Making it.

Chapter 2 - Idiot.

I walk hand in hand with Elliot towards the fireplace where Milli and Simon are already waiting for us. We sit opposite to each other and I lean my head against Elliot's shoulder, clutching my hands around his arm in a comfortable manner.

"I can't believe summer's over now." Simon starts after the four of us have been sitting around for a while, just staring at the growing fire in silence. Relishing the amazing moments we had and unforgettable memories we made in our own and separate ways.

"Neither can I believe that I won't see any of you until thanksgiving again." I say and sigh.

"Hey, it's fine. We will facetime each day, okay?" Elliot tries to cheer me up but fails miserably.

"It won't be the same." Milli and I say at the same time and she laughs a strained, sad laugh.

"No one can replace my Hailey when she's with me. Not even a damn phone." She comments and I can hear her voice breaking at the end even though she is trying to keep it together for my sake.

"Hhhhhhh-hhhhh-hhhhoottt." Simon interrupts our girl moment as he stuffs one of his roasted marshmallows into his mouth.

"How many times have I told you to wait a few seconds before you eat something hot?" I ask him and raise my eyebrows, the sadness in my voice gone immediately. Struggling to breathe, he shakes his head.

"Can't... Wait... too... good." He forcefully swallows the burning hot candy and gives me toothy grin. Idiot. I roll my eyes but can't help the smile making its way on my face because of my best friend.

"Some things just simply never change, Hailey. Neither will anything between us when you go to London."

"And you had to show her that by hurting yourself?" Elliot asks and Simon sticks his tongue out at him, spearing another marshmallow onto his stick.

"At least I got her to laugh unlike you." Simon argues and I jump in, "I didn't laugh. I scolded you."

"That's your way of laughing at me." Simon fires back with wild hand gestures and almost hits Milli with his stick.

"Watch it cousin." She warns and takes a marshmallow to roast herself.

I look next to Milli and see an enormous black bag on the sand.

"Is this all of my stuff?" I ask her and she nods, passing it to me as I reach my hand out to grab it. I open the bag and look inside, the first thing I see is the little stuffed puppy that I sleep with every night, which has been resting in her bed for the past two months now. It has black fur and only one out of his four feet is white, while the rest of them are still black. I take it out and smile.

"Remember when I got that?" I ask Milli and she nods.

"I still have a clear picture of you spending literally all of your money at the fair for that bowling game because you wanted to win that little thing. And when it was finally yours, dad had payed for everything else because he didn't want you to spend any more money." She tells the infamous story and I bring the dog to my chest.

"Don't make me feel bad now. Blacky was always meant to be mine." I reply and she laughs.

"If he was always meant to be yours, then why did you not come up with a more original name than Blacky?" She mocks me and I throw a bag of M&M's at her that I brought with me.

"Stop it." My whine gets buried as she starts laughing even more.

I put Blacky back into the bag with the rest of my belongings next to me. When I look to my left, I see that Elliot is staring at me again, the way that he usually is. "Nothing will change between us either. You know that, don't you?" He whispers and I nod. "I love you." He adds leaning in.