INSURGENT

kit cruz; 25. "shit happens alright? shit fucking happens... christ!"

[penn-choi]

"Kids these days walking around bragging about their Pokemon card collections is just... I'm happy for them but I'm just saying," Penn sighed dramatically, sliding a tip across the counter to the bartender before he continued. Anyone would have thought him a hard done by old man, the way he was shaking his head solemnly. "I think Ram Sweeney bullseyeing me in the back of the head with a slushie and throwing me in the dumpster really moulded me as a man, you know?"

[kitcruz]

"What, you're mad being a fuckin' nerd is in now?" Kit finished his drink in one big swig then signaled to the bartender for another. Penn wasn't someone he'd consider a friend but they were friendly, and keeping the sheriff's kid in his back pocket probably wasn't such a bad idea. "Yeah, sounds like it, the way you're hung up on high school shit," he teased. "Goes both ways you know. I'm who I am 'cause I tossed a couple kids in dumpsters too."

[themarielaalves]

"Or maybe, and just follow me on this..." Mariela began. "you won't disappoint me?" She said with a shrug. "Maybe I'll have such a great time, because of you? It could happen." She found herself laughing at Kit's attempt at a pile. "That was certainly something. That's what that's called. You know, I can direct you to a class or two if you're interested." Mariela told Kit, covering her face as she laughed. "Okay is better than not." She let him know, as he was still attempting to do something with his life. That was more than could be said for others. "Yeah, I do." She nodded, before looking over at the bar. "Now if I remember correctly, I owe you a shot, correct?"

[kitcruz]

"Okay." He chuckled then, after thinking on it a second and giving in, looked back at her with just the hint of a devilish grin. "You wanna have a good time?" Even with how long they'd known each other, Kit had no clue what a successful night out looked like for Mariela, and if their ideas of that aligned in the slightest. (Or really, if she cared about legal technicalities or not.) "Hey I can work with something. No classes for me though, I'm self-taught." He held back a laugh, drink raised to his lips, then nodded, "Yeah you do. C'mon, I'm tired of standin' in the same place anyway." His palm found her back for just a second to nudge them forward, towards the bar.

[themarielaalves]

"Yeah, you." Mariela pointed at him, as he very well knew the reputation that he held in Rosewood. In fact, she knew of Kit's antics long before she got to meet the man behind them. "You know what? No. I'm going to keep my hopes exactly where they are." She told him. "I assume you did something for a living, believe it or not." Mariela laughed. "No? And here I was hoping to try to make you a part of my dance company, actually. What a shame." She nodded, as he spoke. "And how's that been going for you? I assume you'll always be in demand, do you know the amount of bikes this town has?" She asked him, knowing it was the preferred mode of transportation for Ace and his band of men.

[kitcruz]

"Oh no, don't do that," he said with an exaggerated sigh, teasing, "You're just gonna be disappointed now, and then I'm the bad guy. Yeah? I mean I could give that a shot too, like a-," Kit bent his knees in his own personal interpretation of a plie, something he'd only seen on tv. "What's that called?" He shrugged, "It's okay." He did occasionally fix bikes, that was true, but more often that not he scrapped them and sold the parts. It wasn't the kind of 'work' he could get away with in town though so he usually took his business elsewhere, away from greaser territory. "It'll do for now, you know."

[themarielaalves]

"No, not particularly. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, sure. I mean, I dance for a living, I'm not exactly in the peace corp so I'm not having the worst time but work is still work." Mariela explained as she knew she couldn't exactly drone on about her career when so many people would kill to be in her position. "Hence why I've found myself, phone on do not distrub, downing tequila shots with you. If anyone is fun in this town, it's you." She pointed at him, as his whole reputation screamed a great time. "I'm definitely putting fun in the forefront now."

[kitcruz]

"Me?," he laughed, finger pointed towards himself. Obviously he knew a good time, he couldn't argue that, it just surprised him to hear it from Mariela was all. Kit shook his head, amused by their general turn of events. "Don't get your hopes up." He didn't go at it like he used to but he'd attribute that more to circumstance than any actual growth on his part. "I work too, believe it or not. Not the fancy shit like you got goin' on, more like odd jobs here and there. Fixing bikes."

[themarielaalves]

"You're going to laugh," Mariela let him know, before taking a small sip from the Sangria she'd been nursing to chase down their previous shot. "But it has been a whole lot of tights and tutus." She shrugged, with a laugh. "I threw myself into work, completely and it didn't do me wrong. I'm dancing for the best company in this state, I'm actually going on tour in the fall and I might even be dancing at Lincoln Center come December for the holiday shows." She couldn't be angry at the decision she'd made as her work life was thriving. "Unfortunately being amazing at my job didn't leave me with much time to do anything else." Mariela explained. "I know, I went full adult."

