14: Preparations

“Tao, I want you home. I’m leaving work early so we can figure out a battle plan.” Mr. Huang rattled in Tao’s ear as the teenager cradled cell phone between shoulder and ear, carrying a large box of t-shirts to the moving truck Minseok had rented. They’d created a sort of assembly line, passing items from one person to the next on their quest to take what they could from the surf shop before the storm hit.

“But Dad,” retorted Tao, lifting a box to a sweating Minseok who placed it somewhere within the bowels of the truck, “I promised Luhan and the others that I’d help out.”

“What about our house?” asked his father.

“What about it? You have neighbors. Ask someone to help you.” Tao realized that he probably sounded insensitive, but there was a huge difference between the humble surf shop and his dad’s sturdy house.

"Tao,” the elder’s tone was dark and challenging.

“Dad,” Tao mimicked, determined to stand his ground.

A sigh was heard through the receiver, followed by a brief period of silence. “Is it really that important to you?” Mr. Huang asked dejectedly.

“Yes.” Tao took a few steps back to make way for Luhan and Jongdae. They were carrying an empty metal rack, sweating and grunting as they lifted it up to Minseok whose eyes widened at the object’s surprising weight.

“How long is it going to take? The storm’s due to arrive by lunchtime tomorrow.”

“I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted. If it comes down to it, I can always stay with a friend.”

“I don’t like the idea of you staying with someone I don’t know. Besides, your mother would kill me if she found out.”

Tao narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”

“Good God! Of course not! Are you kidding me? The storm would be the least of our worries if she found out about it! It’s a good thing she’s still in Europe!”

Tao cracked a smile. At least he and his dad had an agreement on that. “Can you trust me for once? I don’t ever ask you for anything and this is important to me!” Tao kicked the sand with the tip of his sandal, avoiding eye contact with his friends, hoping they were too busy hauling stuff around to hear his embarrassing confession. His father sighed once more into the speaker, making a loud blowing sound that had Tao wincing and holding the phone away from his ear.

"Okay," Mr. Huang relented, “I’ll trust your judgment. But you better keep me posted, or so help me God, I’ll drag your back home, Tao. Storm or no storm.”

“Fair enough.”

“And be careful.”

“You too.” Tao debated over his next words, hesitating a few seconds before relenting to his self-conscience. “And um… Dad?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

The father and son didn’t utter another word, opting for a comfortable and abrupt end to their conversation instead of dwelling on trivial things. Tao stuffed his phone back into the pocket of his shorts. From across the way, Kris was eyeing him with concern, probably because he already knew the nature of Tao’s conversation with his father. It was disturbing how much the surfer knew without ever having to be around to obtain it.

“Huang Zitao, get your sassy tail moving!” shouted Luhan, smirking despite the fatigue that clung to his face.

“Yeah, city kid!” Jongdae hopped out of the back of the truck, looking exceptionally chipper despite the circumstances. “The faster we get outta here, the faster we can get to the store for supplies!”

Luhan reached out and smacked Jongdae across the back of the head with a loud pop! “Supplies my ! You just want an excuse to buy a ton of beer!”

“Honestly, Jongdae, your priorities are a little messed up,” added Lay while walking past his friends to hand another box to Minseok.

“What about you?” inquired Jongdae, arms folded to chest, tone defensive, “Shouldn’t you be taking care of your house instead of being here?”

Everyone halted what they were doing to look at Lay. There as a joint understanding that Lay and Tao were sacrificing time at home to help prepare the shop instead. Uneasiness quickly settled over the group.

“It’s not a big deal,” replied Lay, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, “You guys are my friends, so of course I’d rather be here. Besides… it’s a rental house. If worst comes to worst, I can always crash with one of you guys.”

Tao felt inclined to speak up as well. “And my dad’s taking care of things at home. Bottom line is we’ve all got things to worry about but we’re all here. Might as well make the best of it, right?”

Tao’s logic was spot-on. The hurricane wouldn’t affect just places close to shore, it was moving inland, therefore the entire island was in danger.

“Tao’s right you guys,” provided Minseok, using the abrupt halt in everyone’s work as a chance to take a break. He sat on the edge of the truck bed, leaned back onto open palms, and dangled his legs over the edge. “Actually, I was thinking you guys could stay at my place. My dad invested a lot of money into building a house that could withstand a storm like this. Plus there’s enough room for everyone. Of course, you don’t have to come. I just thought I’d offer.”

Everyone exchanged glances as they reached a joint decision. There weren’t many places on the island that could be considered safe during a hurricane, but Minseok’s place was probably one of them.

With words of gratitude and a determination to empty the surf shop, the friends continued loading the truck til night had fallen over the island, bringing with it cloudy skies and unsettled winds. They worked into the early hours of the morning, switching up tasks later to board up the shop and weatherproof it as best as possible.

