WARNING:
EMOTIONAL CONTENT.
Mentions young carer pressures, anxiety, social pressures, emotional distress.

A rather misshapen circle was formed in the living room.
Elliott hoped Zee would play, but she had already made a beeline for the refreshments table whilst everyone was finding a place in the circle.
Naomi placed an ice-cold Coca-Cola bottle in the centre of the circle.
Aurelia shuffled forward.
With a grin on her face, she spun the bottle. 

Irene looked around at all of the excited faces.
She couldn't really understand what all the fuss was about.
This was basically a glorified kissing game. And why was everyone in such a hurry to kiss each other in the first place?
Did they all like each other or something? No, Irene knew that was highly unlikely. 

A loud 'ooh' sound, coming from the others, caught Irene's attention.
The bottle landed on Eloise. 

Aurelia smirked at Eloise, who just looked down. 

"What, can you not handle me, Bhasin?"

Eloise looked up at her, making sure to maintain eye contact so Aurelia knew she wasn't intimidated.
She quickly glanced at Atlas, worried that James' comment earlier in the week was still playing on his mind.
She knew it was just a game, but she was also a shoulder for Atlas to cry on when Aurelia first broke up with him.
She hated seeing her friend hurt then, and she refused to be the reason he could potentially get hurt now. 

However, Atlas gave her a subtle nod, followed by a small smile. 

"We doing this or not, Eloise?" asked Aurelia. 

Confident Atlas wouldn't be hurt, Eloise nodded.
Aurelia turned towards her and got up, walking in her direction.
When she got to her, she sat down on her knees.
She grabbed the collar of Eloise's jacket, pulling her closer.
When their lips connected, Aurelia placed her free hand on the back of Eloise's head. Before she could deepen the kiss, Eloise pulled away, to Aurelia's surprise. 

Eloise smirked.
"Didn't want to give you more than you could handle."

Aurelia's eyed widened, but after a couple of seconds, she chuckled.
"Fair enough.
Well played, Eloise."

During their kiss, the other students cheered.
Irene couldn't for the life of her, work out why it was such a big deal.
They acted like this was some form of entertainment, but it was far from entertaining as far as Irene was concerned. 

Atlas spun the bottle, and Eloise noticed the worried look on Spencer's face.
Remembering their earlier conversation about Spencer being worried his first kiss would be embarrassing, Eloise frowned.
She wanted to help him, but she wasn't sure how to. 

"Irene!
The bottle landed on you", said Elliott. 

Rowan looked up at Irene.
A part of him wanted to see if she was excited at the prospect of kissing Atlas. Although he couldn't make out what her facial expression meant, he was relieved that she wasn't grinning or jumping with joy. 

"Oooh, pucker up, Irene", said Elliott, earning an eye roll from Irene. 

"It's ok, we don't have to if you don't want to", said Atlas. 

James scowled.
"Nah man, that's lame!"

"It's just a game", said Atlas.
"If she doesn't want to she doesn't have to."

Irene sighed in relief, before looking at Atlas and giving him a grateful smile. 

"Oh, come on, don't be a buzz kill", said James.
"What's hard about kissing?
Even this vírgin swot knows–"

"Hey, James?", called out Zee, stepping into the circle and approaching James.
"I've got something for you."

James' smug expression irritated Zee further, and she clenched her jaw as he stood up, taking a big step closer to her.
He moved his face only inches away from her, in an attempt to get her to squirm. Without saying a word, Zee lifted up the cup of Fanta that was in her hand, not breaking eye contact as she poured it over James' head.

James gasped and spluttered, reacting too late and jumping back once all the Fanta was on him.
He quickly wiped at his face with his hands. 

"You cow!", he exclaimed.

Some of the other students gasped, whilst others—namely those in Zee's history class, laughed.
Alex jumped up and ran towards the pair, putting himself in between them and holding his hands out. 

"Woah, calm down!", he exclaimed. 

James pointed at Zee.
"What you tellin' me to calm down for?
Tell that psycho!"

Naomi joined Alex, but turned her attention to Zee. 

"Why are you trying to ruin my party for?
I thought you might actually be alright but you're just a freak."

"Hey, don't call her that", said Aurelia. 

"Yeah, there's no need for that", said Atlas. 

"Don't get involved, Aurelia", said Naomi, ignoring Atlas. 

"She's my best friend, of course I'm–" started Aurelia. 

"It's fine", interjected Zee.
"Don't really care anyway.
I'm, uh, I'm gonna step outside for some air."

