The following Friday (I'll save you the boredom and skip the details of my school week), I spent the evening at the skate park with my friends Caleb, Ben (Hayley's brother who lowkey hands out with us because they're close in age), TJ, Hayley and Tay, just because we'd nothing else exciting to do. Us teenagers don't live as exciting lives as everyone thinks we do.

I mean it was fun, y'know? Like TJ and Ben were off doing their thing as they're avid skateboarders, Caleb taught me how to board while he walked and held my hand (can I get an "awww!") as I was on his board (he has such a soft spot for me and everyone knows it, but he won't admit it) and Hayley and Tay went off together to the opposite end and skated up and down the ramps while holding hands because they're kinda dating a bit (the three of us have a love for girls, though I like dudes too) and wanted to be romantic. As a side note, I fell off the board like five times and all Caleb could do was laugh his ass off and not be sympathetic.

After we got bored, we sat on the ramps away from the other kids who'd arrived, and literally said nothing. I nursed my badly bruised knee, and felt so much pity for myself that it could've done for all of us. I then broke the silence with my sneeze.

"That's such a dainty little sneeze, man." TJ said as he sat up from where he'd previously been lying down, and I shrugged.

"Umm..thank you?!" Was that an appropriate answer? I'd no clue.

"No he's right. What do you do, pinch your nose or something?" Caleb joined in on the conversation about my sneeze. I was still mad at him for laughing at my injuries.

"Yeah, I do. And hey, I'm still mad at you for laughing when I fell. Does this look funny to you?" I showed him my vaguely purple knee.

"Shouldn't didn't that, it causes nosebleeds and I've heard in worse case scenario, can dislocate your spine or something. And nah, I was laughing at how much you swore when you went flat on your ass. I never knew how much bad language could come out of something so small, like what'd John say if he heard your sailor mouth?" Caleb took off his sunglasses and handed them to me because one as blinded by the sun, and swapped them for his actual like, reading glasses.

"Hmm. He doesn't know, and that won't kill him."

"Oh yeah? What if I tell him?" We were now sitting beside each other as he'd swapped places with Ben, and I propped myself up a little so we were the same height sitting down. Standing, he's 6"0 and I'm 5"2.

"Guys, please keep your relationship fights to yourselves. We don't wanna be hearing them." Ben said, causing us all to look at him.

"We're not dating." Both Caleb and I said in unison, but that satisfied Ben enough and he smirked.

"That's what you say, but I know that's not the truth. I mean, you're both compatible. I don't see why you're not dating. You're perfect for each other." What?

"Fuck off, Benjamin. He's a junior, I'm an eighth grader." Wasn't a lie.

"Well yeah, but you're you're technically a freshman, we know you were kept back."

"Sorry man, I don't wanna be given that title of the senior who dated a freshman, as much as I think Teagan's really sweet." I looked at Caleb in disbelief. Me, sweet? Nope.

"Wait what?" I asked, still confused.

"Just shut up, Ben, or I'll tell Mom what you were doing last weekend." Hayley came to my rescue.

"What'd you do last weekend?" Tay was intrigued. So were we. Ben shut up and looked shifty.

"Doesn't matter. Hayley, grab your board, we're going home."

"My fucking pleasure." Hayley blew Tay a kiss and followed after Ben who left like a bullet, and left us wondering what actually happened last weekend.

"What actually happened last weekend, though?" I asked in general after Hayley and Ben had left, which caused TJ and Caleb to look at each other, and myself and Tay to look at each other in confusion.

"Hayley caught him and Jen Stevens all over each other in the front row of the movie theatre last Saturday. Nothing like, y'know, bad, but they were pretty into each other. Don't know what he's so worried about, literally everybody knows they're seeing each other." TJ answered, and I was more miffed than anything.

"I didn't know. Why does nobody tell me these things, like what'd I do to constantly be kept outta the loop?" Very miffed.

"Well, Teagan, kid." TJ put his hands on my shoulders as he came to stand in front of me (I was sitting on a ramp and we were now of equal height). "You're too young to understand most of what we're talking about." I wanted to slap him, but refrained, because violence doesn't solve problems.

"Not true. I'm nearly fifteen, and there's only like, six months between Tay and I. Why're you so mean to me, like I'll get John to rat you out to Eric so he can rat you out to your mom." TJ's cousin Eric and my brother John have been best friends for years, thus the pair of us growing up together and basically acting like siblings.

"She's got a point, man. We've bared witness to the amount of wrath in something so small. Don't be mean." Caleb came to my defence, and I felt, as John would say, "hashtag-blessed".

"Ooh, look at you, knew you had a soft spot for our baby friend. For real though, y'know I'm kidding, right Tea?" TJ knew he was rattling my cage.

"I do. Stop being mean, or I'll tell your mom myself. I'm going home, anyways. Told John I'd be home by sunset before he heads out with Ken. Are we still on for tonight, Tay?" Tay was my neighbour, if I hadn't mentioned previously. We're two peas in a pod, and she's been my best friend since I was in diapers.

"Of course we are, wouldn't miss it." She replied, and we high-fived on that.

