The world was loud in Asper Hollows for the first time that summer. The streets were decked in rainbows, vendors and booths lined the sidewalks selling food, buttons, flags, and more. The most surprising thing was the number of people that showed up. Many of them were strangers to the people of Asper Hollows - people from nearby towns or friends that were invited by the residents.

There were students from the school band warming up their instruments, a handful of athletes that had shown up were being handed banners and signs to hold, there was a booth with the school's art teacher painting kids faces as butterflies and cats, but also painting flags and hearts on peoples cheeks. There was a food truck with a tall and lean Hispanic man that looked nearly identical to Emrys only older working it. Police could be seen at any entrance to the area roped off for the parade to be sure nobody was coming in with the intent of harming others. For the first time in a long time, most of the town was coming together to create something beautiful. Even if some people were a bit apprehensive...

Near the beginning of the parade, Scooter and Bay were struggling to get everything organized and laid out. Scooter had the blues and pinks of the Omni flag painted in a heart on their cheek and a pin with the familiar yellow, white, purple, and black printed onto them. Beside them was Bay, dressed in a jean jacket decorated in millions of pins, buttons, and patches. There was a shimmery gold on his eyelids and a blue, pink, and yellow flag painted on his cheek.

"Holy shit she's beautiful" Scooter blurted out as an elegant young woman climbed out of the car wearing a sash from a pageant. Bay only laughed at them and placed a quick kiss on their forehead as he ruffled their hair before walking over to the woman to go give her a rundown of what was going on. Scooter sighed and looked around the area at the area to make sure everything was in order again.

They spotted Emrys talking off a drag queen's ear a few yards away. His tight curls were perfectly styled and held out of his face by a headband. He had a flag wrapped around his shoulders and a cheeky grin on his lips. There were rainbows painted on his cheeks. He wore a cropped white t-shirt with a rainbow design on it and his usual cuffed jeans, sneakers, and high socks. He seemed genuinely happy... Well, Emrys always seemed happy. Scooter had a feeling they'd be good friends someday.

Over bear the athletes, there was a nice truck with speakers for music. Sitting in the back, wrapped in a rainbow flag together was Arcadia and Bonnie. Hattie and a few of the athletes were drinking water and passing around different signs with various sayings such as love is love and love is a terrible thing to hate. Everything seemed to be going to plan, and there were only a few minutes left before it all began.

"You look hot" Arcadia deadpanned, receiving a harsh shove from Bonnie followed by Arcadia's laughter.

"Shut up and help me" Bonnie groaned. Arcadia gave a light laugh and Bonnie quickly closed her eyes so Arcadia could finish the rainbow patterned eyeshadow Bonnie had decided to wear. Only, she was terrible at any makeup that wasn't natural so she had gotten Arcadia to help.

"Okay, okay" Arcadia sighed as she brought the liquid liner to Bonnie's eyes to trace out the wing. That followed by false eyelashes, and everything was perfect. Arcadia grinned at her work before pulling Bonnie in for a quick, yet sweet and loving kiss. "You look great"

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"Shit... Shit... Shit..." Arran whisper hissed as he tugged on his jeans. He had planned to wake up early as to avoid running into Christian... He had overslept since he obviously hadn't slept well the night before. He half stumbled out of his room feel anxious and a little overwhelmed. He wasn't sure he should go... But what Emrys had said... he had to be there for him. Arran's job was to protect Emrys, it always had been. He wasn't about to let him face the wrath of the town on his own... Even if that meant getting outted himself.

He was graduating in less than a month... He could leave soon. He could leave and be himself in just a matter of weeks. It didn't matter what they saw anymore. It didn't matter what Ryder Samuels thought of him or what Winston said because he'd be gone. He'd be free...

He wasn't just afraid of the wrath of the town... He was afraid of the people that were technically a part of his community. Although, he wasn't sure he had the right to call it his community. Especially after everything he had said and done to them... How was he supposed to face them? He'd understand if they wanted him to leave at that point...

He sighed in relief when he realized Christian wasn't in the front room before pushing open the front door- only to find that he was on the porch. He was sitting in one of the old chairs, his pocket knife in hand as he carefully cut off the bark from a small stick revealing the smooth wood underneath.

"Go back inside, Arran" Christian sighed. "I'm serious... It's a bad idea"

"I'm going, alright?" Arran deadpanned. "If you're so worried about me why don't you just come with me?"

"What? Ew, fuck no... I'm not a fag" Arran rolled his eyes before stepping off of the porch.

"Whatever. I'm going"

"Wait" Christian groaned. Arran froze as Christian stood up and for a moment he thought he was going to get his ass beat. But instead, Christian closed the knife and crossed his arms over his chest. "I really can't convince you?" Arran shook his head. "Fine..." Christian reluctantly shoved the pocket knife into Arran's hands with a hard glare.

