Artificial Happiness

"Childhood"

"Cause we're all just kids that grew up way too fast..."
~
"MARK IF YOU DON'T COME BACK HERE I'LL- I'll do... I'LL DO SOMETHING BAD TO YOU!"

I shouted loudly running after my, I guess I would call him my brother at this point. Just about a year ago I was adopted. The Fischbach's took me and my strange name in to their home after my parents had died in the motorcycle accident. One moment I had them, the next they were gone, things happened and suddenly my best friend was my brother. I got pretty lucky huh?

"MARK COME ON!"

I glared up into the tree house we have in our backyard angrily as the slightly smaller boy pulled the ladder up. He had taken my bag of Nurf gun bullets now I was stuck with an almost empty gun and no target to shoot at.

"I ONLY TOOK'EM BECAUSE YOU WON'T STOP ATTACKING ME VAL!" 

Mark shouted down at me from his perch up in the tree. Honestly there are times when I really wanted to slap him. Really hard, like mom does sometimes. Realizing that he wasn't going to come down anytime soon I decided to sit down in the grass, about 15 minutes passed and I was tying grass in knots and then a noise I never thought I'd be happy to hear fell upon my ears. Loud, Irish yelling. Jack was definitely home and he was coming over. I had only been friends with him for about 2 years, Jack and his family moved here from Ireland to a house just across the street. He was smaller than Mark and I. He had a slight frame and wild brown hair, it was nice hair, but I always got a 'Don't touch me hair!' and vicious swatting anytime I tried to touch it. Which was NOT fair because he let Mark touch. Oh, well all the more reason to shoot him in the face. I stood up from where I was sitting and grabbed my nurf gun, pulling the device up to my eye I aimed carefully, he was only a little ways away, but I was treating it as if I was a sniper. Closing one of my reddish brown eyes I lined up with his forehead, I took in a deep breath like I always saw on the movies and squeezed the trigger. My shot was followed by,

"OW! VAL!"

I covered my mouth and sniggered. I mean with a big white target like that it was hard to miss!

"Hi!"

I waved innocently, as if there wasn't a dart stuck to Jack's forehead as he approached. He had the brightest blue eyes, they reminded me of blue birds.

"How are ya, blue bird?"

I chuckled walking up to him, closing the distance between myself and my shorter friend.
"Well I was fine until ya shot me in the forehead... where's Mark?"

Jack answered me before easily becoming distracted by the other boy.

"He's up there, won't come down... I swear Lucky Charms, you're obsessed with him."

 Jack scoffed at me shooting me a nasty glare.

"Yeah well he's my friend, what of it?"

I put my hands up in surrender and backed away.

"Nothing, nothing!"

As I stepped back from Jack I hit another person. Who was in my backyard? I whipped around to see who it was, it wasn't tall enough to be mom... so-

"Oh hello Gaelyn! Too busy buried in you book to pay attention, huh?"

I asked the younger boy, Mark and I were oldest of this little group, I was older than Mark, but we were both nine, then Jack was eight, and Gaelyn was seven, but for as young as he was, he sure was smart. It was pretty incredible to say the least and incredible is a big word for a nine year old to be thinking.

"Don't call me that, call me G, you know I don't enjoy my full name, Val." 

Gaelyn huffed at me and I crossed my arms. Why was everyone so mean today? Even Jack! I just shot him in the face! No harm done... right?!

"Alright G, I'm sorry." 

I grumbled quietly and looked away. I thought having friends over meant fun not 'snap at Valac'. I sighed and decided to try again. I always liked Glyn, he was something of a little brother to me, even though Mark was technically my younger brother. 

"So Um, what are you reading?"

I asked quietly, peeking over the smaller boy's shoulder, it looked more complex than the books I knew how to read. There were barely any pictures in it.

"Hey where's all the pictures?"

I asked curiously, not really realizing that  I was probably annoying the crap out of the younger boy...

*8 years later*

"And you just wouldn't leave me alone, Val."

G laughed as he looked at me and I grinned at him, it was nice having moments like these. Sitting around with your friends, basically reliving childhood memories as you all sat under the tree where all of these past things had happened.

"Hey Google, I was curious, you were reading things with out photos, nine year old me wanted to get to the bottom of it. Although I'm surprised you remembered all that. I swear you're a human search engine." 

I defended. A lot had changed in those seven years since we where nothing more than kids. Jack's obsession with Mark had grown into a crush, and now well, a relationship. They were dorks, but really quite nice together. I let out a quiet gagging noise at the PDA that suddenly decided to take shape in front of my face.

"Little bird, if you want to go suck face with Mark, you don't need to do it in front of G and me."

I smirked after spewing my statement, Jack always got the brightest blush when you called him out on things like that. It was amusing to say the least. A laugh escaped my lips as Gael nudged me as a way to tell me off, but I knew he was thinking it too. I could clearly see that amused sparkle in his bright blue eyes. Mmm he had really nice eyes. I was pulled out of my trance, staring at Gaelyn when my ears where assaulted with that shrill irish accent.

"Hey we aren't suckin' face, Val!"

Jack snapped at me and I hit him with the raised eyebrow look.

"Jack is right, we're just enjoying each other's presence."

Mark defended his boyfriend and I rolled my eyes, looking at them both with the questioning face  I had given only Jack a few second ago. 

"Mmmhmm, and you spending the night at Jack's last night while his parents are out of town was JUST a hang out. I see you walking weird, little bird."

I shot back, Mark thought he was clever, he thought he could get around me with these things, but time and time again he did nothing, but fail. Gaelyn gasped and shoved me harder this time.

"Val!!"

I laughed and gently pushed him back.

"Hey I'm just telling the truth. From childhood to you doing the do, talk about growing up fast."