Pip and Ravi • agggtm

I'd go back to December turn around and change my own mind

A/N SO THIS IS A PRE-AGGTM1 FIC, YES IM SORRY THERES MINIMAL RAVI. FOR THE SWIFTIES THIS IS KIND OF BASED ON QUESTION..? AND YBWM DESPITE THE BTD TITLE. ANYWAYS HAVE A LOVELY DAY!!!!!

  Connor Reynolds moved to Fairview the summer he turned eight. His blond hair was in a nearly grown out buzzcut and he didn't have his front tooth. It was august when he made his very first friend there. She was an inch taller than him and always had her face hidden by the cover of a book. That was the reason he talked to her. On the second day on third grade she was reading an obscure non-fiction book on cats at recess as a loud girl with curly hair, who he now knew was Cara, kicked a soccer ball around her. He spent the entire recess talking to her about cats.

They were, and are, pretty much polar opposites. Yet somehow now as sixteen year olds they were close friends. Him and Cara sat in her room on a random Saturday night on winter break. Pip had a textbook covering her face while she read. Neither Connor or Cara could keep track of what classes Pip was in or they would genuinely lose their sanity. Pip had perfectly curated her life to best secure her future, and she'd slowly learned to adapt to her friends always having unseemly conversations around her.

"How the hell would I know what the name of the monkey that was sent to the moon?" Connor cried, tossing a stress ball back to Cara.

"Because I asked you. I bet 2 cents it's Jerome. Pip tell me I'm right," Cara threw the ball back at Connor's stomach to which he scoffed at her.

"His name was Ham. Where in the world did you get Jerome?" Pip's voice got increasingly concerned, "I feel like your mother watching over  you when you act like this."

Before Cara could respond with a milf joke or Connor could make fun of her for her Jerome guess, Pip's phone rang. She didn't bother looking at the contact before pressing it against her ear.

"Hi? Why are you calling me?"

Immediately Cara made eye contact with Con. The secret to who called lied within her eyes. It took him a few moments longer to figure it out. Their best friend's one and only failed romance. They dated from Christmas last year to April of this year before it all went down in flames.

"Okay, I didn't mean it like that. Of course I want you to come back to Fairview I just wasn't expecting your call."

Pip wasn't really a relationship kind of girl. She made a vow in Freshman year not to date unless absolutely necessary. To her, any more distractions from her schoolwork wasn't worth it. That's why it was shocking that she actually went out with the star quarterback last year.

"Sean we aren't good together. You know that. You left and I can't just mess up my life for you."

  Pip could list all the reasons they didn't work out. She made a pros and cons list before there broke up to be sure. She was too naive, and he wanted to join the military. They both had their goals and they were heading in different directions.

"Okay. Text me when you know,"  she set the phone down.

Cara looked up at her with her jaw on the floor. She took a sip of her gingerbread latte while keeping her eyes on Pip, her queue to explain. Connor almost did the same before he caught himself.

"What? There's nothing to explain,"  Pip turned back to her textbook.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you get back with Sean. I'd rather you date Ant," Cara proclaimed, earning an intense glare from Pip.

In the next few minutes Connor can only explain what happened as an eerily cohesive eye conversation between the two girls before Pip looked away. An uncomfortable atmosphere settled in the room. The only thing to diffuse it was a giggle from Connor as he looked at his phone.  On his screen was a photo of Pip and Connor at their third grade holiday party that his mom sent. He was kissing her cheek as she laughed. He turned the phone to Pip and watched as she laughed. Cara grabbed his wrist to look.

"Damn your mom really wants you two to get together, huh?" She smiled with a spark in her eyes.

"You don't know the half of it. She calls her my future wife," Connor chuckled absent-mindedly. It was true. Joanna loved Pip like a second daughter and was just waiting for the day when it became legal. A day that would never come. Pip only rolled her eyes at this.

"Ugh this is so boring. Pip, quick. One, two, three he's yours. Out the window edition," Cara grabbed the swivel chair she was on and pushed her to the window. They watched for a moment before Zach Chen's father appeared walking down the street with bundles of Christmas lights and Cara's eyebrows danced at Pip.

"Pass. Why are we even doing this? Let me do my winter break studying in peace,"

"Because it's winter! I have random mistletoe in my pocket and I'll be damned if I don't get to use it. New year's eve is this month and you're the only one of us who doesn't have someone to kiss except for Connor but he'll find some poor girl by like tomorrow. Plus you can't get with Sean because I won't let you," Cara pouted after finishing rambling.

"Is there alcohol in your coffee?" Pip looked at her friend like a parent who'd just caught their kid sneaking out.

" 'tis the season my friend. Oh guy #2. Isn't that Sal's brother? Wait we skipped Connor. Now you have to marry Sal's brother."

"Oh my bad, I just assumed I wasn't deemed a guy," Connor spoke up from the corner of the window.

"Fuck or is Connor number three? Who did you look at first? Maybe Joanna predicted it." Cara furrowed her brows as if she was solving a difficult equation. Some deep part of himself that Connor didn't know existed felt strangely hopeful at the idea. Like he'd been waiting for someone to say it.

"Not Connor," Pip glared at the both of them for good measure.

"What? Scared of your feelings?" Connor smirked compulsively.

"No way. Never."

Connor nodded sarcastically at her. He blinked for one moment and her lips were on his. It was sweet, and rough, and angry. All he knew was he felt like nothing could ever compete with this. Like it was the ending of all endings. The worst part was he knew she would never feel the same way. It went on for longer than he expected before she dropped his starstruck face.

"See? No feelings."

"Me next." Cara winked at Pip.

"Cara"