"Thanks but-"

"Shut up" Christian scoffed before reluctantly throwing his arms around his little brother, instantly making Arran tense up. Arran was hesitant as he hugged him back, the familiar smell of Christian's cologne mixed with the pinewood from the forests around their house lingering on him. Arran couldn't remember the last time he hugged Christian... It was probably back when Arran was still a baby. "If anyone gives you any shit I want you to slit their fucking throat like a fucking Harley. You got that?"

"Yeah..." Arran hesitantly agreed, feeling his heart twist in a million different emotions. Christian roughly shoved him away, making Arran laugh just a little.

"I'm serious. I don't care if it's that Samuels kid, Margaret from down the street, or some obnoxious little punk. You're a Harley and we don't deal with that shit like some whiney brats by getting the police. You handle it yourself or I'll do it for you" Christian scoffed. Without another word, he headed back inside. Leaving Arran to finally be free.

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Emrys glanced over at the entrance closest to their houses for the millionth time. Was he just not coming? He shouldn't have been surprised... It was almost time for the parade to start and Arran still wasn't there. Emrys sighed and brought his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his arms that were draped over his knees. He was sitting in the back of one of the trucks waiting for a boy that just wasn't showing up.

"What's the matter, hun?" The drag queen, Ivy Rouge, he had accidentally befriended asked. She was from Portland and was the first Hispanic person outside of his family he had interacted with in a while... It was honestly refreshing and nice to find someone who had a similar culture to him.

"Well..." Emrys hesitated a few moments. "My boyfriend, well friend... Well, not friend? Jesus Christ..." Emrys groaned. "I don't know. This guy I've had a thing with for the past four years was supposed to come and he's still not here" Ivy shook her head and let out s long sigh before adjusting one of the buttons on Emrys' shirt.

"He's a boy. You'll find plenty like him... But the important thing is that you have fun whether he shows up or not. Alright?" Emrys nodded and took a deep breath before glancing over at a few of the old cars driving in the parade. He couldn't help thinking about how much Arran would love them. How he would have pointed out every detail about them and told Emrys about the different types of engines and names for everything.

There was a honking and Emrys groaned knowing very well that the parade was starting in a matter of seconds. He sighed and said his goodbyes to Ivy before grabbing his skateboard and hopping off the side of the truck. He headed over to where the other students from his school were walking with signs and banners. Two football players, both standing awkwardly beside one another, the only sign that they were even there for pride was a rainbow pin that said ally on it. Emrys was certain somebody made them come.

He found Hattie, holding a sign with a rainbow peace sign painted onto it and a backpack filled with water bottles to hand out. It seemed most of the volleyball team had water to hand out to the crowd on the hot day while the other athletes were mostly holding signs.

"Hey, Emrys" Hattie grinned. "Why don't you grab a bag, help pass out waters" Emrys nodded and was about to head up to the truck bed when a voice cut into his thoughts.

"Oh hell no. Why the fuck would Sheriff Rick let you in? Get the hell out of here" Arcadia snapped. Emrys glanced back to see the one and only Arran Harley awkwardly standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets and his emerald eyes locked on Arcadia's, refusing to back down or cower under her intimidating stare.

"Hey, he's good" Bay stepped in. "Come on, Arcadia. Leave him be"

"You can't honestly tell me he's here to be supportive. You've lived here your whole life, you should know by now that Harley's are bigots" Arcadia snapped back. Emrys' stomach twisted and he was about to go over there when Bay smoke up again.

"Trust me... He's not here for that" Bay sighed. "He's over there" He mumbled, nodding Arran in Emrys' direction. Arran hesitantly walked around the people giving him surprised looks and accusing glares to where Emrys was waiting with a small smile. The truck beside Emrys roared to life when Arran reached him and he nervously rocked back onto his heels.

"I'm glad you're here" Emrys hummed.

"Yeah..." Arran glanced over at the people whispering around him, his pale cheeks somewhat flushed. "Me too... You look nice" He commented, obviously a little overwhelmed with everything around them. Emrys grinned and pulled his flag tighter around his body.

"Scooter helped me get it... I love it so much... There was also an MLM flag I wanted to get you but I didn't think you'd actually put it up anywhere so I didn't bother" Emrys admitted before glancing around at people's cautious eyes still on Arran. "Um... You might want to just..." He hesitantly took off the rainbow pin from his shirt and pinned it onto Arran's in hopes that people would back off eventually... They had a right to be afraid though.

"Ryder's going to try and kick my ass when he finds out" Arran chuckled. Emrys groaned in annoyance at that.

"Don't remind me... Sheriff Rick didn't even let him in"

"He almost didn't let me in" Arran admitted. He hesitated for a moment before placing a hand on Emrys' waist like he had a million times in the past. His fingers ran along Emrys' bare skin due to his cropped shirt sending butterflies to his stomach. "You really do look nice, Em" Arran promised. A small smile broke out onto Emrys' face as he clearly caught the hint snd threw his arms around Arran's neck, burying his face into the boy's neck and closing his eyes tight.

