Piper June.

Ezra observed the scene before him carefully, smiling a little. This was his favorite time of year. Winter meant snow days. Snow days meant parties, and who loved a good party more than he did? They were at Johnson's Pond, maybe a half hour or so out of the city. It was one of his favorite places, and a small part of him was kind of glad that Piper was there with him.

“So…Olivia, huh?” he asked, looking at Piper. She was tucking some of her hair into her hat, biting her lip.

“She's... different.” She paused, sipping her hot chocolate. “If she said something weird, I'm sorry. She's just pregnant and her hormones are all over the place.”

“Oh.” Ezra shrugged. "She didn't say much of anything, really. But congratulations." He smiled.

“Thanks,” she said awkwardly.

Piper didn't know what to do or what to say. It wasn't like she hadn't ever been alone with Ezra, but things were different now. Was it really a date? Maybe Maggie just liked to read into things a little too much. She frowned.

“Do you know what it’s going to be yet?”

“Not yet. She's only like two or three months along, I think.” She sighed. Piper still couldn’t get over the fact that her dad actually had sex with Olivia (and that Olivia actually found him appealing) and now they were having a baby. “She’s old enough to be my sister, you know,” she murmured quietly, playing with the edge of her coat.

Kathleen's twentieth birthday was only a few weeks away. Piper knew that if Kathleen was still around, she would have thrown a fit. She was just like that, outspoken and she demanded to be heard. She wouldn’t ever have let her father marry someone so young, much less get a divorce from their mother. Piper shook her head. There was no use in thinking about what could have been.

“She can’t be that young.”

“She's only, like, ten years older than me.” She looked at him and he cringed, laughing.

“Ooh, sorry. Okay, ten years older than you. At least she’s not still in high school?” Piper looked at him plaintively, hands in her coat pockets. “I'm sorry. That was a cheap shot, sorry. But it’s still a baby, be happy! I thought girls liked babies. They're cute and cuddly and all of that.”

“Not really,” she laughed. "Maybe I'm just weird. I'm not big on babies." She sipped some more chocolate, looking around. "Hey, look. It's Jude and Quinn!" she laughed. Ezra spotted them skating together and holding hands, cueing an eye roll.

What was Quinn thinking?

“Aren't they cute together?” she laughed as she tied her laces tightly.

“If you say so.” They stepped onto the ice tentatively, Piper holding on to Ezra because she was afraid of falling flat on her face.

“Do you do this a lot?” Piper asked as she let go, finding her balance. She held her arms out, hoping she didn't look too stupid.

“Do what?” he asked, skating next to her effortlessly. There weren't too many people skating, but that was because most people came out at night when they turned on the lights and put on some music.

“Come out here to skate and stuff.” Ezra watched her as she moved. She wasn’t the most poised of people but she carried herself gracefully. Even if she did look like she was about to slip and fall any minute. He put a hand on her back, steadying her. She looked at him curiously.

“Depends on what everyone else is doing." He shrugged. "So, are you doing anything interesting this weekend?”

“Not really. I think I'm going to Jude's house tonight. And you?”

“I'm going to a party with Quinn later,” he answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“Hm.” Piper was about to say something else, but Jude and Quinn skated up to them before she could, grinning cheerily.

“Hey!” Jude exclaimed. Piper laughed and Ezra could only frown. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Jude. It was just that she always thought he had ulterior motives. Which, he sometimes did, but he didn’t want her to assume he always did.

“Hey,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“When did you guys get here?” Quinn asked, a long arm wrapped around Jude’s waist. She leaned into him and smiled, laughing.

“We’ve been here for like the last fifteen minutes,” Ezra answered, annoyed. "Where were you guys?"

"Busy."

"Yeah?"

“Yeah. I’m going to get a drink. You girls want anything?” Quinn asked, eyeing Piper and Ezra playfully, prompting a glare from Ezra.

Piper didn’t notice any of the tension because she was busy talking to Jude. Jude wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on between Piper and Ezra, and she felt that day would be a good time for it.

“I want some cocoa,” Jude said sweetly.

“Me too,” Ezra replied.

“Well, I kind of need a refill, so I'll go with you,” Piper offered. She knew that Ezra and Jude didn’t really get along—even if Jude did try to be supportive in her own weird way—and she thought that maybe if they just spent some time together, they wouldn’t think so badly of each other anymore. Piper and Quinn skated off in the direction of the food stand, leaving Jude and Ezra behind.

