we are the reckless, we are the wild youth [au]

gabriel ivan gonzalez//nineteen

Gabriel sat in the back corner of the lunchroom with his boots propped up on the table. He had his headphones in and was listening to Another You by Of Mice & Men. He was into some pretty heavy shit. The screaming actually seemed to calm him down. He had tried to text Ariel, but there didn't seem to be any service.

At one point, he stood and got a blue gatorade from the vending machine. He then strolled casually back toward his designated table. He decided to wait there until Ariel got out of her second class.

bonnie astrid black//eighteen

Bonnie was staring hard at a map of the school while she walked through the halls. It was her first year at the Pinewood University. She had lived in these parts of California for her whole life, but the city still seemed to confuse her. She was sch a forgetful person.

Stopping in her tracks, Bonnie scratched at her head and pouted. She was supposed to in biology in twenty minutes and she could have been on the wrong side of campus for all she knew.

Bonnie got a few stares from people, but none offered to help her. Most ogled at her beauty. She was wearing an outfit that showed a lot of skin, so she figured that would be the case. It was a long-sleeved yellow crop top, super short and tight black jean skirt, and black boots. She also had a small leather bag that held only a journal, a few pens, and her makeup.

She wasn't wearing much makeup, just a nude lipstick and some fake lashes. Her hair was down in loose waves instead of in an updo like it usually was.

So the female continued to stand there looking confused with her chestnut colored eyes staring at the map wildly.

bonnie astrid black//eighteen

Bonnie jumped when she heard someone speaking to her; somewhat startled. But then she realized that she was a harmless, friendly girl her age.

While she shook her hand, she smiled gratefully and said, "Thanks. I've been here for weeks and I still get lost."

Taking her hand back and dropping it to her side, she continued to smile and say, "I'm Bonnie. Bonnie Black."

Suddenly her eyes narrowed at the stranger, trying to figure her out. She could of sworn she knew her from somewhere. Oh well.

"Well, would you mind walking with me to class? I don't have classes with any of my friends so it'd be nice to have a friendly face to sit next to you. If you wouldn't mind."

Pulling all of her hair onto one side, Bonnie looked up at her through her lashes and grinned. She never meant to be flirty, she just came off that way naturally.

Raising a trimmed eyebrow at her, she added, "Unless you don't want to. Because if not, the I get it."

She didn't want to bother her. She probably came off as clingy and too personal already.

bonnie astrid black//eighteen

Bonnie offered a rather large smile when the girl, Ariel, pretty much said that they would be friends. That just made her day. She loved making new friends.

As they walked together, Bonnie could hear the soft music coming from her headphones. She could feel the corners of her lips turn even more upward as she pointed at them.

"God is a woman by Ariana Grande, right? What a powerful song. I really love her. Not only is she totally gorgeous, but I admire her strength. Especially after everything she's been through as of late."

They were nearing the classroom, so she began to slow her pace. They still had about ten minutes before class started.

"Oh, I'm majoring in zoology and environmental science. I want to work for Wildlife and Fisheries. I just feel very strongly bout protecting our planet. Especially the creatures in it. I'm also on the dance team, just for fun."

The girl began to blush, a little sheepish. No one really asked her what she was passionate about, much less related to it.

She actually had multiple pets. She owned a male ferret named Rudolph, a female rabbit named North, and two female parakeets named Hope and Harmony. Though they stayed at her mom's house which was just a city over. She went to visit every weekend. Then her mom had a female yorkie named Prissy. Her brother didn't have any pets because he never had any time for one. Or so he said. Too busy with football and running a fraternity. Well, Bonnie was busy on the dance team and running a sorority and she still had time for her babies.

"You should definitely come visit me sometime. I'm in the sorority house on the edge of campus. If you're looking to make friends, you can make plenty there! They are all very nice!"

Well, most of them. There was one or two that weren't the friendliest.

bonnie astrid black//eighteen

Bonnie's eyes lit up when she spoke of relating to her love for the planet. She bit her bottom lip and continued to blush; her lips a rosy pink.

"Your mom sounds really cool." She said, admiring how she seemed to share the same passion.

She felt like her and this girl would become really close. Maybe even best friends. She'd never had a best friend before. No one ever got close enough to her to be one.

"Oh, you must stop by! They won't judge you, if that's what you think. They're not like other girls."

Bonnie leaned against the wall next to the door, on leg propped up against the wall. This made her skirt ride up a little bit which caused a few men to stare at her. As much as she minded, she usually just ignored it. After a while, it just grew tiring.

When Ariel spoke up to the boys, practically hissing at them, Bonnie's eyes widened slightly. Then they began to tear up, so she blinked quickly to keep them back.

"Thank you." She said, placing a hand on her new friend's arm. No one normally stood up for her like that, but it made her emotional when Ariel did. Maybe she was just overly sensitive.

"Come on. Let's grab our seats." Bonnie chirped happily before skipping into the classroom.

bonnie astrid black//eighteen

During class, Bonnie doodled in her notebook. She took notes here and there, but mostly she drew flowers on the edges of the pages with her colorful, glittery pens. Mostly roses. She adored roses. She had read most of the material already, so she wasn't missing anything.