"I missed you" Emrys blurted out. Arran's arms tightened around his waist and his head buried into his neck.  One of his hands moved up and his fingers ran through Emrys' hair in an almost soothing manner. Emrys let out a deep relaxing breath allowing himself to melt into the familiar embrace, never fully ready to let go.

"I missed you too" Arran promised. Before pulling away. He hesitated before pressed pressing a sweet kiss to the top of Emrys's head, ignoring the whispers around him.

"Three dates" Emrys decided.

"What?" Arran gave him an odd look, despite a small smile on his lips.

"You owe me three dates for being an ass for so long... Then I'll decide if I want to put up with you" Emrys decided with a teasing grin.

"Okay" Arran agreed without a second of hesitation. That was when the truck began to move, and just like that, the parade had begun.

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Scooter sat underneath a tree in the park with a plate of tacos from Emrys' uncle's food truck sitting in their lap. Bay was beside them with an arm over their shoulders and a mango soda in hand. It was weird to think that only a few weeks ago they were on the other side of the country in a place that was nothing like Asper Hollows. That only a few weeks ago they were just another reckless teen looking for a good time. That a few weeks ago they never would have met any of the people around them.

They couldn't imagine never knowing Bay... Bay was everything perfect in the world and was somebody Scooter could never let go of. Bay was creative and loving and bold. He had a beautiful sense of humor and a love for history and the world around him. He had shown Scooter that there could be an adventure without risk or danger. He had shown Scooter the beauty in history and told them stories from the past they had fallen in love with.

They never would have met Arcadia who was one of the toughest people they met. She could be a bit mean or reckless, but that was how you knew she really liked you. She had shown Scooter what it meant to be brave and to never give up a fight. She liked to pretend she didn't, but she had a good heart... She had looked out for Scooter even when they were a complete stranger to her. She was ready to fight Ryder Samuels for them even though she didn't even know what was going on. She was somebody Scooter wanted to he more like... Selfless, brave, bold, and carefree.

Then there was Bonnie. Scooter didn't know much about Bonnie up until recently. They had seen her around school and always thought of her to be kind and open-minded. They had expected her to be a strong ally and a kind soul. They had expected her to be intelligent and good with people, and she was, but she was also a good friend. Scooter was proud to have somebody like that as a friend and knew she wasn't somebody they'd easily forget. They didn't know her well, but they knew she was going far in life.

Emrys Lopez was somebody they wouldn't ever forget. From Scooter's first day in art class, he had been nothing but kind to them. He could talk for hours, seemed to make the class go by faster, and always had a smile on his face. The type of person who loved the world and everything in it. The type of person that collected people wherever he went and made it impossible not to love him. Scooter wished they had his confidence and his ability to make the world laugh in a bad situation. His ability to break light-heartedness to the world and to bring people together. Scooter had known that they liked him from the day they met, and now they were proud to call him a friend.

Last, there was Arran Harley. Scooter had been warned about the Harley's from day one. That they were cruel and aggressive people you wanted to avoid at all costs. That they wished Scooter nothing but harm. They never would have imagined that they'd be enjoying a meal beside Arran as if he was a friend. Arran, although they barely knew him, had shown Scooter that there was a lot more to the eye than meets the surface. That people were complex and not always as they seemed. That people could grow and become better on their own and there wasn't an excuse not to at least try to become something better.

A few months ago, if somebody had told Scooter that they'd be sitting in a park in Oregon with five people they'd never met, they'd think they were crazy. Yet here they were, sitting in the summer grass with five extraordinary people that would one day join the many people in Asper Hollows that came before them. Across from them, Arcadia and Bonnie were happily sharing their food and sparing a few kisses in between, still wrapped together in their rainbow flag. Arran and Emrys were sitting together, eating their food with little to no distance between them and a small rainbow was painted along Arran's cheekbone.

This image of togetherness from six completely different people was enough to warm Scooter's heart. A wealthy artist without a care in the world, a reckless skater with an inner flame nobody could extinguish, a bright and carefree class-clown with the world's most contagious smile, a cold and introverted boy with a love for cars and his best friend changing his family's legacy, and a teen from the opposite country all sitting together for a meal.

Asper Hollows had seen its fair share of queer history from the first settlers that built the mansion, to the people that stood on the streets earlier that day holding up signs and rainbows. From Dr. Alexander and his lost love to Miss Evangeline and Emily. From the elegant parties and absurd affairs that took place in Burrows mansion came the teens that stood there today, creating the first pride in Asper Hollows. The teens that would join Asper Hollows history books and the great people that came before them.

Asper Hollows wasn't perfect... But it was getting better one day at a time. This Pride was just the beginning.

Question of the chapter: So... What'd you think?