[kitcruz]

"Try me." If she was hitting him with a warning straight out the gate though they both knew he'd have something to say. Kit nodded as she spoke of how she'd thrown herself into work, biting his tongue by way of nursing his drink. "Is that like fun though? It's all super impressive I'm sure, but." He shrugged. What did he know? His whole life he'd prioritized a good time, over everything else, and look where they'd got him. "You gotta have fun too."

[themarielaalves]

"I have a feeling I would have known by now." Mariela let him know with a soft sigh, hating that she still felt the way she did whenever she even thought about her ex-boyfriend. Their end had been definite, something she'd long accepted but yet she couldn't help how she felt about him. How she'd found that person, yet it wasn't enough to keep him. She shook her head, in an attempt to get those thoughts out of her mind. Her life was great, her career was thriving and here she was getting free shots from Kit.... what did she have to complain about? "Okay, from here on out, we have one goal. And that's to leave here drunk, you hear that?"

[kitcruz]

"Right." Just like the rest of their friends, him and Phoenix drifted apart with time but Kit didn't take it to heart- they saw each other when they saw each other. He was partially, or mostly, to blame for that too, his own disappearing act considered. Picking his drink back up, he raised both brows at Mariela and chuckled, "Ay ay captain." He raised his glass to her and took a long sip, like she needed to tell him twice. "Besides the ballet shit, what else you been up to? It can't all be tights and tutus."

[themarielaalves]

"And here I thought you were the basketball player around these parts. What's going on?" Mariela teased him as she easily grabbed the shot from him. "We need to bring those reflexes back to where they were." She laughed as he ignored her question, loving the growth on display from the man in front of her. Sure, he was still a menace but a much more enjoyable menace. If even Kit could grow up, there was a path for just about everyone in town. "Cheers." She clicked her glass against his, before downing it. "You know, me getting you in the divorce was not something I expected in the least." She joked, finding it all pretty comical in hindsight.

[kitcruz]

"Who's saying that," he joked back, as if he hadn't claimed it himself, multiple times probably. "Couple drinks ago, maybe." As good a player as he was, Kit didn't have the drive it took to take basketball any farther than college- and it might've been a miracle they even let him on that team. It was never supposed to be some big out for him anyway though, just something to do with his friends, keep him out of trouble. He knocked back his shot as Mariela did the same, then pulled a face not at the tequila traveling down his throat but her insinuation that she got him in the break up. "Hold up, how do you know this isn't a joint custody situation."

[themarielaalves]

"Uhm, excuse you." She let him know with a tilt of her head. "Oh, you tune me out, huh?" Mariela crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow in faux outrage. "Yeah, actually." Mariela nodded, doubling down in her shock for comedic effect. "And don't get any of that bottom shelf shit." She yelled out as he made his way towards the bar, wondering how this was her life. How did she lose Phoenix from her life but got left with his best friend? Life sure had a cruel sense of humor. He eventually came back, two tequila shots in hand. "You see, you were going to get a thank you." She said, before reaching over and grabbing said shot. "But now you'll get a you're welcome for not getting on your ass right now. You think I don't have any manners or something?" She asked him, the look of seriousness of her face threatening to crack any moment made evident by the smile making its way on her features.

[kitcruz]

"Yeah," he emphasized, in the same tone she'd used on him, "I do." He'd demonstrate just how easily he could brush her off too, if it weren't for the grin he was fighting back at her exaggerated contempt. Already on his way to the bar, he raised his middle finger back at her as she yelled after him. Whatever happened between her and Phoenix he still didn't get, just like he didn't get whatever went down between Phe and Nixon. It just was what it was now, no use deciphering it. "Aht-" Mariela grabbed the shot off him before he could pull it back again, and he had the same stern but threatening to crack look on his face as her. Kit gave in first, without answering what had to be rhetorical or a set-up, and raised his glass with a smile, "Cheers."

[themarielaalves]

"And how is that different from any other time?" She asked Kit, laughter spilling from her. "Oh, that was actually really clever. I'm going to have to give you some points for that one, Kit." Mariela nodded, clearly impressed. "Only if you're getting the first round." She let him know, pointing him over in the direction of the bar.

[kitcruz]

"'Cause I usually tune it out." He was proud of his little joke before it'd left his lips, so getting a laugh out of Mariela only made his grin grow that much wider. "Oh actually?," he scoffed back in laughter, as though giving him a genuine compliment would kill her. Looking towards the bar, he got the impression she didn't intend to follow him there. "Yeah yeah, be right back," he said and disappeared into the crowd, returning a few minutes later with two shots of tequila. He started to hand off to Mariela then retracted his hand, being an ass just for the sake of it. "Ahm, 'thank you'?"

