For my 17th Birthday I got Money, Clothes and Control of an Element. . . seriously!

“Haha, I win.”

“Nuh uh, I win.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.”

“DO NOT.”

“DO TOO.”

The two children stared each other down then cracked up laughing. This always happened between Tabby and Aero. No matter what the matter was, they’d always sort it out with laughing. They were in the 7th grade. Tabby sighed and lay on the grass looking up to the sky.

“What do you think about Michael Richards?” Aero sat up and tilted his head to the side.

“He’s okay I guess, why?” Tabby shrugged.

“Well I told you he’s been flirting with me right?” Aero nodded cautiously. “This sounds really stupid but he said that he loved me in social studies.” Tabby stopped looking up to the sky and turned to Aero who’s muscles had tensed. She then sat up.

“What did you say back?” Tabby shrugged.

“Oh you know, I told him I loved him back and now we’re going to run off to vegas and get married.” Aero looked shocked and got up turning away. Tabby stood up with him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I was just joking.”

“So you don’t love Michael?” She smiled and shook her head.

“No silly. I don’t love anyone. I mean I love you, but in a brotherly sence.” Aero smiled weakly and looked away. Tabby didn’t realise how when she said she loved him the corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile, but when she finished off the sentence it changed to his normal passive face. Nonetheless, they spent another 2 hours just hanging around and talking before Tabby left to go and catch up with Darryl and Hayley. They went back to Hayley’s for a sleepover.

“Girls, finally you’re here. I’m ordering pizza, what do you guys want?” Hayley’s mother Ellie asked. The girls called her aunt Ellie, with the exception of Hayley, because she was just like a real aunt to them.

“Hey mom, can I get double cheese and pineapple?” Hayley asked giving her mother a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m feeling adventurous so anchovies, ham slices and tomato chunks.” Hayley scrunched up her face in disgust.

“You know you’re going to have to finish that right?” Darryl just rolled her eyes and sat at the table with Hayley. Aunt Ellie just smiled and turned to Tabitha who thought for a second.

“I think I’ll just have pepperoni and olives.” She decided. Aunt Ellie nodded then ordered the take out and the girls just went to Hayley’s room and watched TV. When the pizza’s got there they all went downstairs and decided to talk.

“Eurgh, no wonder you can’t get a boyfriend. You’re food smells horrid.” Hayley said taking small nibbles from her crusts. Darryl stuck her tongue out at her and carried on eating. “Seriously what made you get that?”

“I told you, I was feeling adventurous after karate.” She explained. Tabitha laughed silently and just watched. When her two best friends bickered like this it was fun to watch because it was never serious and it was mostly just who could out do the other the best.

“To be honest I don’t know why you even do that stupid sport.”

“Well why do you watch me?” Darryl countered. Hayley thought for a minute.

“Some really nice guys are in your karate class.” She answered with a huge grin on her face. Darryl slapped her forehead. “What? There are…” They stopped talking for a while until Hayley thought about something. “Hey Tabby, where were you today? You left quickly after school.” Tabitha shrugged.

“I was with Aero, we went to the field after school.” She answered. Hayley and Darryl exchanged a glance then looked down at the floor. Tabitha raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing.” They answered in unison. Tabitha put her pizza crust down and folded her arms.

“Seriously you guys. We don’t keep secrets remember.”

“Dude, it’s nothing. Just a little joke.” Darryl said trying to dismiss the matter.

“Come on, if it’s nothing then you can tell me.” Darryl and Hayley exchanged a second glance then Hayley nodded and smiled.

“We were just thinking, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Aero after school.” Hayley said slyly. Tabitha rolled her eyes used to her friends joking about her and Aero being more than friends. As always she just chose to ignore them. “Oh come on, you don’t honestly that yours and Aero’s friendship is just purely friendship do you?”

“I don’t think it I know it. Aero and I are just friends. Nothing less, nothing more.” Tabitha replied leaning back slightly against the chair.

“So you’re saying you’re just friends. Merely just good friends. With know feelings at all toward one-another?” Darryl asked.

“Yes, I’m am absolutely 100% sure that Aero only see’s me as a friend.” She answered sounding exasperated.

“Aha, you’re sure he see’s you as a friend. But what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you like him?”

“No!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“So you don’t ever wonder if you’ll marry him and end up having three kids living in a five bedroom house with a pool and a dog eating doritos all day long?” Darryl and Tabby stared at Hayley silently questioning her sanity.

“No normal person asks that. A normal question would be have you ever wondered about kissing him or come close to kissing him or something like that.” At the point Tabby looked down biting her lip. Hayley and Darryl’s jaws dropped when they noticed.

“Oh my gosh! Tabitha Natasha Andrews, is there something you’re not telling us?” Hayley asked enthusiastically. Tabitha didn’t answer so they squealed simultaneously.

“Guys shush, I don’t want anyone outside of this room to know what happened so keep it down!” Tabby hissed. Hayley and Darryl put their fingers on their lips to show that they wouldn’t tell. She took a deep breath in and closed her eyes. “Alright. It was at Hannah’s birthday party last month. You know when her sister spiked the punch?” They nodded. “Well I’d had a bit too much before I’d found out. I was feeling a bit tipsy after that and Aero decided to drop me home. Basically we were half way there when I tripped bringing him down with me and I somehow managed to land on him.”

“Awh, how romantic.” Tabby sent Hayley a look that made her place her fingers over her lips so that she could carry on.

“I complimented his eyes and he just laughed. Then I asked him to kiss me. He was all like, no way and that I’d regret it in the morning but I just crashed my lips onto his.” She groaned and shook her head. “It was totally the alcohol and the next day I told him that it was just a mistake and we were just friends and that it meant nothing.” Darryl raised an eyebrow.

“You do know that what you do when your drunk is apparently what you wish you could do when you’re sober.” Tabitha scoffed and got a pillow from the sofa then thumped Darryl with it. “Okay, okay. Fine you don’t like him.” She said quickly so that she wouldn’t get hit again.

“Thank you. Now can we not speak of this again. Like ever again.” She pleaded. They agreed and moved onto another topic. When she thought Hayley and Tabitha were finally asleep though Darryl rolled over to face her and smiled.

“I know you like him though?” She whispered rolling back around and sleeping. Just at that moment Tabby opened her eyes and sighed.

“Maybe.”