As We Go On

Laughter

---Eva--- 

"Yuck!" I say, gagging and spitting. The guys laugh and high five while I spit the nasty little jelly bean on the ground. Should've known that they would bring me back trick jelly beans from Keelan's trip to Universal last week.  

"Not funny guys!" I call, but I can't help but giggle. I mean, it was a pretty good prank- but it would have been funnier if I pulled it on them.  Who would've thought a regular blue jelly bean would taste like soap? Stupid Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. 

"We reacted the same way Eva," Keelan says, red faced from laughing. "You should have seen us when we accidentally ate toothpaste ones." 

Braxdon finally gets his face straight. "Yeah. We probably ate like 20 tictacs after that- trying to get the taste out of our mouths."

"Wouldn't happen to have any with you now, would you?" The guys both start laughing again, and this time I laugh with them. It was funny. "Alright, alright. Guys 27, Eva 26. I'll catch up." Our mind war. I know it sounds dumb, but it's actually really fun. Every time we have a discussion about some random thing- like something from Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or wierd questions about food (long story)- whoever proves the other wins gets a point. It also counts as a point when you prank the opponent and they are caught off guard. Nothing really mean, of course.I had been winning 13 to 7 against Keelan when Braxdon decided to team up with him. Now it is a tight race, and as of this jelly bean, they are ahead by one. We've been at this for a couple weeks now, and it's still going strong. Other people we know have started doing it too. I think the best matchup was when Charlie and Kaylie, the twins, got their Biology teacher involved in a discussion about rocks (another long story). 

    Steering my mind back into the present, I'm lying on my back in the soft grass, with the guys a few feet away still chuckling at their little joke. They must start kidding around about something, because I see them start play shoving each other. At that moments, I realize how happy I am. I have the greatest friends I could ask for. 

It's no wonder we became friends in the first place, since we were practically raised together. We've been attending the same church, Church of Christ at Zip City, ever since we were... well, since we were born. Our dads grew up together too, so when we were born, we would always have playdates and stuff. Me, Braxdon, and Keelan are pretty close to the same age, Keelan was born on August 14th, Braxdon on October 25th, and me the following March 10th. So we have always been in the same grade, same classes. We go to the same school, Wilson High School, and have been there ever since kindergarten. But, we are all in different activities. Keelan plays football and baseball, and Braxdon plays Basketball and Baseball. I play tennis, and I keep hoping for a soccer team. Academic wise, I'm in tons of stuff. Student Council, FBLA, FCCLA, Beta, and Quiz Bowl, which I started in 6th grade and am very good at. The guys... not so much. Student council, since they are Treasurer and Secretary of our grade, and maybe Beta, since they have good grades, but none of the extracurricular clubs like me. 

I sign in contentment. It's just... peaceful. I live for nights like this- nights where I can just relax and spend time with my friends. Especially Friday nights, so we don't have to get up so early in the morning if we stay out late. I am pretty sure I have a disease called sunriseaphobia. Not a morning person.

"You know guys," I begin. "This time next year, we will be seniors, figuring out what colleges we want to go to. That doesn't seem so far away anymore." 

Braxdon nods silently, but Keelan snorts and remarks, "Save it for the Valedictorian speech you'll have to make at graduation, Eva." That is a running bit he kept up with ever since we used to joke about graduation. "We know next year and after that will be crazy." But his tone has an underying acceptance, a grudging admittance. I can tell he does agree with me, he just doesn't say it. 

"Yeah. Sorry. I just kinda slipped a little out of it for a minute." 

My phone alarm suddenly goes off, making me jump into a sitting position in the blink of an eye. I turn it off as fast as I can, because it seems to ring in my head after such quietness. It's the alarm I set earlier, reminding me to get home before my parents freak. 

"Gotta go guys. See you Sunday." I stand, and they follow, since Keelan is also supposed to be home by a certain time, and I think Braxdon rode with him  We walk back to the parking lot joking and laughing, and the cool breeze feels nice against my face. It is a very nice night. The park itself, Deibert Park, has been a great place for little kids to play, older people to enjoy, and people our age to walk the trails and picnic on the grass. There are even two ponds with turtles, fish, and geese (that don't like Kaylie and Keelan- so many long stories!).  

We reach my car, and I walk around and sit down in the driver's seat. Keelan keeps walking and calls "See ya" but Braxdon stops and leans on the side of the car, and I stop reaching to pull the door closed. 

"Need a ride? Wait, didn't you ride with Keelan?" I ask. 

"Yeah I did. Just wanted to talk to you for a second." I gesture for him to continue, and he does. 

"What you said about next year. You really are right, you know. I was going to say something, but Keelan spoke up and I just let it go."  Braxdon is a little shy- usually only around people he doesn't know. But once he knows you, he's a pretty outgoing person. I like that. Not too full of himself. "Keelan..." Braxdon continues. "He just doesnt like to get all sappy. He really does get it." 

"I know that." Braxdon't eyes are illuminating in the near-darkness. "Sometimes I hate to be like that too. My mind was just wandering and I kind of zoned out. Somewhere faaaar out in space." I exxagerate the word far to hint at sarcasm. I'm getting good at that. 

"And again with the sarcasm." Ah, Braxdon. You know me so well.

"Yep. And I try very hard to be annoying. Don't insult my ability to annoy." He laughs, and I laugh too. Good old Leo Valdez. Never fails. 

After a minute of quoting Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books, a shout from Keelan-"Hurry up Brax!" Braxdon stops leaning on the car and It's hot so I shut my door so I can turn on the AC and then roll down the window to say bye. 

"Hey, about the jelly bean thing..." He trails off, looking for what to say. I mean, how exactly do you apologize for giving someone a jelly bean? 

"It's good. Honestly, I should've seen that coming. It's what I would've done."

"You would have been that mean? Eva." Braxdon says accusingly, but still grinning. 

"Don't worry. I'll catch up. Ya'll are only one point ahead of me."

Suddenly Keelan honks his horn, the horn on that old truck that sounds like he pulled a duck's leg. Giant echoing QUAAAACK. It's really not that bad, but I will forever think of a duck when he honks his horn. 

Braxdon laughs and bids me goodbye. "Bye Eva. See ya Sunday." He starts to say something else, then he turns and sprints across the parking lot towards Keelan's truck. Then, after smiling and shaking my head, I leave the starry night and head home. 

*^*^*^*^*^* So hey ya'll so that was the first chapter and I hope you guys like it because it took me like 3 days to type (because school and everything else in my life).  Just kidding! I pretty much had four chapters all written in the notes app on my phone before I got back on Wattpad.  AND it might be somewhat slow updates for a while because I'm trying to make the chapters longer, which means more details, which means more words, which means more typing..... you know what I mean. Really though, thanks for reading and comment below if you think I should change the name braxdon to something else.... Braxdon doesn't quite have the ring I'm looking for. And I might change Eva. Maybe. If I hear a better name I'll consider. (Comment or message suggestions!)

And I know I'll have more to say in later chapters, but just a quick sidenote here- The quote up a few lines back, that was from Leo Valdez, which is a character in the book The Lost Hero, which is in the amazesome series Heroes of Olympus series, which was based off of the even more amazesome PERCY JACKSON series which if you have not read you need to put down my story right this minute and read them.  And ALL the charachters I mentioned in this chapter, or infuture chapters that are from these books, DO NOT belong to me- they belong to the author of those series- RICK RIORDAN. 

Love you guys! - The.1.Me