"I'm thinking of heading home too. Forgot I was watching Sophia tonight, so no doubt my parents'll gimme a lecture for being late." Caleb also chimed in, and that kinda solidified the fact that we were all going home. Sophia's his baby sister, by the way, and she's four. He's also got an older brother, Mike, who's 24. He's pretty cool, actually.

"It's a giant effort walking home, though. I really couldn't be bothered." I sighed, checking the time on my phone. 6:04pm. I was hinting at the fact that I wanted Caleb to help me board home, because I didn't want to walk. He only lived about 15 houses past mine, so it's not as if he was going out of his way to help me board home.

"But..you live ten minutes away..?" TJ was confused. Good.

"Fine. I'll piggyback you home. I'll take my payment in Reese's and Hershey's." Caleb stood in front of me (to my surprise) and I hopped onto his back as he grabbed behind my knees, and there was my ride home.

"It's alright, you guys. I'll just be Bobby All Alone and walk myself home, y'know. Don't mind me, I'm okay." Tay was being sarcastic about nothing, and I rolled my eyes.

"Suit yourself, then." I smiled sweetly and we waved goodbye to TJ as he boarded off in the opposite direction to the three of us. I'm dying to see how long Caleb can keep ahold of me, though, because I know he works out A LOT, but I'm like a whale, to be honest. This'd be interesting.

---

So just to clarify, Caleb did, in fact, carry me all the way home. He didn't even have to stop for a second, and I mean, it's not as if we power walked home, either. I was pleasantly surprised, and as John would say, "hashtag-blessed".

"Hey thanks, man. I was genuinely kidding when I said it was an effort to walk home, though. You didn't have to piggyback me." I said as Caleb set me down, but he brushed off the whole thing.

"Its alright, I wasn't phased by it. Though I was serious when I said I'd take my payments in Hershey's and Reese's. So cmon, fork it up." He held out his hand and I panicked, because like, my pockets were empty apart from my phone.

"I've got none.."

"Okay, cool. But don't think I'll forget about it." Was he serious? I must've looked deadly confused, because Caleb looked panicked. "Teagan...dude, I'm kidding. Honestly, don't worry about it, I didn't mind carrying you home. It's fine."

"As entertaining this is, I'll have to leave you guys so I can get myself ready. Teagan, see you in five?" Tay spoke up, and I'd completely forgot that she was standing there.

"Yeah, sure. See you in five." Tay then hopped over the wall in her driveway and let herself in. "I guess I should go. Bye, man, I'll get you your Hershey's!!" I waved and ran inside, relieved to be away from all of the confusion.

"Are you alright?" John asked as he came running down the stairs with his face still covered in shaving foam.

"I'm okay, yeah. I just have to head in to Tay's in about five minutes while you guys are off wherever." I ran past him to get upstairs and get my stuff. I still didn't know what happened back there.

---

"So, you and Caleb, huh?" Tay said as she took off her makeup in the mirror across from where I was sitting on her bed. I took a sip of my tea and said nothing. "Hah, see I knew there was something between you, 'cause you're getting shifty."

"Can I not, like, take a drink?" I frowned slightly, but brushed it off. "No, there's nothing between us. We're just really good friends, and I mean God forbid that a guy and a girl be friends but sans the romance. That's totally alien, right?"

"Don't be salty, I'm just asking, y'know, as your bestest friend for the past, what, fourteen years? Don't jump down my throat."

"Hmm, we'll see. So, you and Hayley, huh?" Two can play at that game.

"Oh yeah, everyone thinks we're dating, but we're not. We're just good friends, seriously. The whole charade at the skate park today was just for shits 'n giggles. She's not my type, anyways, though I do love her dearly as a friend."

"Not your type? Then what's your type?"

"I don't know, man, I don't wanna sound bitchy and picky."

"No, no, you won't. Just tell me, I don't judge."

"Hmm, okay then. I'm not overly selective, but brunettes are cute, I guess. Oh, and girls who can look both girly in, y'know like, pale jeans and a cute sweater or flannel, or badass in black with the nice eyeliner, like how you do yours. Is that weird?"

"Awh, that's so sweet! Nah, it's not weird, I dig that. But yeah, brunettes are cute, and I love ombrés in brunette hair, it looks so nice! But anyways, I wasn't trying to pressure you or anything, I'm just nosey."

"No, I know, don't stress. And ooh yeah, you're right! An ombré would look nice in you, though. Think you'd get it done?"

"I'd like to, but only for a little while. I'll see what John says and maybe get it done the next time I get a haircut."

"Awh man, you totally should consider it! Oh hey, I meant to ask, what movie are we watching?"

"I dunno, I was gonna ask you the same thing..."

"Just have a look through my Netflix and see if anything catches your eye. I don't know why, but I'm in the mood for a rom-com. Don't ask."

"Oh same, to be honest. I'm feeling mushy tonight, so something like PS. I Love You will suit me fine."

"Do you even watch any other movie?"

"I've seen All Time Low's "Straight To DVD" a couple hundred times."

"Hmm, okay."

I went surfing through Tay's Netflix account in search of a decent rom-com, and low-and-behold, I found PS. I Love You. I made her sit through the whole thing, and hold me when I cry because that's what best friends are for (and I was a goddamn mess).

Notes

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