked at Ava for attention in the same way a younger brother would their older sister. He hated it.

Scolding himself, he gave her one last glance, closing the door, heading back to his room.

~*~

The ride to Somerset was the same as usual. Sunshine was rambling on about nonsense and Elias was looking out the window pretending to listen. It had become a routine. He would nod every few seconds to give Sunshine a bit of reassurance, but all in all he wasn't interested. He was bored and the sight of the town didn't help. It was always--always so gray and damp and no one was ever walking outside. Though, before it was all just new to him; it put a bleak perspective on things now. Everything was dreary, cold, and miserable; the complete opposite of what he felt in Florida.

In Florida, he wasn't forced to face his displeased father, or wallow in the obvious tendencies of isolation from Brie and Ava. He didn't have to sit idly and watch favoritism as the only channel in his mind. He could leave. He had friends. He stayed out, and contrary to what his father believed, it wasn't because he wanted to. Though, he did miss it.

Elias didn't notice the drawn out sigh that left him, but Sunshine did.

"You okay, Elias?" He gave him a concerned look.

Elias nodded mindlessly. "Yeah. What were you saying?"

Sunshine didn't hesitate to begin again, and this time Elias listened. He'd thought it best if he didn't swim in the nostalgia. He wasn't going back.

When they had finally reached the school, they all got off and Sunshine and Elias parted ways. The day went by slow. It felt like time was taunting him, purposely dragging out the boring classes, and rushing through the free time. However, when he was in the halls, he could walk as slow as he wanted to get to his next class. He took advantage of it; the silence. Not that in noise, but the silence in his actions. He could relax and clear his mind.

Though, the world had other plans.

They were in the middle of a class change when the intercom cut on. He was forced to listen to the principal announce,

"Students please be aware that your attendance of the public speaker assembly this week is mandatory and no passes will be given. Any student found in the halls will be signed for In School Suspension and Campus Clean up. Teachers, be sure to enforce this and read your email to find more information, thank you."

"Hey Elias." An arm swung over his shoulders. "Long time no see."

When he recognized the voice, he shrugged the arm off, glaring at the pretty boy. "How do you know my name?"

"Don't feel special." The boy smirked. "I know everyone's name."

Elias narrowed his eyes before continuing on his walk to his last class.

"Whoa! Wait-hold up a sec. Lemme ask you a question." The boy caught up. "You wanna go skating with me and a couple of friends tonight?"

"No." Elias answered directly. He didn't like this boy; he was too arrogant and annoying. Though, he couldn't help but to mourn the wasted chance.

"Come on. It'll be fun." The boy urged.

"Nah, I'm good." Elias replied. "I don't even know your name."

"Grayson." He gave a quick wink. "Grayson Alexander King. Now, do you wanna go?"

"No."

"Tough crowd." The boy shook his head.

"I told you to wait." Another voice said. Elias recognized this one too, but he wasn't disappointed this time. He turned around.

"Beverly." He said this more as a question.

"Elias." She gave him a smile. "Sorry about Gray. I told him to wait for me." She looked back at Grayson and he shrugged.

"You know him?" Elias asked, almost disgustedly.

"Eh. Not really, but we know the same people so."

Elias nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets, trying not to bump into her, though she kept moving closer.

"But we were going to ask you if you wanted to come skating with us tonight. You know, get you out and get your mind off of a few things."

Elias gave her a look. It was like she was reading his mind.

"I don't know." She looked away. "Unless you have other plans. I was just-"

"Nah." Elias interrupted. "I don't."

He didn't. Him and Sunshine were still watching the Neet, but those weren't plans; that was part of a routine. Fun with Grayson--it didn't exist; Elias didn't care for it. Fun with Beverly on the other hand, made Eli reconsider. Beverly reminded him of himself--his old self, and he missed it.

"What time?" He asked. Beverly smiled as they all slowed to a stop.