The two teenagers skated to a bench in a heavy, tense silence, sitting down.

“So…how are things going?”

“Fine,” Jude answered curtly. “What’s going on?”

“What?” He looked over at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

“You know what I'm talking about.”

“Not really.” He pulled out his flask of whiskey, offering her some. She narrowed his eyes at her. "Seriously, I don't know."

“Piper. Don't be stupid.” He laughed, taking a sip as he shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said as he sipped from it, looking at her. Jude scoffed, looking skeptical. "We're just friends."

“Pfft, yeah, okay,” Jude said scathingly. "I'm not stupid. What's your angle?"

“I never said you were.” He frowned, pouting slightly. “Why would I have an angle? That’s ridiculous. We're friends.”

“Are you? Are you really?”

What did Ezra want with Piper? They were too different. Ezra was loud and possibly insane. Piper was quiet and subdued and shy. He was up to something. She could feel it in her bones.

“Yes, really. We're just friends, Jude. What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing. I just know you and I know you're a little shit. I also know that Piper really likes you and that you're a jerk who's up to something sneaky. I'm not stupid. I'm on to you.”

Jude's words made him kind of excited. He could have guessed, but he wasn’t sure. She was so guarded all the time, but he was wearing her down—hopefully. He was making progress. But he was worried too. Did Jude really know? Quinn was a blabbermouth. He didn't want to say anything because what if she didn't know and he tipped her off? He had to tread lightly.

“Good for you. You're wasting your time, though. Nothing's going on.” He took another sip from his flask. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

“Maybe next time,” Jude said sarcastically. "What are you doing? Seriously."

“Nothing.” He glanced at her. “And for the record, whatever I do or don’t want to do and whoever I do it with is none of your business.” He stuck the flask back in his pocket, exchanging it for a pack of cigarettes.

“It is when you're doing it with my best friend.”

“Doing what?”

She groaned, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but you're not good enough for her, okay? I'm sorry. She's really delicate. She has no idea what she's doing. She's never even had a boyfriend. Just leave her alone."

"Why?" He capped his flask and stuck it back inside his coat. "Look, I hate to break it to you, but she's not a child. She can make her own choices and live her life without you holding her hand and trying to protect her. Why don't you just leave us alone?" He shook his head, standing up when he saw Quinn and Piper coming towards them. "And just so you know, you don't know me, even if you think you do, so cut it out."

“This is yours,” Piper said with a bright smile, handing Ezra a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

“Thanks,” he said as they skated away, ignoring the fact that Jude was upset with him. Jude had no reason to be upset with him. “Where’s yours?”

“I didn’t get one. I got some candy instead,” she laughed, pulling a pack of gummy worms from her pocket. “Do you want some?” He shook his head, sipping from his drink.

“Did Quinn mix this?” he asked, frowning as he stuck his tongue out. She nodded and watched as he poured it out on the ice. “I think he put something in it.” He chucked the empty cup in a nearby waste bin, sighing. He didn't put it past him. Ezra wasn't sure when the last time was that Quinn had drank something without spiking it with some kind of alcohol first.

“What’s wrong?” Piper asked. "Are you okay?"

“Yeah. Don't worry about it. I’m just kind of tired,” he murmured, rubbing his eyes. “I woke up kind of early today, that’s all.” He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

“I can’t open it,” she laughed, holding it out to him. He pulled off one of his gloves.

“The trick is,” he began, opening it without much effort, “to take off your mittens, silly.” They moved along the pond for a few moments, talking and laughing. She didn't have to pretend to be happy around Ezra. She just was. She wasn't sure how she felt about that yet.

"How'd you get so good at this?" Piper asked as she struggled to stand upright, biting her lip. "I don't get it."

“It’s really not that hard. All you have to do is—”

He didn't really get to finish. The ice beneath Piper crackled and cracked before it finally buckled and gave way underneath her. Piper fell through, feeling nothing but mind numbing cold.



The teenagers stood outside of Ezra's car, trying to figure out what to do. When she fell, Ezra was the one to pull her out. Thankfully, she had only been in the water for a few seconds, so she hadn't gotten too hurt.

Piper sat underneath the bundle of blankets Quinn had brought out of the trunk of his car, sinking into Ezra's seats with a heavy sigh. The windows were fogging up because the heat was on so high. Of course, on the one day she wanted to impress the boy she really liked, this happened.

