just children once ✓

carpool bonding sessions

<4:15 pm, Tuesday>

Tyler wanted nothing more than to stab Josh in the back of his curly pink head while they drove out of the school parking lot to the Sweet Revenge.

All six of them were packed into a car that was meant for four people- Josh and Dallon rode in the front while Jenna sat on Tyler's lap and Debby in Melanie's. None of them were comfortable- Melanie looked about ready to stab Debby's out.

"If you call me periwinkle dustmop one more time, I will impale you," she snapped. Debby to laughed in response, crossing her legs and putting her chin on top of Melanie's head. "Didn't know you were into that, baby girl." Melanie's face flushed deep red.

Tyler shifted in his seat. "Why would you put your girlfriend in the backseat rather than shotgun, anyway?" He asked, pulling Jenna onto his lap so she wouldn't fall.

"Oh, we're not dating anymore," Debby chimed, wrapping her arms around Melanie. "We broke up a week ago. Didn't your boy toy tell you, Tyguy?"

"He's not my-"

Melanie cut Tyler off. "Wait, if you're not together anymore then why do you guys still act like a couple?"

"Well, I'm on your lap and that's pretty coupley, is it not?" Melanie elbowed Debby in the hip. "Hey, how come Brendon couldn't pick these guys up anyways?"

"He had to take his little sister to the hospital," he explained, flipping on his shades.

"Damn. Is Sarah okay?" Tyler asked.

Dallon nodded. "Yeah, his mom is out of town so he has to take care of Sarah. No wonder teens with single parents who have their kids fend for themselves end up screwed over." He looked at Tyler through the mirror.

"Sorry."

He shrugged. "It's not like you're lying."

There was awkward silence for two more blocks.

Brendon, Tyler, and Debby all had single working parents and learned to fend for themselves quite early in life. Tyler's father worked three jobs at a time while attending community college to get a degree in education, Brendon's sold drugs on the side of being a car dealer, and Debby's mother is a starving actress who waited tables at almost every restaurant in the county.

Josh- as much as Tyler remembered- was an only child but now lived with his mother, three other step-siblings, and a stepfather who practically raised him. He learned a bit too early for an innocent child that all of his step-siblings hated his guts and would never be there for him, evidenced by that time they ignored him for three months and pretended he never existed, causing him to run away to Tyler's for a straight week. Not to mention his parents were always hovering over him and disregarding him all at once, so he had to become both independent and secretive.

Melanie two rich parents who were only together because of her, but they were abusive- especially after she came out- and as a result, she grew up with a short fuse and sharp-tongued. She was never taken from them as they owned half of the county by then.

Jenna was a foster child, never being adopted or with a family for longer than a month. The family she was currently living with- a lovely African couple with twin cats- was the longest one she ever stayed with. Though she practically lived in Tyler's house when she wasn't at Melanie's.

Dallon was probably the poorest of them all, living in a small one-bedroom apartment with his mother, father, grandmother, his 12-year-old sister Breezy, and four dogs, but probably the only one with two loving and compassionate parents.

So they were all a bit messed up.

That's what made them friends.

Jenna leaned forward so her head was between the two front seats. "Dally, what did you get on Iero's essay on the Great Gatsby?"

Whenever a situation became tense, Jenna would use nicknames as a term of endearment- one that always worked.

Dallon grinned. "Fucking bombed it, as per usual. Iero's class is fucking difficult." Melanie scoffed and rolled her eyes."

"Maybe because it's a fucking AP class, four eyes."

"At least I'm not failing French, Crybaby."

"Giraffe."

"Gap-tooth."

"Bore-beck."

Dallon faked a gasp and pressed his hand on his heart. "That one stung, Mel. How could you deceive the name of Brobeck, the greatest punk band icon ever created?"

"Maybe 'cause you guys suck," Debby offered.

Tyler snorted so hard he started to cough, making the rest of them laugh. They pulled into Sweet Revenge when everyone began to regain their breath after laughing so hard.

Josh waited as the rest filed into the shop so he and Tyler were alone next to the car. "Think we're as bad as you first thought?" He raised an eyebrow and grinned widely.

Tyler tried to hide his smile and failed.

"Don't get your hopes up, Dun. I'm not sucking your dick just yet." He patted Josh's shoulder before running up to catch the others, leaving the pink haired boy with his jaw dropped and eyes wide.