"Seven sharp. Meeting at Cascade skating rink a few blocks from here." She twisted, pushing up her glasses. "You down?"

Elias glanced at Grayson then back down at her. It was almost impossible to say no. Not necessarily because of Beverly, though she made him feel comfortable, but because deep down he really wanted to say yes. A few hours away from his lifeless world wouldn't hurt. If anything, he needed it. With Ava being sick and Brie staying home to care for her, it was almost like the pieces lined up perfectly for this moment. Now all he had to do was agree to it.

"Send me the address." Elias pulled out his phone, and Beverly gave him a sly smile, pulling her cell out too.

"Whoa. That easy, huh?" Grayson crossed his arms. "You think if I was a girl with a body like Bev's, you'd say yes to me too? Or is it because I'm white?"

Elias and Beverly gave Grayson a look before turning to each other, snickering.

"Shut up, Gray." Beverly shook her head, finishing her text to Elias. "I sent it. If you have any trouble getting there, just call me. Kay?"

Elias nodded, saving her number. "Yea."

"Alright." She perked up. "Off to class. Don't want to write you up." She winked, walking off. Elias smirked.

"Don't want to write you up." Grayson mocked, walking beside Elias. "See you later tonight." He nudged him before breaking off for his next class.

~*~

Final bell...

Though Eli didn't feel like tutoring today, he had an unwritten contract between him and Cush and he wasn't trying to find out what would happen if he didn't perform as expected. Plus, Elias was excited about going skating later that night. Even though he wouldn't let himself express it, having that to lean back on helped.

"Elias!" Sunshine called, running up beside him. "Where you going? The bus is over there."

"Tutoring Cush remember?" Elias responded, a little delighted to see him. Oddly enough, Sunshine was one of the few people he could tolerate.

"Oh, yea." Sunshine averted his gaze, and Eli could tell what he was thinking about. His face said it all. His eyes roamed the ground aimlessly, trying to find something to replace the attention he was looking forward to. He didn't find it.

"You'll be okay." Elias looked at him.

"I know." Sunshine nodded, throwing in a short-lived smile.

Elias couldn't keep the concerned look off his face; he could tell rainbow boy didn't want to be alone. As much as Sunshine believed that Elias didn't notice his thrill everytime they sat in his room, forced to talk to only each other, he was surely mistaken. Not only did Elias notice, but he understood it too. Now, Sunshine would have to stay in that depressing house, probably watching the Neet for hours out of boredom while Eli was out skating. It wasn't right. Especially not sense Elias had felt that Sunshine had been investing more of his time into this than him. Yet, Elias would be rewarded and Sunshine would do more work. It wasn't right.

"Hey." Elias caught Sunshine before he walked off. "Beverly and I are going skating tonight..."

Sunshine smiled, genuinely happy for him. "Beverly's cool."

"You want to come?" Elias asked and Sunshine furrowed his brows.

"Me?" He pointed at himself in disbelief. Elias nodded making rainbow boy giggle, and Eli could tell he was trying his best to refrain from bouncing in excitement like he does at home, until it suddenly stopped. "I don't know how to skate."

"Nobody's gonna care. It's just for fun." Elias assured, and Sunshine nodded.

"Oh, okay. Then yes."

"Just be ready by six thirty. We're walking there."

"Cool." Sunshine smiled to himself.

Elias smirked. "Don't miss the bus."

"Oh, right." Sunshine turned back. "See you later Elias!"

Eli gave a quick nod, continuing on his way towards Cush's house. He shrugged. Sunshine needed a night out more than anyone.

~*~

6:53pm...

Sunshine and Elias had been walking for sometime now, and finally the view of the building was close enough for them to see.

"Do you know how to skate?" Sunshine asked, looking up at Elias.

"Yeah." Elias smiled, remembering old days. "Used to do it all the time."

"Is it hard?" Sunshine looked away.