¤¤¤

After the eventful game, the group decided to get together and discuss their findings. Atlas has searched the whole house for Zee, stumbling upon three very loved up couples in the process.
Unsuccessful, Atlas made his way back to the group, just as Rowan approached them. 

"Oh, where were you?", asked Rowan. 

"Looking for Zee.
Were you looking for her too?", asked Atlas. 

Rowan shook her head.
"No, I was looking for Irene."

"Oh, she headed outside like five minutes ago.
Said something about needing to call someone", said Atlas. 

"Guys, can we focus for a second?", asked Eloise. 

"I thought you'd be more bothered about Zee and Weber", said Elliott. 

"Oh I am.
It's taking me everything in my power not to swing at James right now, but we can't risk letting Mr. Patel down again", she replied. 

"Well I found out that it's not just the rally that needs work, the actual tournament does too", revealed Danny.
"A lot of people want more stalls or food options so it's enjoyable for people who aren't really there for the sports."

"But isn't the whole point of the tournament to focus on sports?", asked Elliott. 

"Not necessarily", said Rowan.
"It's really about school spirit.
The whole school coming together as one. Maybe we should tell Mr. Patel to organise parts of the actual tournament as well?"

Meanwhile, Irene was in the front garden, sitting on one of the steps that lead up to the house.
Her father had already texted her to say he was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but his lack of replies to her messages now still made her uneasy. 

A medium chocolate chip muffin was held out in front of Irene, taking her by surprise. When she looked up, she saw that Zee was standing next to her. 

"What's this?", asked Irene. 

"A dancing broccoli", replied Zee. 

Irene chuckled.
"No, I meant–forget it."

"So do you want it?"

"Shouldn't I be giving that to you?
For what you did in there, with James?"

Zee shook her head.
"Nah.
That's been a long time coming."

"He'll make your life Hell for that, you know", reminded Irene. 

"Yeah, cos it's a total walk in the park now, ain't it?"

Irene looked up at Zee again, an uncharacteristic smile appearing on her face.
Irene laughed. 

"Fair point", said Irene. 

Zee held the muffin out to her again. 

"Go on, take it.
If I know you, you haven't eaten since lunch time.
Too busy looking after your dad on your own, right?"

Irene's smile fell.
She wasn't sure what came over her, but she felt a desperate and panicked rage washing over her.
She quickly stood up and reached for Zee's shoulders.
Without missing a beat, she pushed her against one of the sandstone exterior walls of the house. 

"Right, listen here Zee.
I know you're into getting gossip on people's lives.
This is all just some big game to you, but this is my life!
I don't know how you found out whatever you think you know, but you don't know the half of it.
So I'm begging you—keep your mouth shut."

The desperation in Irene's voice pulled at Zee's heartstrings.
She tried to look emotionless, but her face softened when she saw tears starting to brim in Irene's eyes. 

"I know", said Zee. 

"What?
Look, Zee, I told you–"

"I know what you're going through", said Zee. 

Irene scoffed.
"No, you don't!"

"You're the only one who looks after your dad, right?
Maybe he's sick, maybe he's not able to work... I don't know.
But there's no one else.
You always make sure your phone is charged up just in case they call, and you tell your neighbours just enough to keep them from getting suspicious, but not enough for them to see you're looking after him all on your own.
Because if they knew... your family would be ripped apart."

Irene's eyes widened a little.
She opened her mouth to speak, but she had no idea what she wanted to say. 

"H-How did you–"

"I know, because... that's what I do.
My parents were in an accident a few years ago, and they never fully recovered.
They're much better than they were before, but they're still in pain.
Almost all the time."

"W-Wait, I-I don't understand.
You never speak about... why are you telling me?"

"I don't know.
I'm just... I'm tired.
I'm exhausted all the time and I–"

"Just want someone to understand?", finished Irene. 

Zee nodded. 

"Look, you don't have to worry about me telling anyone.
Your secret's safe with me, Irene."

¤¤¤

It was night time, and most of the group had gone to sleep.
Spencer, however, was tossing and turning in his bed.
The events of the day, and the feelings he had kept bottled up recently, were starting to get to him.
It wasn't exactly the kind of thing he wanted to confide in his parents about either.
Just as he was about to force himself to go to sleep, his phone vibrated from under his pillow.
He quickly pulled it out, grimacing when his phones brightness took him by surprise. 