Figures.

“We should go to the hospital,” Ezra said, looking back at Piper, waving at her halfheartedly. Piper lifted her hand before sneezing into the blankets.

“No!” Jude exclaimed. Quinn and Ezra both looked at her with surprise, frowning.

“What do you mean, no?” Ezra exclaimed, looking at her. "Did you not see what just happened?"

“Yeah! Obviously. Piper… Piper isn't exactly big on doctors. Or hospitals,” she explained hesitantly. Ezra looked at her skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t like them, okay? She’s going! Look at her!”

“Trust me, alright? I just… Piper’s better off not going,” Jude said, looking over his shoulder at Piper.

“She’s going to get sick, genius, so unless you have a better idea…?” he trailed off. He drummed his slender fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Jude’s suggestion. "Yeah, I didn't think so. We're going."

“Um…” She just couldn’t let Piper go to the hospital. Doctors and nurses would examine her and they’d see things that Piper didn’t want them to see. “We could, um… u h - ”

“Exactly. We’re going to the hospital.”

“Wait!” Quinn exclaimed. “Why don’t we just take her to your place?” he asked, turning and looking at Jude.

“Oh…well, uh… Maggie and my aunt are out for the day and I was, uh…well, we have the house to ourselves…” She blushed and Quinn turned to his dark haired friend, grinning.

“Sorry, but you’re on your own, bro,” Quinn apologized, patting Ezra’s shoulder. Ezra flicked his cigarette with disdain, watching Quinn and Jude leave. He had the feeling that Piper June would only get in trouble with her parents if she went home like that, so his only option was going to his house, since everyone was so adamant about not going to the hospital. He climbed into his car and smiled halfheartedly at Piper.

“Here goes nothing,” he mumbled, putting the car in gear and starting to drive. He looked at her in the rear view mirror. “Are you sure you don’t want to go the hospital?” She nodded shakily. The drive to Ezra's was quiet, even with Piper's clattering teeth and the heater. They parked in Ezra's driveway fifteen minutes later. He sighed in relief when he saw that Rose’s car was gone, meaning that she wasn’t home, meaning that the rest of his family probably wasn’t home either.

“Home sweet home,” he announced, looking back at her. She managed a small smile, moving towards the door.

Piper stubbornly insisted that she could very well walk all by herself and didn't need any of his help, thank you. And she could, she was just a shaking bundle of nerves until she got inside. The neighbors who managed to catch a glimpse of her through their curtains ignored it, because they thought that Ezra was kind of weird and that it’d be better to not get involved. He threw his keys on the coffee table, shutting the door after Piper walked in. She looked at the wall of photographs, almost like a collective memoir of Ezra and Eliza over the years.

“Hello…?” Ezra called out for good measure. He didn’t get one, much to his surprise, so he started making his way downstairs, relieved that they were alone. It wasn't like they would do anything, but still. "Piper?" He poked his head into the living room, only to see her holding a picture frame that had a picture of Vickie finger painting with him, both of them flashing bright grins at the camera. She smiled a little, laughing at how cute he was. She looked up at him, embarrassed as she set the frame back down on the table.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t feel bad,” he laughed as they walked down to his room. “Olivia showed me some of your baby pictures while you were upstairs.” She looked at him wide eyed and he snickered, shaking his head. She worried too much. “I’m kidding. Relax.” He flipped on the lights. “So, um, I'm sorry about the mess…” Piper laughed, which ended in a coughing fit. He kicked off his shoes, walking to the closet. It could have been a lot worse. Seeing as Rose had ‘cleaned’ it wasn’t nearly as messy as it would have been otherwise.

“Make yourself at home…you should probably sit down,” he mumbled, back to her, trying to find something that was small enough to fit her. Piper stammered through apologies as she sat down on his unmade bed.

“What are you saying sorry for? Stop saying sorry, alright? You didn’t do anything,” he laughed.

“You wanted t-to have fun t-today, t-though.”

“But I did. I was with you, wasn't I?” he chuckled, settling on a pair of pajama pants and t-shirt. “Here. If you want, I could, uh, put your clothes in the dryer.” She shrugged as he set them down on the piano. “What are you waiting for?” he asked after seeing that she moved not an inch from her post on the bed.

“I…um…I just, uh,” she stammered, blushing and embarrassed that this was the second time that day that her overwhelming shyness held a strong grip on her. “I’m just kind of shy.”

