Richie leaned against the outside wall of Stoner's Pizza Joint, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for his friend. This was their favorite spot when they were teenagers, simply because the name amused them. They never got anything but breadsticks, though, because the pizza was fucking horrible. The last time they had tried it they were puking their guts out for hours.
A small drawstring bag hung from his back. Inside were three things: a beach towel, sunscreen, and a gun. Yes, a gun. Long story, but we'll get there when we get there. He had changed drastically from the last time they had seen each other. His hair, once an overgrown rat's nest of dark brown strands, was bleached blond by the sun and cut so short to his head it was hard to tell if he had any when the lighting was off. No longer was his lanky, thin body, replaced with the lean, hard muscle of a gymnast. Even his posture had changed. It was almost like someone took the face of Richie and put it on a badass's body.
(So, they'll meet up at the pizza place, then go to the beach)
(Okay)
Yesterday, Ellie had recieved a message from her old childhood friend. It'd be nice to meet up, see how the other was doing, she thought. Her small day bag bounced against her leg as she jogged down the street towards Stoner's Pizza Joint. She had her phone in her pocket, and earbuds stuffed in her ears, listening to music. Though, when she saw Rihie, she pulled them out, and packed them away in her day bag. "Richie!" He really had changed so much, it was almost as if someone had simply replaced his body.
He glanced over at the sound of his voice being called and couldn't help but smile. Richie wore a simple white T-shirt, his swim trunks, and a pair of pink flip flops. The weirdest thing, though, was the fact that his nails were painted a dark purple. Last time he checked it was Ellie's favorite color, so he figured why not?
"Heya," he said. As expected, his voice was also deeper. "Long time no see, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess. So how're you doing nowadays?" she asked. Ellie wore a knee-length flowery dress, and her her wavy hair had just gotten a haircut, so now it was to her mid-chest. It waved slightly in the small breeze. She held the strap of her daybag in both hands, fiddling with it a tiny bit.
"Really good, actually. How about you?" he asked, pushing off the wall and walking closer, his hands in the pockets of his trunks.
"I'm doing pretty good as well," she replied. Ellie had played the violin since she was in fourth grade, and still played it. Nowadays, she was following her passion and had auditioned for a symphony and got in; that's where she got her money from. Honestly, she was lucky that she was getting paid to be in the symphony, she really enjoyed it. Ellie adjusted her grip on the strap slightly.
"I saw on your Instagram you got into they symphony," he said, nodding approvingly. "Never could put that damn violin down, huh?"
"Haha, nope," she laughed. Ellie never was too big on social media, but she shared big or exciting events like her birthday or her getting into that symphony on her instagram, (@ellie.violin).
"Well, it's good to see that you're doing well," he said, cutting the conversation off before it got to his job. "You ready to go to the beach, now?"
"Yeah!" she said with a small laugh. "So… married yet? Any pets?" Ellie asked, making small talk.
He let out a huff. "No, and no. My work doesn't really let me take care of pets. Or relationships, for that matter. How about you?"
"No aha, but I'd love to have a pet one day once I finish getting settled into my new house," she swung her arms a tiny bit.
"Whatever happened to that guy you were dating in high school?" he asked, snapping his fingers as he tried to think of the guy's name. "Tyson? Trey? Something like that."
"Tyson, yeah, we broke up aha…" Ellie didn't like to talk about exes that much, it made her feel awkward and she didn't really know why.