[themarielaalves]

"Nope." Mariela looked down at her cellphone, placing it back in her purse. "See, when I say I'm out of the office until next Monday, I'd like to think that it's understood that I don't want to think of a Rond de Jambe or a glissade. None of it." She said with a small laugh, before taking a small sip from her sangria.

[kitcruz]

"I don't know what you just said," Kit told her, figuring she already knew as much, and took a swig of his drink. "What about a Rond de shots?" He grinned as he looked back at Mariela, "Think you can pencil me in for that?"

[p-finch]

He laughed at her words, a good laugh that almost made him spit up his coffee but he managed to get himself together. "I know, it's a real shame. I think my head just expanded way past it's limits," he told her and made a motion as if his head was exploding. "Alright, pool party. I think I'll stay for an hour to get good footage of my sister doing something embarrassing and then head out," he told her as he reached in his pocket for his wallet. "If you want a ride, I'd be happy to pick you up but you know, I want to make space for all of your other cool friends," he joked, taking the check before the waitress could set it down. "My treat today, I'm in the holiday mood. Well that and I just sold one of my biggest pieces. Biggass table, fit for a family of like I don't know..thirteen. Some rich guy on the Northside bought it and paid for it to get delivered to his place."

[kitcruz]

"Hour minimum. You can stay longer if you want, always remember that." Even if she wasn't shutting down parties like she used to she still liked to linger towards the end, never the last to leave but definitely not among the first. All the good stuff happened later anyway. "Right, my cool friends all have other plans tonight." Naomi picked up her phone and texted him her address, which was to say, yes, she wanted a ride, and looked up with a smirk as his phone dinged. "Sweet thanks. Do you have a pic of this big ass table? I want to see."

[p-finch]

"Rise and Fall of a Midwest princess, huh? Not hard to believe at all. Let me guess, you were just so smart you were making other people feel self conscious so they had to kick you out. I mean I was a college drop out so you know, I guess we really were meant to be friends." He held up his coffee cup as if toasting to that. "Different inflatables though different sized snoopys is pretty genius. Ah so you get it fully. Designers and their aesthetics. It's why I look so handsome in all of my school pictures. Well that and my beautiful face of course."

[kitcruz]

"Uh-huh, she wrote that about me. Oh yeah that's definitely it, and it didn't help that I'm so pretty either. They were all like hey one or the other." She raised her own mug back at him, chuckling as she took a sip. "Right you told me that I think, about your dad." Naomi pursed her lips skeptically, as if she disagreed. "Hm, too bad you didn't grow into it."

[p-finch]

"Oh yeah? So hit me with it. Quick and easy. Since we're in the lore sharing mode," he told her, motioning with his hand as if giving her the floor. "Not worth it if you don't have a Snoopy with a Santa hat. They were different sizes, biggest was pressed against the ceiling, we were definitely pushing the limits. It was fun while it lasted though. My Dad is very big on aesthetically pleasing Christmas trees. Honestly, I can't even complain, they have all been super nice," he admitted. As much as he could be annoyed by Percy, he generally had a good relationship with his dad and had come to appreciate a lot about his childhood, even it was a little out of the ordinary.

[kitcruz]

"Well now you've put me on the spot," she said with an exaggerated sigh, leaning back in her booth while she thought of where to start. "It's all the usual. Not enough discipline, probably genetic. Always thought I knew more than I did. I did well in school though, I don't know if that's hard to believe. But then I got kicked out of college, guess why, got into modeling, and-" Naomi made a nosediving motion with her hand then shrugged, smiling as she looked back up at Shawn. "Different sized Snoopys, or just different inflatables? That's nice. My sister, Zara, is, well a control freak among other things, and a designer so her tree is basically always perfect."

[p-finch]

"We need a whole other breakfast to talk about what happened with me. But yeah, it is. Mm, that makes sense, Gemini's have always been good companions for me. I'm a Leo. Yeah, to say the least." He tried not to seem too interested when she mentioned her ex but it triggered his own thoughts. He was surprised to find that Cher came to mind first but there was no denying McKinley's strong presence in the back of his mind. "I feel like lights while it's still winter totally makes sense. When my ex and I lived together her brother and my sister convinced me, quite easily, to have all of these inflatables in our apartment. It absolutely blew the circuits." He shook his head as he thought about it.

[kitcruz]

"Really, I think I could sum up the what went wrong with me of it all pretty quick. But of course I'm perfect now, so," she joked. She was far from it, obviously, but she didn't get much from harping on her faults either. "Sounds fun. How big were the inflatables, did you have a Snoopy? You have to have a Snoopy. I don't do a ton of decorating, not much more than the tree anyway."