At one point, she drew a picture of her and Ariel in the top corner. She wasn't exactly an artist, but she thought she did a good job. When the teacher took a break from speaking to call on a student, Bonnie nudged her new friend and slid the notebook over. She then giggled and took the journal back.

When class was dismissed, Bonnie quickly rose from her seat and waited for Ariel to do the same. She then packed up her few belongings and headed for the door.

Once outside of the classroom, she checked the time and said, "I'm supposed to grab lunch with my sorority sisters in a few minutes. You can join us, if you'd like."

She was sure they'd be fine with her bringing a new friend around. They were mostly very friendly.

//sorry its short, i'm still on the phone//

gabriel ivan gonzalez//nineteen

Gabriel had been sitting in the back of the cafeteria sipping at a gatorade and listening to Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana. His music was blaring into his ears, so he didn't hear Ariel coming until it was too late.

When she sat on his lap, he jumped in a startled manner before realizing who it was. Then his lips turned upward into a lazy smile and he slid his headphones off just in time to hear her call him a loser.

"Of course I missed you." He said while she took his hat and played with his hair. He simply shook his head at her, unfazed by her behavior. She'd been like this since they were kids.

"C'mon. Let's grab lunch. I'm starving." Gently pulling her off of his lap, Gabriel stood from his seat and grabbed his bag. He then stuffed his headphones and unfinished gatorade inside before slinging it over his shoulder.

As they walked out of the lunch room, he began to question her. He asked how class was, if she made any friends, if anyone gave her anymore trouble. He was just looking out for her, that was all.

Once they reached his car, he opened the car door for her before letting himself in. When he started the engine, he turned the radio up. He couldn't drive without music. The silence was actually more distracting. The ending of a song by Sublime was playing, though shortly after Dirty Laundry by All Time Low began to play.

He had a keychain hanging from his mirror. It was of a wooden leopard that Ariel had given him for his birthday last year. He absolutely adored it.

"I'm taking us to Mama's Kitchen, as usual." He said as he made a right turn. He was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, bobbing his head to the beat.

He was still waiting for Ariel to answer his questions from earlier.

gabriel ivan gonzalez//nineteen

Gabriel listened to her singing, deciding that it was much better than the original artist. He always knew that she was musically talented. Music seemed to connect the two of them. He wasn't much of a singer himself, but he sang to her often. Mostly whenever she was beginning to panic. He would sing Cigarette Daydreams by Cage The Elephant, which just so happened to be their song.

Once Ariel began to speak, Gabriel turned into the Mama's parking lot. He found a place to park near the back and cut the engine. He then listened to her finish speaking.

He was glad that she liked her classes and that she had made a friend. As much as he loved her, he knew that she needed to branch out more. Same went for him, actually. They weren't just each other's best friend, but only friend. He didn't plan on making more friends this year though. Or any year, really. Making friends was a waste of time.

He was going to comment on this when she brought up the fact that the guy from earlier had hit on her. This made his blood boil. He just wanted in her pants and he was glad that she could see that. Still, this bothered him.

"Well. He sounds like a real escoria, if you ask me." Shaking his head, the fuming male exited the vehicle and stuck his keys into his back pocket. He then led Ariel inside of Mama's.

It was a cajun-esque restaurant with loads of delicious seafood. He knew that Ariel would appreciate it, she always did. They visited here quite often. Besides, Gabriel had just gotten paid and he was perfectly willing to pay the tab.

Once inside, a waitress led them over to a booth. It was sunshine yellow, as was most of the place, and also cracked at the edges. There was a mural on one wall of a tiger stalking through the tall grass. A local jazz band was playing in the back corner. This place had been around since their grandparents were children.

The waitress then appeared and asked what they'd like to drink. She was wearing a yellow and white uniform and her lipstick was slightly smudged. One could tell that she had been working the morning shift and was ready to go home.

"I'd just like a water, thanks." Gabriel said before glancing at the menu. He already knew what he wanted. He got it every time. Shrimp eutouffee with a side salad. Jeez, he loved shrimp.

Don't get him wrong, he loved mexican food better than any other. But that was the only food that his madre cooked. But he was a sucker for some good cajun cuisine.

After Ariel told the waitress, who's name was Virginia, what she wanted to drink, Gabriel waited for her to leave before he spoke.
"I'm thinking we should get a dessert too. Something chocolate. What do you think?" He raised a thick eyebrow; waiting for her answer.

gabriel ivan gonzalez//nineteen

Gabriel chuckled when she said she was paying. He nodded, as if to agree, but he knew the moment she went to the restroom he would pay the tab. She always went after having a few too many glasses of milk.

"How about a lava cake?" Gabriel wondered aloud while scanning the menu. It sounded chocolate enough.

Checking his phone, he noticed the time. Adrian was supposed to call in half an hour and he'd kill him if he didn't pick up. He only got a certain amount of time in a prison to make a phone call.

