Weight of Time

After I finished the stack of chocolate chip pancakes Mom had made for me, I walked out the door and into the hot, humid air of Arizona. Garrett and Miranda were waiting for me- sitting on the sidewalk. Miranda had Garrett's guitar in hand and he looked like he was going to have a heart attack with the way she was strumming it.

"You know, I think John can teach you how to play guitar." He suggested, gently pulling the guitar out of her hands.

"I'm not that bad!" she frowned, and I decided to but in, laughing at them both.

"Babe, you should know Garrett doesn't like it when anyone touches his guitar." I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at Garrett, going to sit down next to them.

"At least John is nicer about it." Miranda stuck out her tongue at Garrett and he rolled his eyes.

"Yo, what's the birthday girl doing sitting on the floor?" We heard a shout from down the street.

All of our heads turned at the tall lanky figure coming towards us, followed by the rest of our friends. I smiled when I saw them and got up, wiping off the front of my shorts.

"Do I get a hug or what?" John asked, opening his arms.

I laughed and ran into his arms, John catching me but stumbling back a bit. His laugh rang in my ears and I saw Pat, Jared and Kennedy with him, all smiles.

"I want a hug too!" Pat yelled like a little kid. Letting go of John, I took the childish teenager into my arms, smiling when he cheered.

"Hey birthday girl." Jared told me, putting an arm around my shoulders. "You're officially one year older."

"Well thanks." I muttered sarcastically. He winked and went off to talk to Miranda, leaving me for Kennedy.

"Is that a gray hair I see?" Kennedy said, plucking a strand of my hair.

"Ow!" I slapped his hand away from trying to get more. "I do not have gray hairs!" I panicked, putting my hands on my head and smoothing my hair out- as if that would make all the 'gray hairs' vanish.

Kennedy smirked and held up one gray strand in his fingers. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened as I looked at it. I shook my head furiously. "That's not mine."

"Shit Adri, you're getting gray hairs already!" Garrett joked, slinging his arm around my shoulders.

"I'm not!" I cried, laughing at the same time.

"Our little girl, she's getting so old." Kennedy's arm went around my waist and with his free hand, he ruffled my hair.

Garrett pinched my cheeks and grinned. "We made a beautiful child."

"You guys are worse than my parents." I mumbled, my cheeks red from Garrett's pinching.

Kennedy scoffed. "We're better than your parents."

I rolled my eyes. "Are we going to stay out here in the streets or what?" I asked the whole gang.

"Let's go to O'Callaghan's; his Mom's making breakfast for all of us!" Pat exclaimed, obviously happy about the pancakes.

I nodded, walking the short distance with Garrett and Kennedy singing 'Happy Birthday' in my ears. Even though I had already had my breakfast, I wanted to stick along just for the hell of it. I loved every second of hanging out with my friends.

Over at John's house, his Mom had been in fact making pancakes. We all sat down at the table and I had a cup of orange juice in hand, watching and laughing at all the things my friends did.

"So birthday girl, got any plans for college?" Miranda asked, her question hitting home.

I looked at her with blank eyes and shook my head, pursing my lips. This was the one question I didn't want to answer because I honestly had no idea where I was going; I had no plans, no goals- nothing.

I was just a teenage girl who had nothing figured out.