But, You're my Best friend

           “Aria! Where’s my pipe?” The woman I must call my mother yelled through the two-story house. Not to mention that I’m sleeping, well was, on the second story in my room.

“I don’t know ma, did you check your cabinet?” I groaned sliding out of my bed and walking in my bathroom.

“Found it!” I faintly heard her yell as I turned on the shower water and was half way through washing my hair when the water abruptly turned off without me doing anything.

“Shit.” I groaned to myself realizing I forgot to remind mom to pay the water bill. I grabbed my pajamas and threw them back on and wrapped a towel around my head. I grabbed some new clothes and walked down the stairs to find my ever so lovely mother putting fresh weed in her bong and lighting up.

“Mom did you forget to pay the water bill?” I knew she heard me but she stayed silent focusing on getting high. “Mom!” I yelled getting frustrated now.

“Aria you know I don’t want to be called that.” She looked up at me with her bloodshot eyes as mellow as she could. I rolled my eyes. She was going through a phase where she claims on one of her acid trips she met one of her other lives who told her, her spiritual name was ‘Sky’. Really?

“Sky.” I said sarcastically rolling my eyes. “The water got turned off. Call the water company or have Grandma call and pay over the phone.” She nodded but I knew she wouldn’t. I would have to call my Grandma later. “Anyway, I’m going to go over to Liam’s to finish getting ready for school.” I walked out the back door checking my tomato plants making sure they would okay without water for the day then hopped the chain linked fence that separated mine and my best friends house.

                           Liam’s house was identical to mine but better kept. I tried my best to keep the house clean but it was hard when I basically had to take care of other things like my mom. I went around to the back of Liam’s house, slung my backpack over my shoulder and climbed up the grapevines to his window. I knocked on the window before opening it and tumbling onto his messy room. He had his stereo on low playing our favorite band Led Zeppelin and I turned it up a little bit more since All my Love one of my favorites was playing.

“Li? Where are you?” Just as I said that he came out of the bathroom with just his boxers on and was brushing his teeth. All of the girls at my school probably would of fainted by his minimal but muscular body but I was used it to, we’ve been best friends since I moved in when I was five.

“Ari! What’s going on?” He said with a mouth full of toothpaste. I laughed at him pushing him aside walking into his bathroom that was pretty big.

“Sky forgot to pay the water bill.” I sighed taking the towel off my head and jumped in his shower, flung off my clothes and turned it on.

“By all means help your self.” Liam joked as I guessed he was finishing up brushing his teeth. “So Mikey’s parents are going away this weekend and he’s having a party and invited us to come.” Of course he was going to. That kid was always finding ways to have a party every weekend. I stuck my head out of the shower curtain.

“Li, you know how I feel about parties.”

“I know, but it’s the end of our senior year. I think you should just come to one.” He looked at me with his famous puppy dog eyes. I turned away before I could completely give in.

“I’ll think about it.” I mumbled as I finished showering.

“All of my love, All of my love. All of my love to you now.” I sang with the chorus as I was getting dressed into my black Led Zeppelin tank (oh the irony) and cut shorts. I pulled my extra hair dryer I kept at Liam’s and quickly dried my hair just enough to put it in a long fish tail side braid. I walked out of the bathroom and lay down on his bed and starred at the ceiling. I loved it here, it was more of a home here than it was and could ever be at my ‘home’. Liam’s mother knew about Sky, all of her. And she still didn’t like the fact that I was being exposed to all that stuff, but there was really no other place for me to go. I don’t know who my father is, and I’m not quite sure Sky does either, and my only other family is my Grandma but she has my Grandpa to take care of. She’s the one though that bought us this nice house in a nice neighborhood thinking that would help a little. She has the money to support all of us so she does, and my mom takes advantage of it. So Liam’s mom lets me stay over whenever I want to, which is awesome for Liam and me.

“Alright loser lets get going.” Liam threw my bag at me and I stuck my tongue at him slinging it over my shoulder.

“I’m gonna tell mom.” I teased as I pushed him out of the door. We walked down the stairs to stick ourselves right in the middle of the Benz family morning routines.

“Chrissie! Get your butt down here now to eat or you’re going to be late!” Liam’s mom screamed from the kitchen when we got in.

“Good morning mom.” Liam chuckled giving his mom a kiss and grabbing a muffin she just pulled out of oven.

“Good morning, sweetie please be careful I just took those out!” She huffed and turned around and smiled at me. “Good morning Aria.”

“Mornin’ Cheryl.” I smiled unwrapping my muffin. That was another thing I loved coming here, there’s always something out that Liam’s mom just baked. She was a stay at home mom but did a lot of community stuff.

“C’mon Ari we should get going.” Liam grabbed his drawstring bag full of school stuff and pulled me towards to the door.

“Bye Cheryl.” I laughed as Liam pulled me all the way to his beat up Jeep Wrangler. We got in and I put in my Tom Petty ‘Wildflowers’ CD and sat Indian style with my bag in my lap so nothing would fall out of his no door car.

“You belong among the Wildflowers, you belong somewhere where you feel free.”  Liam and I sung at a red light with the music blasting. I loved this about our relationship. When the song was over Liam turned down the music and looked at me.

“You belong somewhere where you feel free Ari. Not somewhere like here.” Liam started driving again but still had a serious look on his face. He was right.

“Neither do you Li. We’re like two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year living in this crowded town.” I laughed a little knowing what he was going to say next.

“Would you stop quoting Pink Floyd for at least one serious conversation we have?” He said sighing trying to be mad but wounded up laughing anyway.

“When am I ever serious?”

“True.” Liam rolled his eyes. When we got to another red light I turned to Liam and held out my pinky on my bracelet covered wrist and smiled at him. He rolled his eyes yet again. Geez he really does roll his eyes a lot at me.

“Oh god I know that smile.” Liam joked as he was leaving me hanging with my pinky still up in the air.

“Oh just give me your pinky.” I grabbed his hand and he linked his pinky with mine. “Lets promise that after we graduate we’ll see the world. That’s where we belong, all over.”

“Ari, we make this promise every week since we were 15.” Liam sighed pushing my arm, I smiled sitting back in my sit.

“I know just keeping it fresh, I don’t want you to forget.” I stuck my tongue out. It was really the only thing I was really looking forward too.

“I won’t forget, how can I? Don’t worry; it’s going to happen. You’ll see the world one day.”

“We.” I corrected him and he smiled back at me patting my leg like he always does when he knows I’m right.