[p-finch]

"Okay, okay, same Dad, different mom, got it. Well sisters are pretty cool so it's good you have them. I'm probably bias though. I mean hey, my Dad is all about keeping love alive so who knows. He is a dick. I think my Dad was going through a real midlife crisis with that one. He thinks we don't know he's hung up on someone he doesn't talk about often but he's a Libra, they're way more transparent than they think. I do, yeah. Steph, Stephanie if she's being a dick. She's technically older by a minute and twenty five seconds. And then I have an older sister, June. Forgot to mention her mom because she and my Dad never got married, they're just super good friends." Shawn sat back and patted his stomach. "I fear this might be my last batch of pancakes, thanks," he told the waiter with a laugh before reaching with his coffee to wash it all down. "My sisters love the holidays. Like love em, especially Steph. Honestly wouldn't be surprised if she makes us put the tree up during Thanksgiving."

[kitcruz]

"Eh maybe your sisters are, mine are annoying. So he's an optimist then, what happened with you?," she teased. "Is that a Libra thing, yearning? I wouldn't know, I'm a Gemini. Whatever that means." She nodded as he broke down the who's who of his family, feeling like she had a good sense of it for the most part. "So dad... gets around." Not that the same couldn't be said for her own father but she couldn't resist stating the obvious either, smirk painted across her face. Naomi reached for her coffee as he did, holding her mug in both hands while she sipped. "I'm a tree after Halloween person, but not literally right after. Once it's November though, who cares you know, put it up whenever. My-" She paused, realizing she never talked about Cliff, and how strange it was to refer them in past tense, even years later. "My ex and I used to leave our lights up 'til February which was stupid, but neither of us were very tall, getting up there was so hard.."

[p-finch]

"No but I tend to like the parties a lot more when you're there. Sorry I'm co-dependent," he joked. Maybe Naomi had become a bit of his emotional support person but he genuinely enjoyed her company. Especially as someone who had pretty much spent most of his time with the same four or five people and most of them he was related to. "Oh? Personal lore? Wow, I am blessed today. I won't even give you shit for calling me Shawny." He dug into his second plate as she explained her family dynamics. "Wow. So your mom must have some really killer energy, huh? Okay, sister, sister's half sister, how many more siblings after that, again? Mmm, let's see," he thought about it for a moment and took a few more bites. "Well my Dad's been married and divorced three times, currently on the hunt for number four even though he denies it. First wife is my mom, she's the best. Second wife sucks and somehow wants us to care about her new kids even though she's not with my Dad. Then there's his most recent ex husband who I'm pretty sure is talking his way back into the holidays just so he can put it on his Instagram. And like loves to offer me shots and then apologize profusely for forgetting. And that's just my Dad. I didn't even start on my twin's web." He shrugged as he thought about it but really Steph was a much more emotionally regulated version of their father.

[kitcruz]

"We'll work on that," she joked back. Spending time with someone outside her usual circle was nice, even if the thought of making a friend in AA always made her laugh. "It was endearing- and you should be flattered." Naomi shook her head, "Not my mom, my sister's mom. But yes, and I have just have the one half-sister but she's really just like my sister-sister. And then she also has two sisters but we're not as close." It sounded more convoluted than it was or maybe that was just the way she saw it. "I mean fourth, maybe even fifth time's the charm. Sorry about the ex-husband, he sounds like a dick. You have a twin?" Their waiter came back with a fresh pot off coffee and thanked them, then looked to Shawn expectantly when asked if they wanted anything else.

[p-finch]

"Oh hell yeah. You gonna go? I bet it's gonna have great food. Yeah? You know I guess they'd have to, unless they heat the place and not the pool. But I guess it's not world class if they keep the water cold." He hadn't thought about it that much but he knew that in those situations alcohol was what had kept him warm most of the time. "Well if you go, maybe I'll go. I already know my sister is gonna be there." He finished off his last pieces of pancake before stacking his plates and looking for the waiter again. "Hey, how do you do during the holidays? My family tries to be chill but there's kind of no hiding how much they love to get drunk and be merry, yanno?"

[kitcruz]

"Probably. I just don't want to be cold." She shrugged, not even sure if she'd get in the pool one way or the other. "You know you can go even if I don't. We're not tied at the hip." Her tone was teasing, and it wasn't like she wouldn't welcome the company, but she hoped he'd try to have fun without her once in a while. "Fine. They watch me like a hawk, I make a couple relapse jokes, rinse, repeat. Actually- I'll let you in on some lore Shawny, we've known each other long enough." It wasn't like she brought her family up much in meetings. "My sister's, half-sister's, got a stick up her ass but she's good about looking out for me. My dad knocked up her mom when they were in high school, he fucked off and skipped town, yadda yadda, came back and she was dating his best friend, her now husband. And that's all chill now but weird dynamics, right. Oh and my dad's other friend's an addict too, so that's like a whole nother layer I guess." She paused to bite off a piece of bacon. "How 'bout you, how weird's your family?"