MAURICE - harrington

ii.

ACT ONE, chapter ii.

♡

1984:

     Mars had decided that Rock, Paper, Scissors was the worst game of all. JJ, however, had decided her brother was in fact a very, very sore loser, as evident by his whining as he rode his bike alongside her skateboard.

To backtrack a little, Mars hated riding his bike. No one in Hawkins at the ripe old age of seventeen rode a bike anymore, and despite not being one for 'following the crowd', Mars still felt mortified. He was far too tall and lanky and old to be pedaling on a bright baby blue bike.

This had all come about because JJ insisted that today she wanted to skateboard to school, and Marmee insisted she didn't go alone. So, they did the mature, adult thing.

They engaged in a heated battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

And from the moment Mars's hand splayed out paper, his fate had been sealed. All he wanted was a casual, laidback ride to school in Marmee's car before she drove to Melvald's General Store where she worked.

But no, now Mars was pedaling his dumb little legs on his dumb little bike through the dumb Autumn chill which made his cheeks bright pink, all the while JJ laughed at him from her skateboard.

Luckily, the last stretch of road was before them.

Unluckily, JJ had an idea.

"Race you," she suggested, though anyone who knew her knew she wasn't just suggesting. She'd get her way.

"Nuh-uh," Mars shook his head with an incredulous look. "I've got training later."

JJ, entirely unphased by Mars's need to conserve energy for his 'insufferable basketball game-things', as JJ had once unlovingly called them, immediately pushed her sneaker against the road, crouching slightly as she sped ahead of him.

Mars, entirely unwilling to lose such a challenge, extended his legs so he was almost standing on the pedals, pumping his thighs as he sped off in a chase. JJ was well aware her skateboard was no match for his bike, but knowing how much of an annoyance she was being to him brought enough satisfaction that she didn't care he reached the school first. After all, what are little sisters for if not annoyance?

"I win," Mars said, dismounting his bike with deep breaths. He dumped the bike to the ground, not bothering to lock it — if someone were to steal it, it would only mean he, unfortunately, couldn't ride to school anymore. Boo-hoo. "You gotta give me your red shirt." JJ craned her head down to look at the open red button-up sitting under her green hoodie, a prized possession of her Mars had been eyeing for some time.

"Yeah, right," she snorted, pushing down the back of her skateboard with one foot and picking it up in one swooping motion. "See you after!"

Mars clicked his tongue with an irritated smirk as she walked off, gracefully ignoring any dirty looks she received — which, thankfully, had seemed to lessen over the years. Now it was only the snotty stuck-up kids whose mommies and daddies were too busy drooling over their stacks of cash to raise their kids right that spared any odd glances in JJ or Mars's direction.