Chapter Text
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GeUN7Kl5ILIRCYhFOmw0IhuMf47RgoBI/view?usp=drivesdk
art of heather rhodes above <33
Heather visited on a Saturday.
She planned it very carefully. Checked the bus schedule twice, packed snacks out of habit, then laughed at herself and packed them anyway. The new job was good. Better than good, actually. Her hours were predictable. The building was quieter. No one yelled if she asked for clarification. She still came home tired, but it was the right kind of tired.
Still, the city felt unfamiliar in a way that hadn’t smoothed over yet.
Elwood City, on the other hand, felt exactly the same.
The skatepark lights buzzed the same way they always had. The concrete still bore old scuffs and faded chalk marks. Heather arrived just before sunset, skateboard under her arm, heart thudding in that excited-nervous rhythm she knew well.
They saw her immediately.
“She’s back!” Rattles yelled, already sprinting toward her.
Heather barely had time to brace before she was surrounded. Boards clattering, voices overlapping, arms thrown around her shoulders. She laughed, breathless, hugging back as best she could.
“You guys already look taller!”
“We do not,” Slink said. “You just shrank!”
Binky grinned. “Liar. We’re huge now.”
Molly smiled at her, warm and steady. “Your life going good?”
Heather nodded. “Yeah. It is.”
They skated. Not like before. Rhythm, different speeds, but together. Heather rolled a little, sat a little, watched a lot. The new boards were worn in now, scratched and loved. That made her absurdly happy.
She handed out snacks. Capri Suns again. Some things just didn’t need updating.
When the night cooled and everyone settled onto the benches, Heather reached into her bag and pulled out the notebook they’d given her. The cover was still crowded with stickers. some peeling at the edges, some overlapping messily.
“I never read it out loud,” she said.
“You don’t have to,” Molly said.
“I want to!” Heather replied softly.
She opened to the folded note tucked inside. She took a breath and read.
Heather,
Thanks for the rides and the food and not treating us like we’re just stupid youngsters.
Thanks for always being there, we always knew when we’d be out on the street, we were safe, we were listened to, all that sappy stuff.
You’re part of the crew.
Even if you move.
Don’t forget us.
— M, B, R, & S
Heather blinked hard and laughed at the same time.
“I won’t,” she said, voice a little rough. “I promise.”
They didn’t hug her right away this time. They just sat there together, wheels clicking softly as someone nudged their board back and forth.
Eventually, Molly leaned over and bumped Heather’s shoulder with hers.
“You’re still part of the tough customers.” she said.
Heather smiled, full and quiet and certain.
“Yeah,” she said. “I know.”
The lights hummed overhead. The night settled in around them. And for a little while longer, everything was exactly right.
Heather knew life for her, and her little buddies, would be alright.
The End <3