The arrival of dawn saw them at the outdoor picnic table they’d sat at many a time. Though they harassed each other and carried on like usual, there was the underlying realization that the place that’d helped bring them together would undergo a beating later that day. All anyone could do was hope and pray there was still a surf shop to come back to once the storm had passed.

Luhan seemed to understand this better than anyone else. He was sitting on top of the picnic table, feet planted to bench and elbows to knees while observing the unsettled surf. He’d grown increasingly quiet as the night had progressed. Not even a jab or two from Sehun was able to snap the blonde from his pensive state. So when Luhan finally hopped off of the table and turned to his friends, they all stopped what they were doing to listen.

“Alright you slackers!” he chastised with a halfhearted smirk and a slight waver in his voice, “I’m not paying you to lie around like fried jellyfish on the beach! Move, move! Go, go, go!” he clapped. Normally this would've been followed by a lot of grumbling, but Luhan was paying them to help, and it struck a sensitive chord with everyone.

Jongdae attempted a smart remark to help lighten the somber mood. “Just because you’re the boss…” he paused, swallowing down the lump in his throat, “D-Doesn’t mean you can order us around. And I’ll have you know…” He tried forcing a smile but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “That I look a helluva lot better than a fugly jellyfish!”

Luhan grinned dolefully at his friend’s effort and played along. “I swear to God, Jongdae, something bad will miraculously happen to your beer if you don’t MOVE - YOUR - .”

Legitimate fear plagued the other's face at the thought of his beer being drank, or worse, destroyed by Luhan.

Everyone cascaded into laughter at Jongdae's mortified expression. The sudden hike in their spirits was precisely what they needed to get through the remainder of the night. They raced back to the truck, laughing when Jongdae lost his balance and face-planted into the sand, followed by Tao who tripped over him and Kris who became the cherry on top of their mountaintop of tangled limbs. Normally Tao would’ve screamed a thousand curses, but quelled the urge when he caught the worried look in Kris’ eye. Maybe a smile or two in a situation like this wasn’t so bad after all, especially when it drew a sparkling smile from Kris that seemed to light up the night.


-

Luhan, Kris, Sehun, and Lay met Minseok at his house while Tao got roped into purchasing groceries with Jongdae. "You should probably go with him," Kris had suggested. "Make sure he actually buys the things we need," Luhan had instructed. "Don't let him go completely rampant with my credit card," Minseok had pressed, "Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility."

And so it was with extreme regret that Tao found himself in the toy aisle while Jongdae threw a bunch of unnecessary into the shopping cart--nerf guns, water guns, a pink tutu, a remote control car, a game of Twister, several animal masks, and a glittery crown complete with a bejeweled staff.

“Um… why?” asked Tao, flabbergasted at the things Jongdae was picking out.

“This is important stuff,” stated the other matter-of-factly while placing an inflatable punching bag at the bottom of the shopping cart, “We’re gonna be stuck inside for a while so we need stuff to do.”

Surprisingly Tao agreed but questioned his friend’s entertainment selection thus far. “Look, I promised Minseok we’d only buy the important stuff--”

“Oh !” Jongdae smacked a hand to his forehead, “You’re right! We still have to buy the alcohol!”

“That’s not what I meant!” Tao stomped a foot to the floor as his irritation surged.

“Right, right, right~” Jongdae waved a flippant hand, “We’ll get the other stuff too. I promise!”

Exiting the toy aisle, Jongdae took a left. They were quickly reminded of how dire the situation was. The grocery store was packed with people dashing to-and-fro, items in hand as they emptied the shelves to the endless cacophony of beeps echoing from the cash registers. Tao worried whether they’d be able to get all of the things they needed before everything sold out.

Jongdae must’ve been thinking the same thing because he picked up the pace, shoving several packs of beer into the shopping cart without coming to a complete stop. They dashed around another corner before Jongdae spoke again. “Alright. I’ll leave the rest to you. We’ll go down each aisle and you just throw what you think we need into the cart. Don’t think too much about it. Minseok has more than enough money to pay for all of this. Trust me.”

Tao had no clue as to what they needed. In the city he didn’t have to worry about such things, therefore, his solution was to throw a little bit of everything into the cart. Jongdae didn’t pay attention, opting to lean his forearms against the shopping cart and push it at a leisurely pace while texting on his phone. By the time they’d made their way around the entire store, the cart was heaped full of toys, food, and toiletries with a little bit of extra thrown in here and there. Their arrival at one of the mile-long checkout lines had them groaning.

“Well this is gonna take a while,” Jongdae stated the obvious, face grim.