Eloise: Hey 

Eloise: I know something's been bothering you lately, so that probably means you're not sleeping properly 

Eloise: I'm outside your house now.
Let's go for a walk. 

Spencer smiled softly at the last message. Late night walks were their thing.
As their friendship strengthened over the years, they got more comfortable with each other.
If one of them was stressed, or just needed to vent, a simple text rant wasn't enough. No, the other person would come by their house and they'd talk in person.
Some friends liked to text, some liked to call, but this is what Spencer and Eloise liked to do. 

They prided themselves on always being there for each other. 

Once Spencer snuck out of his house, the pair walked around for a bit.
Spencer didn't talk much, and Eloise didn't push him to.
They found themselves at the skate park, although Spencer had decided to just blindly follow Eloise halfway through, so it was really her idea. 

They sat underneath a nearby tree, looking out at all the ramps and community skateboards that could be borrowed for a fee of two pounds an hour.

"You've, uh, you've been pretty quiet today", said Eloise.
"I get it.
You probably just need some time to yourself, you know?
Away from all the pregnancy stuff."

"It feels like I'll never get away from it", said Spencer.
"Not that I want to!
I'm so excited to meet my little brother or sister.
I just... I don't know if they'll be excited to meet me."

Eloise furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I haven't exactly achieved much, have I?
I've done literally nothing with my life.
I've always stayed in my lane and sticked to my own company.
I've always been scared my anxiety will ruin experiences for me.
I was fine sticking to my usual routine, you know?
But... now that I'm going to have a little sibling?
I feel like I'll be the biggest let down ever."

Eloise frowned.
"Is that what the whole first kiss thing was about?
And why you asked Danny if there were any more parties?"

After a moment of hesitation, Spencer nodded. 

"I just want to have cool experiences I can tell them about.
I want to teach them things.
I don't know, I guess I just want to actually contribute something, you know?
I want my life to be, like, meaningful to them."

"Spencer, your life is meaningful.
And you've done loads of things!"

"Eloise, I've never been kissed, I've never gone on a date, I've only ever been to two parties—both of which were disasters.
I've never partied all night, or even just a little bit!"

"Spencer, stop thinking about all of the stuff you haven't done, and start thinking about all the stuff you have done.
And this whole kiss thing... it's alright!
Like I said earlier, wanting first kisses to be magical–"

"It's not about that!
I'm not saying it needs to be like some big fairy tale.
I just want to get it over and done with, you know?
Right now I just feel all this pressure to have my first kiss, but I'm also anxious that I'll get laughed at for being weird.
Like, what if I kiss like a woodpecker?"

Eloise snorted, quickly covering her mouth after she did so. 

"El!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
It's just–woodpecker?", she questioned, making Spencer laugh. 

"You know what I mean."

Eloise nodded.
"I think I do.
You don't want the social pressure of not having your first kiss, so you want to get it out of the way.
Brush it under the carpet, say you've done it, and then when you kiss someone you actually like... it'll be better because you've got some experience?"

"Exactly!
But it's not just that.
It's also one more pivotal teen experience I'll have under my belt to share with my little sibling."

Eloise nodded.
After a long pause, she turned her body towards him and spoke.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?"

"Kiss you."

Spencer's eyes widened.
After a few seconds, he laughed. 

"Good one!"

"I'm serious.
You want to have your first kiss but don't want to be embarrassed.
Well, you don't have to worry about being embarrassing with me.
Plus, I've kissed a few people so I'll be able to use my experience to help you."

Spencer raised an eyebrow, his smile gradually fading when he realised she wasn't joking.

"But... what if things get weird between us?", he asked. 

"Why would it?
We're just friends.
In fact, I can personally promise you that I will not fall in love with you by kissing you."

"You know, I can't tell if that's reassuring or insulting."

Eloise chuckled.
"It was meant to be reassuring, I promise. So, you in?"

"Uh... I don't know."

"We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I... yeah, actually.
Yeah.
Let's do it.
To new experiences, hey?"

Eloise smiled.
"To new experiences."

Spencer awkwardly turned so that he was facing Eloise.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, almost like he wanted to shake her as opposed to hold her.
Sensing he was nervous, Eloise took his hands and clasped her left hand around them, before resting them in her lap.
She placed her right hand on the side of his face and leaned in.
Spencer's lips were a little cold, and slightly chapped.
The taste of Mint Aero chocolate lingered on his mouth.
He was rigid at first, but after a few seconds, he relaxed a little.
Eloise leaned into his touch, letting their foreheads touch.
Eloise's lips were soft and tasted like cherry chapstick.
They both moved awkwardly at first, moving their heads in the same direction and pressing noses.
They found their rhythm soon enough though. 

