"Nice place." Austin commented as he placed the basket on the bench.

"Yeah, I used to come here all the time when I was a kid with Brittney. That's how we met." Lyla smiled, a fond look in her green eyes.

"Can I hear the story?" He asked, getting everything ready.

"Well, I was seven when I first met her, some boys thought it would be funny if they took my toy truck from me."

Austin raised his hand, "Toy truck? Why would they wanna take it?"

"Oh, they thought it was weird that I wasn't playing with a Barbie doll. But I was fascinated at the fact that the truck could pick up dirt and move it." She explained, "But Brittney noticed my distress and came over to help me, she told them that if they picked on me again, she would tell their mother's."

A couple strolled by, greeting Lyla and Austin as the two waved back. Turning their attention back to each other, "And did they get scared?"

The brunette laughed, "Yeah, they gave me back my toy and ran off. I asked her if she would stay with me in case they came back, and the rest is history."

"So how long have you two been friends now?"

"Uh, let's see, about...eleven years now. I'm actually surprised that high school didn't separate us, but I'm glad it didn't. Anyways, tell me about yourself."

"What all do you wanna know Lyla? I can be an open book, unless the topic hits too close to home."

Lyla racked her brain for a question before settling on the easiest one, "Favorite song?"

Austin looked nervous for a moment before clearing his throat, "Okay, don't judge me, but I found this song on the day we went out for a walk. I was just clicking around on YouTube, but it's 'Speakeasy' by Alex Ernst." He rushed the end of his sentence as the boy grabbed a drink.

"You mean the guy from David Dobrik's vlogs?"

"Yep."

"The one who smashes the white tables?"

"That's the one." He confirmed as he took a bite from his sandwich.

"Wow, I didn't know he could sing."

"Neither did I, but the guy is good. He could really make a career out of it."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they ate some of their food. Children screaming and laughing from the nearby playground as people walked by. The rest of the afternoon was spent in laughter and knowing each other even better.

"Do you know any places that are hiring?" Austin asked, pushing Lyla back and forth in the swing.

"Depends on where you wanna work at. I know that the place where Brittney's working is hiring for the summer."

"At this point, I just wanna get a job. Help my mother pay bills, living here isn't gonna be cheap."

"Yeah, you're right about that, but I can text her before she gets off work. See if she can get you an application." Lyla offered, dragging her feet along the sand to slow down. Switching places with Austin as he sat down.

"That would be great! Uh, where does Brittney work at?"

"Oh, she works as the cashier at Zero Express Fullerton. It's a coffee shop."

"Nice, do you know what time it is?"

Lyla reached for her phone in her back pocket, clicking on the power button to read the time, "Yeah, it's twelve-fifteen."

"Wait, what!" Austin jumped out of the swing and tumbled to the ground.

"Austin, are you okay?!" Lyla exclaimed as she walked towards him.

"Oh shit, I gotta get you back! Your dad's gonna kill me!"

The girl laughed as parents glared at the boy who cursed in front of their children, "Oh, uh, sorry! I just..gotta get her home or else her dad kills me. You know, those first date jitters. Lyla, come on! It's not funny, quit laughing at me!"

Published: June 29th, 2017
Word Count: 667 words