Tao worried his lower lip and craned his neck for a glimpse out of the store window. It was raining sheets outside, the wind had picked up, and the signs in the parking lot were wiggling a bit. Suddenly Tao's phone buzzed in his pocket. He wasn’t surprised to discover that it was his dad checking up on him again.

“Oh goody,” he deadpanned before answering the call with a sigh.


-

Unlike everyone else, Kris had never been to Minseok’s house before. It resided in a gated neighborhood with beautiful, green, perfectly manicured yards and a guest house that had a state-of-the-art gym complete with an indoor-outdoor swimming pool. Kris shuddered at the thought of how much it must cost to live there. To top it all off, Minseok’s home was the largest one in the entire neighborhood, situated at the end of a large cul de sac, looking every bit the grand advertisement on the cover of an ocean reality magazine.

“You weren’t kidding when you said there was enough room for everyone,” stated Kris while shutting the door to his Jeep. Although he’d put the top-cover on before driving through the rain, some of it had leaked in anyway.

He’d followed Minseok into the gigantic garage located at the back of the property, which housed a dozen or more expensive and rare cars that probably belonged to Minseok’s father. Now that Kris thought about it, he’d never seen Minseok drive a vehicle before and couldn’t see why. If Kris had access to such a glorious selection, he’d be tearing up the road, working his way to the top of the local police’s list.

“It gets old after a while,” replied Minseok, smile tilting up at one corner, “Especially when you live by yourself most of the time.”

Although their financial situations were completely different, Kris could identify with his friend since he too lived on his own. However, his house was cozy and simple. It must’ve been hell living in a mansion with only open rooms and echoing walls to keep you company.

“Thanks for letting us crash here.” Luhan had pulled his Station Wagon in beside of Kris’ Jeep and now approached his friends with Sehun in tow. “And thanks for helping with everything. It means a lot to me.”

“Ahhh~” Minseok laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck, “It was nothing. Besides, I’d be really bored if I had to sit through the storm by myself.”

Lay chose that moment to drive his purple Prius into the open garage with headlights on and windshield wipers cranked to their maximum as he parked and turned off the vehicle. Just as he got out and shut the door, his phone rang.

“Bet that’s your mommy,” teased Sehun with a wry grin, “Isn’t it?”

Lay appeared indifferent to the younger’s jab. “Yes,” he sighed, “I have eighteen missed calls and all of them are from her.”

“ dude. You better answer it,” suggested Luhan. He knew how strict his friend’s mother could be.

“Yeah,” added Kris, “Before she decides to ship you overseas just so you’ll be away from the delinquents as she oh-so-nicely likes to call us.”

Lay sighed again before answering the call, only to yank it away from his ear when his mother began yelling so loudly that everyone in the garage could hear her. Lay’s mother may have been strict but he’d never once let his friends down. Anytime they needed a helping hand or someone to talk to, Lay had always been there, and good people like that were hard to come by.

Minseok watched the rain blow ominously past the garage’s open hatch, raindrops slapping the roof overhead. “What time is it?”

“About 9:30,” replied Luhan.

“I hope Jongdae and Tao make it back soon. The weather’s getting worse by the minute.”

Kris frowned as he followed Minseok’s worried gaze. “I hope so too...”


-


They'd all gathered in the main living area to watch the news while they waited for Jongdae and Tao to return from the store. The weather conditions had deteriorated exponentially, which had Kris pacing back and forth in front of the window overlooking the driveway. After a while, Luhan made him sit down and took up watch at the window instead, claiming that Kris was making him nervous with all of his pacing. Another look at the local news revealed the hurricane was due to arrive within the next couple of hours.

“Hey guys…” Luhan suddenly called as he pulled back a curtain, “They’re here. And they come bearing gifts.”

Kris launched up from the sofa and flung open the front door while everyone squished in around him for a glimpse.

Tao swayed like a branch in the rain and wind as he struggled to carry an obscene amount of groceries bags. Meanwhile, Jongdae walked ahead of Tao with the demeanor that of a great king--head head high and grin cordial. He was clad in a sparkling crown and pink tutu with bejeweled staff in hand as he marched toward his friends with raven-haired peasant in tow.

“My good people!” he motioned grandly, “Do not fear! For I, King Jongdae the Magnificent, have come bearing gifts beyond your wildest imaginings!”

“What the is he doing?” droned Sehun, button nose twitching as the corner of his lips lifted microscopically.

Luhan and Kris turned slowly toward each other. The instant their gazes locked, they erupted into obnoxious laughter, clutching at their stomachs and clinging to each other so they wouldn't fall into a ruined heap on the front porch.

Minseok shook his head disbelievingly. “I’m not sure if I should find this humorous or…?”

