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You decided to skip a hang out with the skids one time - one time - and Craig finds a way to get his ass landed in jail. The reason made you fucking proud, plastering the school halls with news articles framing Mr Abraham for sexual assault, trashing his office and then setting it on fire. You still remember that night, Scotty and Billy throwing rocks at your window, and when you finally opened it, you saw how visibly shaken they were. Something they rarely are.
~~~~
Tap. Tap. TAP- ‘If that's a fucking bird, i swear to god-’ you huffed, shoving the blanket off you and stepping out of your bed, opening the curtains, flooding the room with moonlight. No bird, so you unlocked and opened up the window, then smack- a rock hit you straight on the forehead. Recoiling and cupping your forehead, angrily sticking your head out the window and looking around. Your eyes locked on the two easily distinguishable figures, one with bright red liberty spikes, the other with half blonde half black short cropped hair. Scotty and Billy - two of your best skids. Minius Craig. Where was Craig? Your boyfriend was probably the most likely to come banging on your window at ungodly hours of the night, so it was odd he wasn't here.
You climbed out of the window, onto the roof overhang and inched close to the edge. The cold night air nipped at your bare legs, since you were only wearing an old t-shirt of Craig’s and some sleep shorts. ‘The fuck are you guys doing here?’ you whisper shouted, leaning enough over the edge as they walked closer. They were tense, and wearing odd clothes for them. Which is saying something for punks. Just plain black shit, nothing like their normal attire. ‘Y/N- you gotta come down here’ Scotty whispered. His tone made your stomach drop. You didn't hesitate, gripping the edge of the roof, you let yourself swing down into a hang before falling the short meter to the grass.
‘Craig- where's Craig?’ you said, your eyebrows knitted as you stood back up as fast as you could, brushing your knees off from dirt. ‘It's a long story- you gotta come quick if you wanna catch him before the coppers do’ Scotty said, his hands planted firmly in his pockets. You cut him off right at the end, ‘the cops?! What did you guys do?’ you said, your eyes wide, a million thoughts running through your head a minute. Why was Craig in trouble with the police? How did this happen? Could you have stopped it if you had gone with them? Billy could see what you were doing; over thinking. It's what you tend to do when you are processing. ‘We gotta go, cmon.’ he said, tugging at your arm as he nodded in the direction of the school.
You ran besides the others barefoot, suddenly quite jealous of their sneakers. About a 3 minute run - frantic, but still a run - you arrived at the school to see a portion of it in flames, and the perimeter surrounded by about 4 cop cars and a large firetruck. Your heart just about sank to your feet. ‘Shit.’ The big double entrance doors swung open, two police officers manhandling a figure out into the street. It was too dark to make out faces but you’d recognise the detainee anywhere, if you were blind, mute and deaf. Craig. Your Craig. If it was possible, your heart sank further. ‘What did you do?!’ you said, furious as you whipped around to face the others, your face contorted into panic, fear and anger. Scotty answered, his hands finally leaving his pockets, splaying out in an attempt to calm you, ‘Hey man, it wasn't just us! It was his idea as well- he just.. Wouldn't leave. Like he was hypnotised by the fire.’
‘That's not a fucking explanation, Marshall. Why is my boyfriend in handcuffs and why is half the school on fire?!’ you shouted, your arms already starting to tremble from the cold, wrapping them around yourself. The boys remained silent, staring at something past you. You turned around, spotting Craig up against the police car as the cops went to talk to the firefighters. You glanced back at them, seemingly all thinking the same thing. The 3 of you all inched your way closer, eventually ending up right by him. You called out for him, running up beside him as he turned around. ‘Baby- are you okay? You're not burnt anywhere are you?’ you said, embracing him tightly before moving hurriedly to check over him. He shook his head, his hands still cuffed behind his back. I'm fine, Y/N. Don't worry, I didn't get burnt’ he said, almost amused by your caring nature.
You stood up again, raking your hair back, watching as the cops came over again. ‘wait - wait-’ you started, the dread and panic starting to kick in, knowing he’d be going to jail. He was your lifeline. Your world. He couldn't go to jail, right? You hugged him again tight, breathing in the smell of cigarettes, cologne and his laundry detergent, which was uniquely him. ‘We’re gonna be fine, it's okay. I love you.’ he said, resting his chin on the top of your head, ‘i love you too’ you replied, gripping onto him tighter before being yanked roughly back by a cop, sending you stumbling backwards. Billy caught you from tumbling over from behind, scooping you half up under the armpits and setting you back on your feet.
You watched mortified as Craig was shoved into the back of the car, then shortly after, driven away. You stood there, gripping onto Billy’s arm with a death grip as the car disappeared out of view. The way home was a blur, until you were tucked back in bed, staring at the wall while Scotty was comfortingly stroking your hair, sitting on top of the covers, knees to his chest. You were all worried - very worried. Billy was pacing around the room, from the door to the window, door to the window, door to the window- for the rest of the night.
That's pretty much how the night went, eventually you fell asleep, having pulled the old shirt of Craigs up to your face so you could still smell him, pretending you were in his warm arms. Scotty fell asleep slumped against the wall and Billy paced. When you woke, your parents' car wasn't in the driveway anymore, so you could relax. Mostly. Then the guys explained everything to you. Principal Abrahams lies, the cover ups, the plan and what happened. It made you feel sick, every single part of it.
~~~~~
That's how you got in this moment, waiting anxiously by the large oak tree you both love hanging out under. This year's winter was particularly long and harsh, and today snow fell gently onto the empty street, covering it in a very thin white blanket. You were wearing some warm fleece tracksuit pants, a pair of uggs, a pair of Craig’s woollen gloves and a very warm hoodie. The jail allowed supervised visits and 2 phone calls per day, so you both had agreed that as soon as he was let out, you’d meet here. Arriving 10 minutes early (just in case), you waited on the bench beside the tree. Bouncing your foot, you thought this waiting could last for ever, not knowing what moment he’d show. When a car came into view, it almost hit the curb before parking and someone ran out, slamming the door carelessly behind him. It was Craig. You jumped up, running to meet him halfway in a big hug, your bodies colliding as he held you tightly.
‘Craig!’
‘Y/N!’
You squeezed each other close, pulling back only to give him a kiss, slipping your hands into his hair and feeling the silky strands through your fingers, something so mundane that you’d missed a great deal during his absence. Scotty managed to convince his dad to pull a few strings (fucking barely, no one knew how he did it) and got Craig a much weaker sentence, only 4 months in Juvie, and a years worth of community service. He kissed you back, pressing his lips against yours and wrapping his arms around your waist. You broke apart shortly after for breath, panting gently and causing little puffs of dragon breath in front of the both of you. ‘I missed you’ he said, dipping his head to bury his face in the crook of your neck, pulling you impossibly closer. ‘I missed you too,’ you replied. Stroking his hair back gently, his hands still planted firmly on your waist. He lifted his head slightly, leaning in to kiss you again gingerly, moving to cup your face. You smiled against his lips, putting your hands over his and kissing him back.