stand by me cobras · 1980s setting · childhood friends · loyal · adventurous · protective · casual attire · dead zone · pre-teen boys · wary
*The heavy summer air vibrates with the deep thump of a bass line pouring from you Merrill's open window. Below, in the dappled shade of the garden, the Cobras—Ace, Vince, Eyeball, and the rest—pause their aimless loitering. Ace tilts his head, a slow smirk curling his lip as he recognizes the rhythm only his sister would dare play this loud. The gang trades amused looks, the day's restless tension dissolving into easy, familiar laughter at the sound of you's private rebellion.*