“Guys!” complained Lay, “Tao needs help!” He pushed past the others and walked by Jongdae, head bowed in an effort to hide his grin, before taking several bags from Tao and grunting at their surprising weight. “Woah! These are heavy! What did you guys buy?”

“I have no freaking idea.” Tao glared past Lay, wet bangs sticking to his forehead as he eyed the two idiots chortling on the porch. “And there’s still more in of the car.”


-


After bringing all of the groceries inside, everyone pitched in to pull out the groceries--all except for Jongdae, Luhan, and Kris. The mischievous three were far too busy cracking jokes at Jongdae’s outfit to bother helping. Suddenly, a sound not frequently heard echoed throughout the kitchen, and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare open-mouthed at the source.

Sehun was laughing, eyes squinted gleefully as he brought the back of a hand to his mouth to conceal his smile. “I ING KNEW IT,” he declared while holding up a blue box of tampons for everyone to see, “TAO IS PLUGGIN’. NO WONDER HE’S A PISSY LIL HALF OF THE TIME.”

Tao's face burned with embarrassment. “I… it isn’t… I just grabbed stuff randomly. I didn’t mean--”

Kris bit his tongue. He really did try his best to keep his mouth shut, but the opportunity was too great to pass up. “Guess this means he’s been surfing the crimson tide. Right, Taozi?”

They all lost it after that, dissolving into a near state of hysterics while wheezing around their laughter. If at all possible, Tao turned even redder and immediately fished through the remaining grocery bags for something he could retaliate with. As luck would have it, the third thing his hands landed on was a carton of eggs. He flipped open the top, pulled out two eggs, and threw them like a pitcher from a major league baseball team.

The first egg hit Kris square in the forehead while the other splattered across Sehun’s favorite black t-shirt and ran all the way down to his pants. Laughter came to a halt as Sehun cursed and Kris wiped egg off of his face with a disgusted expression. Then as quickly as it stopped, the laughter started back up again, though Kris and Sehun didn’t seem to find it all that funny.

Tao wasted no time in putting an end to everyone's mirth as well, landing an egg in Luhan’s bright blonde hair, one to the left of Minseok’s crotch, and another on Lay’s right cheek as he tried to run away. Just as Tao threw two eggs at Jongdae, a tennis racket appeared and Jongdae swung, splattering both himself and everything within a ten foot radius with glops of raw egg and shell.


-


The next hour was spent cleaning the kitchen and washing up. Thankfully, there was only a little arguing over the four showers while Minseok and Lay worked on fixing a meal that could feed seven people. All the while, the wind picked up more and more. By the time they sat around the dining room table to eat, they could hear it howling against the windows outside.

“Let’s play beer pong!” declared Jongdae , “I’m bored!” Everyone had sprawled out across the living room to keep up with the latest storm developments on T.V.

“Jongdae, it’s not even lunch time yet,” replied a tired Luhan.

Rolling onto his side, Jongdae picked at the lush carpet innocently. “Your point?”

“Tch!” Sehun stretched his legs across Luhan’s lap and ignored the elder’s annoyed look.

Tao curled into the corner of a neighboring sofa in an effort to maintain some distance from Kris. He didn’t trust himself around the surfer anymore, not after what had happened the last time they went surfing together. Of course, Kris noticed and was determined to press Tao’s buttons as much as he could, flopping across the sofa and settling his head into the younger’s lap with a contented smile.

Tao scowled. “What are you doing? Get off!” He bounced his legs up and down, creating an earthquake beneath the surfer’s head.

“Nope. I kinda like it here.” Kris crossed his arms and closed his eyes resolutely. Tao reached out and yanked a tuft of Kris’ hair. “OW!”

“Serves you right you idiot. You should know I don’t like being touched.”

“Oh really,” Kris arched a brow, “I didn’t see you resisting that kis--”

Tao slapped a hand over the surfer’s mouth, earning a muffled yell from the other. Someone cleared their throat and Tao looked up to see several pairs of eyes staring at him. “What?” he barked.

“Oh nothing~” Luhan shrugged. “Maybe you guys should find someplace else to flirt.”

Tao nearly choked. “WH-WHAT! WE’RE NOT FLIRTING! WE’RE--”

A crash sounded and the power went out, leaving only the dim glow of the swirling skies to light up the house.

A moment of silence masked by wind passed before Minseok spoke. “Time to move towards the center of the house you guys.”

Tao was suddenly grateful for Kris’ close proximity as he latched onto the his shirt.

“Come on, Taozi.” Kris removed Tao’s hand from his shirt and intertwined their fingers instead. “Let’s go.”

“Wh-Where are we going?” Tao flustered when Kris began leading him down the hallway before the others.

“I snagged us a room.”

Tao dug his heels into the carpet. "WHAT."