It was weird though.
Spencer wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was still shocked.
A fizzing feeling builded up in his stomach, and he felt a strange tingle across his body. It didn't feel like how he thought kissing Eloise would be.
It was hard to explain, but it was like a door had been unlocked.
The tide had changed.
Something shifted. 

Eloise pulled away, inhaling deeply when she realised just how much air she needed. The fizzy feeling in Spencer's stomach lingered, and he felt his face getting hotter. 

"So... was that good?", she asked.

Spencer nodded.
"Uh, I-I, yeah, mhm.
Good, yeah."

Eloise smiled.
"Good.
And the great news is you don't kiss like a woodpecker."

Spencer laughed. 

A slightly awkward silence washed over the pair, but neither wanted to leave.
After a brief moment, Eloise let her arm dropped beside Spencer's.
She smiled softly at him, and he looked over at her. 

"By the way, you have done really cool things.
You can skateboard, you were part of a crazy study session that turned into a party. In year nine, you led that search party with me to find Melissa Kennedy's missing cat."

"Search party?
It was just us two."

"Still counts.
You made your own skateboard, and made one for your robot baby—pretty f*cking cool if you ask me.
When the local council didn't fix the park swing that almost seriously injured Ivan, you were the one who convinced your parents and my foster parents to help fix it. You're a really cool person, Spencer.
In all the ways that matter.
Your little brother or sister is already the luckiest person in the world, because they have you as a big brother."

Spencer smiled at her.
Unsure of the right words to express his gratitude, he inched his hand closer to hers. Eloise wrapped her pinky finger around his, chuckling softly as Spencer lifted it up and waved their fingers around.
Spencer closed his eyes, letting the rustling of the tree leaves fill his ears. 

The more Spencer thought about it, the more he realised that all of the times Eloise mentioned, all of the moments he could remember as well, they all had one thing in common.

Eloise was always there by his side.

-------

Hi.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it just as much. This might be the last update for a while, because things are going to be quite hectic for me after this week, and it'll probably last until Christmas break to be honest. Who knows, maybe I'll feel really inspired and energised to update again, but I'm not sure at the moment.

I enjoyed writing the Zee and James 'feud' in this chapter. Also, bringing in some more of the side characters was fun! At the moment, I have no plans for Danny to have a bigger role, but I wanted to develop the world building and school environment a bit more. The group won't only interact with each other, after all.

Irene is starting to call into question some of the things she never really gave much thought to before, as seen in the Spin The Bottle game. How will she navigate her feelings moving forward?

Irene and Zee finally knowing about each other's home life opens up a lot of good opportunities for them to bond. It's really important to find a support system of people who go through what you are going through as well. But also, it's good to have friends that don't necessarily relate, but still care about you and want to help. What do you think about this potential friendship pairing?

Irene's initial reaction to Zee revealing what she knows fits well in my opinion. Sure, Irene isn't a confrontational person, but she lives with the fear that her dad could be taken away from her if there is even one slip up. We really see her protective side.

Spencer is going through a lot, bless him. He's got a really good friend in Eloise though. As someone who doesn't like change, he is having to adjust to a lot of it right now. Could this unexpected moment with Eloise be another change he needs to navigate? Or is it something he'll get over as time goes by?

The more intimate moments in this chapter were a bit tricky to write, because of how detailed I tried to get it. Ultimately, I wanted to portray a sort of clumsy and awkward first kiss.

The Spencer and Eloise scene at the end— I actually played a song whilst walking around for a bit, and played out this scene in my head. I thought it flowed really well, and worked well with the song. Unfortunately, I didn't save it, and I kind of stopped and started this chapter a few times for various reasons, so the scene I envisioned earlier wasn't as fresh in my head. The song I ended up adding does work, but I can't remember if it's the same song or not. I know that sounds weird, but I listen to A LOT of music, so it's hard to keep track of. I might come back to this and rewrite the ending to improve it, but I would love to hear your thoughts on it as it is please! 

SONG: As Long As You Love Me by Sleeping At Last.

• PLAYED DURING FINAL SCENE •

I'm pretty sure I asked this question in the previous chapter, but I'll ask again. Do you have a favourite friendship pairing?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

starryeyedturtle

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ejsandfarkleslovebot

Tornado-Jockey