Puzzle Pieces // m.f

0.6

"Come on, it's not that bad." Mark stood in the rink, a little unsteadily, and continued to try and get Jamie to come out. She shook her head once again and Mark sighed, getting out to stand next to her. "I would say that I won't let you fall, but we both know I'm a disaster waiting to happen." He kept his voice low and stood more behind her than beside her, feeling more than a little relieved when she finally sighed. It was the first noise she had made since they got there. He was starting to think that he might have broken her.

"Do you promise we'll do something less awful next time?" Jamie surprised him in several ways with this statement. He was surprised that she was actually talking around so many people. He was surprised that she had openly said that there would be a next time. He was surprised by how unexpectedly childish she was, offering her pinky to show that she expected him to take it and promise.

"I promise that we'll do something less awful next time." Mark pinky promised and immediately began to pull Jamie out to where Matt was laughing at increasingly high volumes because Ryan was clutching the wall in fear.

"Come on, Ryan. Be a big boy and get off of the wall." Matt pulled at his friend's sleeve as Mark and Jamie steadily approached.

"No! This was stupid. This is stupid. I don't care if you have a death wish, but I don't!" In laughing at Ryan's shouted protests, Mark fell down and when Jamie tried to help him up he only pulled her down with him and so they stayed on the floor for a moment, both of them in a mess of giggles.

"Seriously, Ryan. Look at Mark and Jamie. They're on the floor and they're having more fun than you." Matt gestured with mock anger to where the previously mentioned pair was still attempting to stand. It currently looked as if Mark was about to resort to carrying her over, but he was merely catching Jamie and putting her on her feet before she fell again.

"It's not like this is a practical life skill, Matt. When, in real life, would I use the ability to roller skate?" Ryan stared at his friend expectantly for a moment before Mark pulled Jamie up to them, him skating backwards and holding both of her hands.

"When you're with a super cute girl who can't roller skate." Matt made the comment knowing it would be obvious to Ryan and slightly less than obvious to Mark what he was talking about.

"Ryan, what in the hell are you doing?" Mark laughed lightly at his friend, swinging his and Jamie's arms from where he was still holding one of her hands.

"Not falling on my ass, that's what I'm doing." Everybody stared at Ryan with subtle concern, unable to believe that he had been bested by a pair of roller skates.

There was no response for a moment and then there was suddenly a toddler, no more than four, skating past them and giggling loudly. Mark laughed first, but he tried to hide it. Matt was second, his loud laughs seeming to echo around them as his eyes still trailed after the small blonde boy. Jamie quickly turned her faint laugh into a cough and moved her hand in front her mouth before proceeding to fall into a fit of giggles and, subsequently, the floor. Mark tried to help her up, but she purposefully pulled him down next to her and they both continued laughing.

"I think we can conclude that this has been largely unsuccessful." Matt's voice was quite deadpan and he tried to casually sit down to take his skates off, but ended up falling a foot or so away from Mark and Jamie, who both appeared to be perfectly content in their current situation.

"I actually think it went really well." Mark turned his attention from Jamie to Matt and at the sight of his eyes lighting up with true enjoyment for the first time in at least a month, Matt couldn't keep himself from smiling as well.

"Well, Ryan?" Matt looked up at his friend who was still angrily clutching the wall and staring at the small group in the floor with mostly fake disdain.