“Oh,” he said sagely, not exactly used to girls being shy around him. Normally, girls his age couldn’t wait to take it all off, but he supposed that was just one of the many things that made her different. “I’ll…I’ll make us something to eat, yeah? Do you like noodles?”

“You can cook?” she asked, slightly surprised.

“No…you just fill the little cup with water and pop it into the microwave.” He laughed, shrugging. “You look so uncomfortable, June. Breathe. Relax. You’re fine. I’ll be right back.” He walked up the stairs, not closing the door all the way. Piper released a breath she didn’t know she was holding in when he left, walking towards the piano. It reminded her of Kathleen.

Kathleen used to have this old, almost falling apart piano when Piper was younger. She didn’t really want a new one, she was perfectly fine with her secondhand instrument. In fact, when her parents even brought up the idea of selling that one, she threw a fit, cried, slammed the door in their faces, and didn’t talk to them for a whole week. For Kathleen’s twelfth birthday, her parents bought her one anyway. She ended up selling the new one three weeks later. With the money she got from her piano, she took Piper out for a day on the town, which involved a trip to the Central Park Zoo, and managed to squirrel away enough to buy back her old piano. Looking at Ezra's piano reminded her of Kathy's industriousness.

She peeled off the wet clothing, shivering when the air hit her body. Thankfully, not everything was soaked. She opened up the shirt he had given her, pulling it over her head. She pulled the pajama pants up her bruised legs, drawing the drawstring as tightly as she could so it wouldn’t fall and pool around her ankles. She heard cabinet doors open and shut, then Ezra’s footsteps on the stairs. She sat back down on his bed, looking around his room.

“Ow, it’s kind of hot, be careful,” he said quietly, setting the hot cups down. Before sitting down, however, he took Piper’s clothes to the laundry room upstairs, putting her clothes in the dryer. He walked back to his room, only to see her sitting with pretzel style crossed legs on his bed, mumbling a soft thank you.

“So, um…” she began quietly, staring at the small vegetables floating around the cup, poking at them with her plastic fork, “who’s the lady in those pictures upstairs?”

“Depends who you’re asking about,” he replied stiffly, twirling some noodles around his fork, eating them quickly.

“She looks like you.” She looked at him, trying to figure out where the similarities were. He shrugged, shaking his head.

“Lots and lots of people look like me.”

“Is she your mom?”

“Maybe. Who needs to know?”

“I do.”

“She’s just a person. I’m just a person. We’re all just people. It doesn’t matter who we are.” He cleared his throat, not wanting to press it any further. He looked at Piper, who was still busy looking around his room. It was pretty nice, even if it was kind of messy. Ezra was trying to figure out what she was looking at that seemed so interesting. And while he did so, he noted that there was something awfully peculiar on her neck, something too small to be a hickey, but too big to be something irrelevant.

“What’s that?” he asked curiously.

“What’s what?”

“That,” he said, touching her skin gingerly. It wasn’t bleeding or swollen or anything like that, but it still looked like it hurt.

“Um, nothing,” she mumbled, discreetly moving her hair to the side and over her neck.

“It’s something.”

“I just sprained something the other day’s all,” she lied shiftily, trying to change the subject. “Do you play?” she asked quietly.

“Play what?”

“Piano over there.”

“Maybe.”

“Is that your answer for everything?”

“It could be.” He looked at her with a shrug as she chuckled softly. “I play, sure. Why?”

“My sister used to,” she said disinterestedly. She didn’t want to talk about Kathleen because then she’d have to remember everything, the accident and the divorce and everything else.

“Hm? Why doesn’t she play anymore?”

“Um…she, uh, she passed away.” His face fell as he stammered an apology.

“I’m just on a roll today, huh?” he laughed.

“No, it’s okay,” she smiled, not quite reaching her eyes. “I’m fine, really. People die all the time, don’t they? So, um, those pictures up there are kind of cute.”

Piper was pretty good at changing the subject, especially when it came to Kathy. Ezra didn't want to talk about his mother either, though. Whenever he told people that his mother was currently occupying a space in a cemetery somewhere upstate (he didn’t go very often, it just made him depressed and frustrated) they looked at him like he was some poor stranded animal on the side of the road. They treated him differently, as if he was delicate and any word could set him off. He got along just fine without her, hadn’t he?

“Let's not talk about the past, June. That's how you get stuck.”