30 Ways To Fall In Love

Part 1

"Oh come on that is not true!" She said, yelling now with an I-can't-believe-you smile on her face.

"Sorry Maya but it is," I laughed back, earning me a slap on the arm. "Ow no need for violence,"
She leant forward and stuck her tongue out at me like a five year old. She was unbelievably immature sometimes but I guess that's what made her my best friend.

"So let me get this straight," Jade said, interrupting my train of thought. "You were watching a film, Maya goes out to the toilet, and when she comes back you jump out from behind the door causing her to wet herself?"

"You forgot the part about how the film was a horror. You know I'm not good with that sort of stuff. It took me two months to recover from the woman in black." Maya added in.

"Oh come on, the woman in black? That films for twelve year olds May, you're 17!" Jade said in shock.

"May I ask something?" Matt asked, finally piping up. "If May went to the toilet, how did she have any wee left to wet herself with? She must have a reservoir of water in there." He said patting Maya's belly, resulting in a prod in his ribs.

"And again with the violence," I teased. "Seriously we need to get this girl some help."

Matt and Jade started laughing but Maya just sat there fake glaring at me with her big bottom lip pouting and her arms tightly crossed over her chest.

"C'mon May you know you love me!" I said in a sing-song voice.

"Nope," she said popping the p. "I despise you Alex with an absolute passion and there's nothing you can do to change that." A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips but the rest of her face was stony with hatred. Talk about if looks could kill.

I looked over at Matt and Jade and tilted my head towards May. As if in complete understanding, they nodded in synchronisation.

"3,"
"2," Jade continued.

"Wait what's happening?" Maya said with confusion and panic in her eyes.

"1!" Matt yelled after a couple of seconds. We all leapt do our feet and dove over to her. I grabbed her in my arms and slung her over my shoulder while yelling at the others to remove her socks. Once they'd done that I threw her down on the sofa and pinned down her arms to prevent her from lashing out, even though the rest of her body still bucked around.

"Wha..stop..no...ALEX!" She screamed, breathless.

"Matt get her ankles and Jade..well you know what to do," I chuckled.

I watched as Matt did what I told him to and Jade slowly reached towards May's feet.

"No..please..don't!!!" She shouted, begging me with her words and her eyes.

"Well do you love me?" I pestered.

"No I hate you I said that already!" She squealed, hardly being able to hold back her giggles

"Well then.." I trailed off signalling to Jade to commence the torture.

"AaaaaaAAAAAHHHH!" Maya cried, rising to a painfully high pitch as Jade mercilessly tickled her feet, May's well known weak spot.

"AAAAAOOK ok I love you ok?" She finally gave in.

"Hang on what was that I didn't hear?" I provoked her a bit further.

"You heard me you jerk!"

As if reading my mind Jade continued the tickling.

"I said I love you!" She huffed.

"Well ok then." I said lifting her up off the sofa and out of the grip Matt and Jade had on her. "Glad we got that cleared up."

I walked her back over to where she was sat and plopped down beside her with my arm draped across her shoulders and her legs propped up on my lap. "Now what film shall we watch?"

"I don't know," She shrugged before wagging her finger at me. "But definitely not a horror!"

***

The thing was we really were just best friends. I know what it looks like, flirting, being touchy-feely. But that wasn't how it was. We were more like siblings, but too close to have petty arguments like them. We were in our own little bubble of bliss, occasionally joined by our other best friends Matt and Jade who very much had the same situation going on between them.

We were .. Inseparable, attached at the hip since birth, almost quite literally. See our moms were friends long before our birth. Their friendship dates years back since they went to school together. They had a bond quite similar to mine and Maya's, so when they were both married they decided to both start trying for children, in the hope that we would be born around the same time as eachother. Well their wishes came true. They went into labour while together, went to the hospital together and gave birth to us just an hour apart. In the same room may I add. So yes, me and May have been very close since the day we were born.

Hoping to carry on the idea of making us grow up as friends, mum decided we should move into a house that was a bit closer to them, so what did we do? We bought the house next door. I don't know if any of you have ever lived next to your best friend but I found it was somewhat convenient. There isn't the problem of having to arrange play dates and the struggle of how they're going to get over. All I did was open my window and throw a pebble at Maya's which was directly opposite mine.

It really was a perfect childhood. That was of course until dad left me and my pregnant mother to fend for ourselves. Then everything sort of seemed to go downhill. But not with May. She stuck by my side and when I felt down always made sure she had something planned to cheer me up again. When I cried because I missed dad she reminded me that she was there and was never going to leave me. When you could hear the crashing and banging of my drunken mum downstairs (a quickly formed habit of hers after the divorce) she would bring over her CD player and me, May and my little sister Ellie would have a dance party in my room.

Because of Maya I was never alone. Never upset. And when mum died when I was 16, only shortly after the divorce, leaving me to look after my 5-year-old sister, May was by my side the whole day of the funeral.

I saw her come out of her door with her mum and dad who were broken down with sobs. They were so close and were always there for my mum during her problem. I could almost regard Susan (Maya's mum) as my own mother. She was a better one than mine. May looked over to me and saw a tear drop out of my eye.

"Oh Alex," she breathed before running to me and launching herself into my arms. With one arm she rubbed my back and with the other she held my head against her shoulder, humming to me while I wept into the crook of her neck.

"Ssh Alex ssh it's ok I'm here," she cooed into my ear.

"Thankyou May," I whispered finally calming down.

"Come on let's go," she said pulling away and grabbing my hand in her left and Ellie's in her right, while we walked towards her parents to get in the car. "I'll never leave you, just remember that Alex. Never!"

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First chapter!!! Hope you like it. I know it's just kind of a description chapter and doesn't really get into the main story but I thought I'd give you some background before getting into it.

So yeah vote and comment with suggestions for the rest of the book! ❣