Brandon

Wow, to say Lizzie has been acting a bit weird lately is an understatement. I know she's at that age, you know, where girls are going through a lot and can be hormonal and have heaps to deal with, but she's started kind of getting almost jealous lately. I know we're best friends and have been since we were five years old, and I love her. Really love her like my sister. I dismiss the thought; she's having a tough time, I'm so glad I'm not a girl growing up. Being a boy is bad enough. Although I was lucky not to have gone through the whole spotty teenage cycle.

We're heading over to Mason's, and I'm looking forward to catching up with the gang. There are four of us; we've been hanging together for the last three years, and when we all go our separate ways for college, it is going to be so damn weird. Only I'm not sure what the plan is with Lizzie. She wants to go into fashion design and travel to Paris, but her father has other plans for her. She is pretty strong-willed, and her mother, Ellie, is on her side. I think she just wants an excuse to use her husband's jet to fly off to Paris regularly and spend a lot of money on all those fancy clothes.

Ellie is my best friend full stop. Period. I have guy mates like Tobias who we call Tobes. He is such a freak geek and just so different from me that we're like different continents. He is the brainbox out of us all, not that I'm dumb; in fact, I always get great grades. Mostly because my private and favorite tutor, Lizzie helps me after class.

Then there is Denver; now he is like a God. The girls love him, and he plays on it. I thought he was bad, but you've not seen anything until you meet Denver. He is like six foot four, broad and muscular, with a mop of sandy-blonde hair and green eyes. The girls go nuts for him. But he is one dedicated and loyal man. He has been dating one of our other friends, Lilly, for three years, and it is looking pretty serious.

"Hey guys," I shout out as I swing open the doors to Mason's Grill and diner. Our friends are already in a booth; everything in here is red. The booths are red faux leather, the tables are cream, and the walls are red at the bottom, tongue-and-groove, with cream-painted walls on top. The counter is red. I think old man Mason has got a real thing for red. Even his wife, Ma Mason, has got red hair. Dyed, no doubt, because nobody can have natural hair that color.

Denver is the first to say hi. "Where have you two lovebirds been then? We've been waiting half an hour." His voice is teasing.

"Oh for goodness sake, Denver, when are you going to stop referring to us as lovebirds?" replies Lizzie. "We're just friends. Give it a rest, already." She plonks herself down next to Lilly. "Hey, how's it going? Looking forward to the prom?" Ellie nods emphatically.

"Absolutely I am. Can't wait. My dress is really pretty. You're going to love it. Come over to mine later, and I'll show it to you." She is trying to keep it a secret because she doesn't want Denver to know what she'll be wearing. He only knows that he needs to wear a pale blue shirt to match in some way.

"Sure. I'd love to. We can do our homework together." Lizzie says, smiling. I love her smile; her lips are beautiful, like Cupid's bows. My bestie is an extremely beautiful girl. Her long auburn hair usually flows down her back, but today she has it in a high ponytail. Her eyes always get me; they're a blue-and-brown mix. I've never seen eyes like them before.

When I first set eyes on Lizzie at just five, I was so intrigued by her eyes. "Look, Mommy, she has weird eyes. They're two colors." I had said. My mother held my shoulder and told me I shouldn't be rude; it wasn't polite. Lizzie didn't seem to mind; she came straight over and hugged me. It took me by surprise, but that is Lizzie for you. Ever the outgoing and forward one. I was shy and reserved, having come from a different country and having left all my closest friends and family behind.

"Hi, my name is Lizzie, and I live right across the street." She stopped hugging me, which wasn't a bad thing since she was squishing the life out of me. "We can be best friends." She said, and that was pretty much that. From then on in, we were inseparable. If I wasn't at her house, she was at mine. Our moms used to have bake-offs every Thursday, and we'd swap whose we would have cakes and milkshakes at.

My dad built us a treehouse in our backyard; it's more than a backyard, actually. Lizzie's family and mine own the largest two mansions in the area. We're from a very affluent area here in California. Most of our friends are, but to be honest, none of us is like you'd see on TV. No, we're pretty much your average kids who like what most kids like. Ball games, sports, hanging out, watching movies, and Tobes has an obsession for gaming. He's pretty good at it.

"Yeah, knock it off, Denver," I say to him. It pisses me off when he keeps referring to us as lovebirds. What now? We're grown-ups; we can't have a best friend of a different gender?

Tobes just grins and slurps his strawberry milkshake through his straw. One day he's going to turn into a strawberry milkshake; it's all he drinks. He needs to get out in the sunshine some more too, I think as I look at him with his pale skin, adorned with freckles. I suppose, though, with skin like that and high ginger hair, he'd probably burn in a few seconds flat.

"Where's Tammy?" asks Lizzie. "I thought we were meeting here too?" She moves up some so I can sit next to her. I kind of like it. As I said, we're pretty much joined at the hip.

"She's coming later. I just messaged her." Tobes tells us. We grin because we know that he has the hots for Tammy, who we nickname Barbie. Yes, you've got it. She mostly wears pink, has a Chihuahua named Pebbles, and has very blonde hair. Now she just needs a Ken, and she'll be set for life.

I feel the warmth of Lizzie's leg pressed against mine. I don't move and leave my leg right where it is.