"Nah. Just takes some getting used to." Elias noticed his nervousness. "Relax. We're going here for fun." He assured. "Don't think so much. You'll be fine."

Sunshine took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah you're right. I just don't wanna...you know...mess up. That's embarrassing."

"People mess up all the time." Elias laughed. "Professionals mess up, Sunshine. That's with everything in life. There's no need for you to feel embarrassed."

"Not for me." Sunshine scrunched his nose, looking up at him. "For you."

Elias looked at him confused before shaking it off once it registered. "You're not going to embarrass me, Sunshine."

Rainbow boy quickly looked away, frowning as those words reached him. "I don't wanna be the one who falls."

Elias chuckled at the thought. "Now that would be funny."

Sunshine gave him a bothered look, but the joking smile on Eli's face made him relax before shaking it away, joining Elias in the laugh until they were both silent. Elias was looking into the distance towards the skating rink, estimating how much longer it would take them to reach it, while Sunshine continued to stare at his feet.

"Thank you." Sunshine said softly.

"For what?" Eli chuckled. "Laughing?"

"No." Sunshine shook his head, serious.

Elias looked down at his hunched figure, suddenly knowing exactly what he meant.

"Thanks for giving me the time of day..."

"Thanks for acknowledging my existence..."

Sunshine had a way of speaking with his face; sad gratitude.

"Don't mention it."

Once the two of them reached the front of the building, Elias recognized the chocolate girl waiting by the entrance. Beverly looked nice. Casually dressed in jeans and a black, turtleneck sweater, with a small waist pack, her outfit brought out her curves and went well with her skin. Her two large, silver hoop earrings complimented her eyes, and her dark lipstick volumized her lips. Eli grinned, approaching her.

"Hey Elias." She instantly noticed the shorter boy looking at her with a big smile. "Hey Sunshine...?"

Elias rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought he could tag along."

"Of course he can." Beverly replied. "Everyone needs a little break."

"Can we go in now?" Grayson appeared beside Beverly with another girl hanging on his arm; a pretty brunette. "We've been waiting-" Grayson paused at the sight of Sunshine. "Who brought him?"

"Me." Elias replied, looking down at Sunshine who seemed shocked himself. "Problem?"

Grayson said nothing for a moment, letting his eyes linger on Sunshine before bringing his attention back to Elias. "No. Just hope the little guy can skate. This should be fun." He smiled at the brunette and she giggled. "What are we waiting for. Let's go."

Elias glanced at Beverly and she shrugged, following the other two into the building.

"Elias..."

Eli looked back at rainbow boy who hadn't moved a muscle.

"What's up?" He asked, stopping.

Sunshine's lips parted to speak, but quickly shut as if his mouth wouldn't allow it. His excitable aura had left and was replaced with something that made his eyes doleful and shoulders droop.

"No." Elias said and Sunshine looked at him distressed. "You can't back out now. You're finally out of the house. The doors are literally..." he looked behind him at the others going inside. "...right there. You have nothing to be afraid of. Fall or not, it's just for fun."

Sunshine shook his head. "But-"

"Look." Elias interrupted, desperately "If you fall, I'll fall, okay. You won't be alone."

A short cackle left Sunshine at the thought. What he was thinking before had flown out the window. "You don't have to do that."

"I will." Elias chuckled. "I don't want to go back home, okay--and neither do you."

Sunshine said nothing, looking at the entrance.

"Let's enjoy this." Elias gestured for him to enter the building, and he followed close behind. It didn't take long for them to catch up with the others. Grayson and his girl were in front, Elias and Beverly close behind them, leaving Sunshine trailing in the back.

"Everything alright?" Beverly asked once Elias joined her.

"Yeah." He replied. "Sunshine was a little anxious. I didn't tell him about all the company."

"Next." The woman behind the glass smiled as they moved up.

"One ticket." Beverly said.

"Two." Elias pulled out his wallet. Each of them paid and got their wrist bands.

