Ashley waited for Ryan to jump down from the window before gesturing towards the front of the campus. "Bike's this way. Ever ridden on pegs?"

"Uuhh..."

"It's easy. Just come on." Ashley started jogging off and Ryan followed.

Once they got to the bikes, Ashley quickly unchained one with a sky blue paint job. She climbed onto the seat before turning to look at Ryan. "Hop on the pegs and hold onto my shoulders."

"What about Josh and Tyler?" Ryan asked, a bit hesitant to follow Ashley's instructions. He had seen this done in older movies, but he didn't think riding on bike pegs was still a thing. Each side of the back tire rim had a sturdy looking peg ready for riding, however.

She just laughed. "Just hop on, Ryan. We'll meet up with them." She kicked the pegs with the back of her heel. "Promise I won't try to shake you off somehow."

"Comforting." Ryan said with an eyeroll. However, he did have a smile on his face. Ashley held the bike steady as Ryan climbed up and set himself for the ride. He had a firm grip on Ashley's shoulders when she nodded.

"Alright, hold tight!" She exclaimed before kicking forward and beginning to pedal.

Ryan took her advice as she gained speed. The wind whipped his hair around and a smile grew on his face. He felt so free. He hadn't been on a bike since before his mother got sick. He used to ride laps around his neighborhood, or race to Patrick's and back. After his mom got sick, money got tight and when his bike broke, it fell on the back burner of priorities.

"Feel like king of the world?" Ashley hollered over her shoulder.

Ryan cheered in response, tempted to hold his arms out at his sides. Common sense held him back though.

A few more minutes of riding and they pulled into the parking lot across from the burger place they had visited just a few days before. Josh and Tyler were sitting on the curb, sipping on capri sun pouches. Josh waved as Ashley slowed to a stop.

"Hey." He grinned, "Took you long enough."

"Had to convince him that pegs won't kill him." Ashley laughed, nodding her head towards Ryan.

Tyler finished the last of the juice in his pouch, shifting it up and down between his teeth as Ashley and Ryan dismounted the bike. He leaned on Josh's shoulder and shut his eyes.

"Heard you were buying." Ryan said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He was trying to be casual, but he couldn't ignore fact that someone was missing from the small group.

Josh nodded. "Yea... about that."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he ignored it. Whatever it was could wait.

"We've got to take you somewhere else for food." Tyler yawned, letting the Capri sun pouch drop to the curb. He moved his hand as if to grab it, but didn't bother leaning down from where he leaned on Josh's shoulder.

"Where?" Ryan asked.

Ashley threw down the kickstand on her bike, attempting to hide a smile. Josh didn't make a similar attempt to mask his expression.

"It's a surprise." He replied with a grin.

"Really?"

"Nah, he's down at the park." Tyler said, keeping his eyes closed as he spoke.

Both Ashley and Josh looked betrayed. "Tyler!"

He opened his eyes, blinking tiredly. "What?"

Ryan grinned. "What's he doing there?"

Ashley shushed him, pressing a finger against his lips. "You heard nothing from us! Forget Tyler even woke up to say anything."

"Yea, forget I said anything." Tyler nodded as he pulled his red beanie down over his eyes.

Ryan laughed. He stood by Ashley's bike as she leaned down to whisper something to Josh. Once she stood back up, she winked at Ryan before hopping on her bike and pedaling off.

"Where's she going?" Ryan asked, watching her pedal towards the burger place.

"Don't worry about that." Josh grinned. "It's time for phase two."

"Phase two?"

"To the park." Tyler said, sitting up. His eyes were still covered by the beanie.

"Where absolutely no one is waiting." Josh added, nudging Tyler to make him sit up. Tyler frowned, but complied. He bent down to grab his discarded Capri sun pouch with a sigh.

Ryan spun around. Other than the field and burger place, there wasn't much on the street. "Where is the park even at?"

"It's a secret." Tyler said, bringing a finger to his lips.

Josh rolled his eyes. "Now you play along."

Tyler brought a finger to Josh's lips in response.

Once he pushed Tyler away with a laugh, he turned to Ryan. "We'll take you. It's actually just past the field."

Ryan's eyes widened. "Dude, that seems like a pretty big field."