His twin brother was more like a younger brother to him. He even looked younger, was technically younger since he was born a few hours later. Gaberiel was constantly getting him out of trouble. He'd pick fights at school, always getting suspended. Then he got into drugs, First he did them, then he began dealing them. It all happened after their father was shot on the job. He had been sheriff of their town before a stick up went wrong. Adrian went off the deep end, got involved in gangs. Now he was in prison. Again. He was doing eighteen months and still had one more to go. Hopefully he'd straighten out this time.

Putting his phone away, Gabriel placed a bronze hand on Ariel's. He then smiled tightly, trying not to worry about his twin.

The waitress brought their drinks and he was glad to be able to sip at his water.

Letting go of her hand, he took one last sip of his water before reaching into his back pocket and grabbing a pair of tickets out of his back pocket. He held them up and said, "I got us tickets to the twenty one pilots concert tonight."

He knew that it was a band that they could both agree on and he wasn't about to pass that up. Besides, seeing that adorable smile on her face made it all worth it.

gabriel ivan gonalez//nineteen

Gabriel's face lit up at her excited expression. He knew she'd love it and that's why he did it for her. He was pretty sure the whole small town of Aspendale, California knew that he loved her as more than just a best friend. He always had, if he was being honest with himself. Since they were kids. He knew her better than anyone, including herself, and vice versa.

"Thought you'd like it." Gabriel chuckled and rubbed at the stubble on his chin. He was genuinely happy that he was the reason for her smile.

The waitress came back and took their orders, though she was clearly exhausted from a long, hard day at work. He'd leave her a big tip, for sure.

While they waited, Gabriel listened to the soothing jazz music and became lost in thought. He thought a lot about his brother. He hadn't seen him in person for over a year. He had moved to San Jose which was about an hour away. He had no idea what his life was like now besides being part of a gang, of all things. He missed him, but it seemed Adrian didn't miss him back. He never visited him or their madre.

Suddenly, Gabriel noticed a young woman strutting toward them. She wore an all black outfit which made her more intimidating than she was beautiful. Her hair was down in loose, full curls and her lips were a dark purple. She looked like some sort of Hollywood actress, like someone you would see on the cover of a magazine.

She was glaring at him for reasons unknown, so Gabriel stood to meet her. The woman paused as she stood in front of him before whipping her hand out in front of her and slapping him in the face.

Gabriel bent over and off to the side; holding his cheek. "Ow. Shit."

"I can't believe you would do this to me. After all I have done for you. I try to help you get clean and leave that nasty lifestyle behind. But what do you do? You decide to visit your buddy Al's trap house and throw all of our hard work away! And, to top it all off, you don't even tell me that you got out of prison. I had to find out by tracking down your old address. You weren't at your mother's, so I searched the entire town. I was here to find a bite to eat when I see you sitting here with some pretty blonde bitch. I cannot believe- Eres un gran idiota. Estupido idiota! Un mensiroso! Un drugadicto! un tru-"

Gabriel shook off the slap, unrolling his impossible height. He looked clearly annoyed, mostly because he knew exactly what was going on. He was trying his best not to be angry with her, but she wasn't making it easy.

"You've got the wrong guy." Gabriel said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and popped her hip to the side. "Like Hell I do."

Raul restrained himself from rolling his eyes as he told her, "My name is Raul. Adrian is my twin brother. Also, that "blonde bitch" over there happens to be my best friend, so I'd appreciate it if you apologized." His glare told her she didn't have much of a choice.

The woman uncrossed her arms and let them hang limp at her sides. "Sorry."

The lights were dim in the restaurant, so he looked like shadow; tall and slim, his muscles showing from underneath his tight shirt. The woman seemed to notice.

"He never told me he had a twin. He never told me much about his past life. I do apologize, for slapping and insulting you." Her eyes seemed to well with tears, but she blinked them away.

"So he's out of prison?" Gabriel felt an ache in his heart. Why hadn't he had called to tell him he had gotten out early?

The woman licked her lips and told him, "Yes. I- If you see him, please tell him that Isabella Garcia is looking for him."

Raul nodded solemnly at this. Isabella seemed to want to say more, but instead she turned and began to walk for the door.

gabriel ivan gonzalez//nineteen

Gabriel noticed that Ariel seemed to be a bit on edge, so he decided to let her go to the restroom. She probably just needed a moment to breathe and splash some water on her face.

He tracked down the waitress and told her the order would be to go. He figured they needed to get out of there, especially since everyone was openly staring at their booth now.

While he waited on the food, he pulled at the chipped booth; creating a pile of yellow pieces. He also ate a few biscuits; smothering them in butter. He was worried, mostly concerned because Ariel had been in the restroom for so long. He would text her, call her, or even go in there, but she seemed to need some alone time. Besides, he couldn't exactly walk into the women's restroom without never being allowed back.

Gabriel sighed and placed his elbows on the table and his hands in his hair. He had so much to think about it. Mostly the fact that his brother was out of prison and hadn't even bothered to text or call or even send a letter. He was beyond pissed at Adrian at this point.

When the food arrived, he sat it on the table and continued to wait. When it became too much, he sent a quick text checking up on her.