"Who's the second person?" The woman behind the glass asked Elias confused, holding out the last band. Elias looked back and Beverly followed his gaze.

"You sure he's okay?" She asked.

Sunshine was a little too far behind.

"First time?" She asked, and Elias nodded, sighing.

"Sunshine?" Elias called him. He didn't respond. "Sunshine." He said again, eventually getting his attention, and the boy moved up. "You good?"

He nodded. "It's just...there's something..." Elias furrowed his brows as the boy struggled to find his words.

"You're nervous." Elias nudged him, and Sunshine glanced up at the sudden contact, but his eyes quickly averted and he frowned. "Just remember what I said."

"I'm not the best skater either." Beverly reassured him with a smile. "We can struggle together."

Sunshine nodded slowly, letting the woman wrap the band around his wrist before following through the glass doors. Stepping tentatively onto the galaxy carpet, Sunshine let his eyes roam the new surroundings. Everyone, even Sunshine, was drawn in by the loud bass and dancing colors of light. Freedom and fun echoed with the sound of wheels hitting wood, the smell of sweat and cheap food, and the sense of comfort and familiarity. Eli recognized this place. Not the building, but that in the feeling of ease and a much needed distraction. Excitment rushed through his veins, and like a dusty engine starting up for the first time in years, a laugh, a true one, escaped him. He looked back at Sunshine. "Cool right?"

Sunshine couldn't help but smile at the newfound playfulness in the boy he'd always seen as so reserved. Though, his smile disappeared when Elias walked over to their set table. Grayson and the brunette sat on one end and Elias and Beverly sat on the other. Sunshine quickly sat beside Elias, knocking into him.

"Hey, chill." Elias furrowed his brows and everyone looked at Sunshine.

"Sorry." He scooted away.

"Shit sucks, huh?" Grayson shook his head. "Can't be the third wheel if you're the fifth though."

The brunette laughed along with Grayson, and Beverly swatted him from across the table. Sunshine let a small smile form on his face, and that opened the gate for Elias to let out a few chuckles himself.

"What? Just breaking the ice." Grayson leaned over. "Don't mean nothing by it."

"You could break the ice by buying the food." Beverly laughed. "That's the quickest way to make friends, Gray."

"You should be telling him that." Grayson looked over at Sunshine. "I have plenty."

Beverly gave him a look, and he put up his hands in defense. "Fine. I'll buy it." He chuckled, standing from the table, and the brunette followed. The three of them were left at the table, and to Eli's surprise, Sunshine wasted no time in starting a conversation.

"What's he buying?" He asked Beverly, leaning onto the table.

"He's cheap." She shrugged. "Most likely some pizza."

Sunshine smiled at that and Beverly couldn't tell why, but she was suddenly intrigued.

"Hungry huh?" She asked.

"Starving." Sunshine shook his head, clutching his stomach. She reached into her small black pack, pulling out a Snickers bar.

"Here. We never know when it'll be ready. That should hold you over until then." She reached across Elias, handing it to Sunshine. The boy in between them was immediately interested in what was going on. Eli rose his brows as Sunshine took the bar.

"Thank you."

Beverly gave him a smile, closing her pack.

"We giving out Snickers now?" Elias looked at his hands, flipping between the back and the palms.

"What are you doing?" Sunshine took a huge bite.

"Looking for mine." Elias gave Beverly a teasing look, and she laughed shaking her head. "You laughing. I'm serious." He chuckled.

"I only have a kiss left." She dug around in her pack, and Sunshine gasped, making the other two stop and look at him confused. His head was turned in the other direction, and he was blocking his view of them with his hand.

"Go ahead." He said. "I won't look."

Suddenly, their faces turned from confused to embarrassed as they both caught on.

"Oh, no." Beverly giggled nervously.

"Not that kind of kiss, Sunshine." Elias chuckled.

"The chocolate silly." Beverly pulled out the little piece of candy wrapped