Prepare for Trouble...

"So I'm thinking about a lip ring, but Mabel might rip it out. I'm not ruling it out completely, but it's definitely something I should consider," Ryder told his cousin. "Another problem is knowing somewhere that'll pierce a fifteen-year-old without their guardian's permission. Do you think Aunt Isobel looks enough like me to pass as my mum? I think your stepmum would take me, but that's less convincing."

Ever since Hiran turned him down because he looked too childish, he was hard pressed to age up. When Ryder expressed the concern to his mother, she'd told him that his biological father had been short at his age and he should be worried about hitting the books instead of on girls. And he was bitter. He swore to call her Mabel until he was at least sixteen and he was plotting ways to get back at her. The lip ring was the biggest idea and he was almost positive that he'd go through with it. But he needed validation from his cousin first. She was his partner in crime, after all.

"What's the first thing you're gonna do when you get home, Wynter? Are you climbing up into Uncle Ryan's lap for the night?" he teased, pulling lightly on one of her blonde curls.

Wynter was only half listening to her cousin as she scribbled into her journal. She had asked for some school work to do over the summer and was making a schedule of when to complete it. "Aunt Mabel would kill you, you know that right? I just hope they dress you well when you're buried," she said as she looked up at her cousin. He was an idiot sometimes. They were only cousins by marriage but they had grown up together and loved each other as if they were blood related. "Like she would actually do that, Ryder." Isobel was cool but not that cool. Wynter rolled her eyes at the mention of her stepmother, she still didn't care for her even as the years passed.

Ever since Raj had confessed that he had been the one behind those letters, they had stopped talking. And Wynter tried not to look at him and she tried not to think of him. She had to remind herself that not everyone deserved an apology and that she didn't have to talk to him if she didn't want to. He was graduating which meant that she no longer had to see his face around school anymore. That was a good and a bad thing. She missed him, she didn't want to though.

"Oh shut up, Ryder," Wynter rolled her eyes as she shoved her cousin's shoulder. "That's not even funny." What was she going to do? She had no plans. "Maybe Aunt Isobel will take me shopping," she mumbled, more to herself than to Ryder.

"Being cremated is my last chance to be hot, so hopefully they don't dress me at all," he commented. Maybe it was oversharing, but he didn't care too much. His cousin could get over it. "We don't know unless we ask, which we will. And it's not like she'll squeal to Mabel. I don't think they even like each other. The Greens and the Millers are iffy. Except us. We're good," he said motioning his fingers between the two of them. Ryder sometimes felt he was more a Miller than he was a Green, but he liked being a Green more. Mabel's sisters, minus Tamara, were mean and their kids were much younger than he was. At least he had Wynter on his stepfather's side.

Ryder rubbed his shoulder and smirked. "It was funny and you know it," he defended. "And Aunt Isobel can't take you anywhere. She's in Barcelona for the month with her boyfriend. Which is why we should go into the city together. That Sashay guy you like is performing. He's only a couple years older than you. He could be your boyfriend," he joked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. Teasing Wynter was too easy.

Wynter rolled her eyes at her cousin, he was so dramatic. She raised an eyebrow at his words. "We? Do not drag me into this. I do not want to feel the wrath of Mabel." Her aunt terrified her honestly, she didn't have the guts to confront her about anything. "You may have a death wish, but I certainly do not." And if word got back to her father that she had a hand in helping Ryder with his little piercing situation, she'd be dead for sure.

Wynter gave her cousin another shove and rolled her eyes. Her cheeks grew warm at the mention of one of her favorite musicians. "Oh shut up, Ryder." There was no way he would ever look in her direction and there was no way he'd ever be her boyfriend. "I'm not looking to date." She didn't want to deal with another boy or love in general after Rajan. She was still in love with him, to much of her dislike. "I heard he's seeing someone anyways," she shrugged.

Ryder frowned. "Mabel can't hurt you. I'll just say you weren't involved. I don't want to do it alone." Ryder hated to admit it, but he didn't really have any friends except for Wynter. He had his roommate, and he wasn't quite sure that they were even friends. They were nice to each other and helped each other with studying, but he didn't like to go adventuring with Ryder.

Ryder shifted in his seat. He only knew the basics of what happened between his cousin and Rajan and he wasn't quite sure of what to do for her. He didn't want to push too far, but he also didn't want Wynter to be miserable. Moping Wynter was not very fun to be around, so it must not have been that fun to be.

He tugged at one of his own curls. "That's fine, I guess. But we should still go to the city. We haven't had the teenage adventure of a lifetime just yet and it's about time," he spoke.

"Mabel will know," Wynter retorted. It was like her Aunt had eyes in the back of her head or something. She had eyes everywhere it seemed. "She'll know, she knows everything." It made Wynter uncomfortable that Ryder was referring to his mother by her first name. She wasn't used to him doing that. "I bet she knows about the conversation we're having right now and as soon as you get home, you'll be grounded." She was only partially joking. "Besides, we do everything together, remember? She'll know. And don't you think you should think it over?" Maybe she could convince him not to do something stupid for once.

"And what do you propose we do in the city?" The idea was interesting enough. But she doubted her father would let her do anything without some sort of supervision, even though she was almost sixteen. He was very strict with rules and Wynter was always checking in with her father. Most teenagers would rebel against their parents because of strict rules like her father's, but Wynter didn't mind too much. She had conversations with her father instead of resenting him like other teens would. She made it clear when he crosses a line or was being too harsh. "I wanna go shopping." She knew her cousin wouldn't be interested in that, but she loved shopping.