"Nah." Both he and Tyler shook their heads. Without another word, they rose from the curb and gestured for Ryan to follow them.

Ryan complied. They stepped over the border of the parking lot and began stepping through the field. The grass came up to Ryan's knees, popping right back up after he stepped over it.

Josh was leading the way, holding onto Tyler's hand as he trailed just behind him. They seemed to know exactly where they were going, which Ryan was thankful for. He would have never even known there was a park anywhere near this field.

He kept following Josh and Tyler until they abruptly stoped. He nearly ran into Tyler as Josh pointed down. "Ladder for one." He said, turning to Ryan.

"Just me?" He asked, taking a few steps forward. He could see the drop off where a ladder had been built into the earth. Down further was a rusted playground with empty swings swaying in the light breeze.

"Have fun." Josh nodded. Tyler gave Ryan a small wave.

Ryan turned to the ladder. Was he really going to do this? He sighed, already knowing he was after coming all this way. He walked over and crouched beside the ladder, being cautious as he shifted his weight onto the rungs. He made his way down slowly, feeling his heartbeat accelerate every time the old iron creaked underneath him. When he made it to the bottom, he was quick to dismount and sigh with relief.

In front of him was the rustic playground. There was a play structure with a rock wall, dome shaped jungle gym, and that swing set that he had seen from the cliff. It was encased in a raised cement circle that was filled with sand. Plants were growing up through it, however, and the cement was cracked. This playground seemed long forgotten.

"Hello?" Ryan called out, taking a cautious step forward. He looked back at the cliff, but there was no sign of Josh or Tyler. He turned back to the playground.

A gust of wind seemed to push him forward until he stood at the edge of the playground. He still didn't see any sign of anyone. "Hello?"

"Hey."

Ryan jumped, falling into the circle and onto the sand. He heard a laugh behind him as he pushed himself up.

"Jumpy much, Ryan?" Brendon asked, flashing a mischievous grin when Ryan turned to face him.

Ryan let out a breathless laugh. "You seem to have that effect." He said, internally kicking himself as soon as the words escaped him. Brendon didn't seem to mind, however, he just extended his hand to help Ryan back up to his feet.

"How are ya?" Brendon asked, still holding onto Ryan's hand.

Ryan smiled. "Good." He said, restraining himself from going with better now.

"Good." Brendon nodded. He stepped forward, keeping hold of Ryan's hand to guide him along. "Come on."

"Where?" Ryan asked, though he didn't really mind being lead anywhere by Brendon.

Brendon just turned back to him and shot a wink before continuing on. He walked to the other side of the rock wall where a bag of food and two milkshakes were waiting. He finally released Ryan's hand to gesture towards the items. "Surprise."

"All that for lunch?" Ryan laughed. He was in disbelief that someone would go through so much effort for him.

Brendon shrugged. "Technically, this is more of a dinner."

"Close enough." Ryan laughed again. He caught Brendon's eye, seeing something he couldn't fully register before the other boy turned away. "Why here?" He asked, softly.

Brendon smiled. He sat down, to which Ryan followed suit, and reached for the bag. "I grew up coming to this park." He said as he pulled some fries out of the bag to pass to Ryan. "It was like my little secret as a kid. Only a few other kids ever got to see it."

"Including me?" Ryan asked as he was passed a vanilla milkshake.

Brendon nodded. "You make maybe five."

Ryan's eyes widened. "For real? How secret is this spot?"

"Very." Brendon said, peeling the lid off of his chocolate shake. "I found it on accident. I was just trying to run away and I wound up here."

Ryan looked down at his milkshake. "Dang..."

"I was always a troubled kid." Brendon said, quietly, "I'll never grow out of that."

"I think you're more than that." Ryan blurted out, meeting eyes with Brendon. He swore internally as he looked at Brendon's curious brown eyes. "You... You..."

Brendon tilted his head, only bringing a flurry of butterflies to Ryan's stomach.

"You've shown me so much." Ryan finally managed. He guessed silently before continuing. "My world has been so small, but you broke me out of it. Troubled or whatever, I really appreciate it."

Brendon was quiet. Ryan felt like had said too much. He wanted to take it all back. He didn't want to ruin things right after Brendon had brought him to such a special place to him. He opened his mouth to say something but, before he could say anything, Brendon's lips were on his.