Amongst Friends

Chapter 5

"You smell of chlorine." Was my greeting to Jason when he arrived at our designated meet up spot after school.

"That's because I've just been swimming in the pool."

"You're an hour late by the way. You'd better make this up to me by buying me a slushie." Jason combed his fingers through his damp hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please forgive thou humble companion. I'll buy you a big blue slushie." He said, holding his hands in a prayer like way in front of him.

"You are forgiven, peasant. Come on let's go." I said before heading off.

After I got my slushie Jason quickly ran into the pound shop to get some hair spray/ hair die for the designated wig.

He came out minutes later with the spray in his hand, jogging over to me. We started walking at a leisurely pace, even though we were already really late.

"Let's see the wig." I said, before zipping open Jason's backpack and rummaging inside until I found the said wig.

It was a platinum blonde wig cut into a neat bob.

"Ehh? It's a girly wig." Was my lazy response after I took a good look at it. "Why do you even have this in your house?"

"Dunno, it's always just lying about." He said, before rubbing his stomach. "Do you think Jack will give us a snack even though we're late?" I sighed before looking slightly dejected

"No, you know how Jack is. If a certain someone wouldn't have taken so long we would have maybe gotten a cheese sandwich."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But it's coming up to the swimming gala and Mr. Leech wouldn't let me out any sooner."

"Sure sure, here have the slushie." I said pushing it towards him.

You know what I think the deepest of friendship is? It's when you're willing to sacrifice yummy food and drink for your friend, and your friend accepting it without the fake polite 'Oh I couldn't possibly'

I'm happy to say that Jace and I had reached this level and beyond. I free loaded at his house whenever he wasn't busy with his sailing, swimming, cycling shit. Admittedly he did that more than I would have liked but still.

"Ugh it tastes like cheap chemicals." He said while scrunching his face up.

"Ugh it's a hungry bastard whose complaining about free calories."

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you." He said, but the small upwards tilt of his lips betrayed him.

"And sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with any of you. I mean I could do so much better." Jason nudged his elbow into my side, enough so I would squirm but it wouldn't hurt.

"Sure you could."

And then we just walked in peaceful silence.

Jack wasn't very happy when he saw us.

"What took you so long? It's nearly 5." I rolled my eyes before entering his house. His mutts were behind him and when they saw me they began to growl and yap.

"Ey Jack, shut those mutts up before I give them a good kicking." Jack glared at me before turning towards his dogs and tried to shush them. He knew I was perfectly serious with my threat and because he valued his precious mutts he did what I told him to do.

His poodle mutts were dirty and assholey. They also hated my guts. Needless to say I didn't spare much love for them either.

"Emma's upstairs in her room. Now, William let's get going and play a round." I shoved him hard before following Jason upstairs, although unlike him I walked into the first bedroom.

I sat down on the ground waiting for Jack to start his Xbox.

"Hey if I win against you in fortnite can I get a cheese sandwich?" I asked him as I twiddled the buttons on the Xbox controller. Jack thought about my offer for some time before agreeing.

"But if I win you'll have to go out into the streets and shout really loudly that you're gay." I looked at him in shock.

"No way in hell, son." Jack grinned.

"Then you'll be cheese sandwichless. Poor little cheese sandwich, all abandoned by you."

I shook my head, there was no way I'd agree to that.

"I'm not a main character of some kind of book you can goad into doing something so moronic. Besides we all know that you're better at playing fortnite." Jack shrugged before he started up the game.

In the end I was killed right off the bat so it was good that I didn't make the bet, it was always better to play it safe. Of course I was sad that I didn't get my cheese sandwich but I could always make up for that later.

Just then Jason came into the room, looking a little out of it.

"Everything ok?" I asked him. He nodded in a really unconvincing way.

Well... let's make the wig emo." I said, standing up and walking towards Jace.

"Um actually I need to head home, I've got to study and do my spelling." Wow, that had been Jace's excuse when he was 15 so if he had to use stuff like that then he really needed to do something.

"Ah ok. Well, I'm going with you. Let's get another slushie." I said following him downtairs. "Bye Jack."

"Are you guys making a sub Storm Troopers?" Jack asked, in a half joking tone.

"No, why would you think that?"

"It's just you guys seem to do everything together." I looked at him, surprised.

"You and Robin are the same. I'm sorry that we're doing it, I didn't realise and we'll work on making it a big group again." I said before leaving. I liked Jack, I really did, but he was a bloody hypocrite sometimes.

As me Jason and me were sitting on a bench slurping our slushies I finally asked him.

"So what was the matter at Jack's house?" Jason shook his head before looking down at his slushie.

"It's nothing." I rolled my eyes before phrasing my question differently.

"Did Emma assault you or something?" He blushed slightly before shaking his head.

"It wasn't like that, it's just that she sometimes acts really flirty and it's just awkward and weird." I nodded before we both lapsed into silence.

"Lets go and get the wig done, I'll try my best to distract you from the horrible flirtiness." I got up, and aimed my empty cup in a skilful throw towards the bin. The plastic cup arched in the air before bouncing off the edge of the bin and landing on the pavement. "God damn it! I was so close." I groaned before walking over and actually putting it in the bin.

Jason also threw his cup into the bin, but unlike mine it went in perfectly.

"Show off." I grumbled before heading off, I could hear Jason laughing behind me. He was lucky that he was so good at sports, I'd have killed to have just a sliver of his skill.