I run into the bathroom and splash myself with water, fix my hair, slow my breathing doing everything to not look like I was just up against a wall being kissed on my neck gasping for air just a second ago. 

 Downstairs I sit at the kitchen table where I see mom has made coffee crumb cake muffins and milk tea. My mom is the best cook. 

All of us wolfing down her food like the worlds been starved. And it has, of my mothers cooking. "Wow mom new recipe? Whatever it is it's delicious." "Yes Mrs. Tippy this is really good I took a culinary class last year our professional instructor couldn't have done better." Peter adds. Mom blushes clearly enjoying the praise. "Oh stop, I could never compare to that cooking of a professional. But I really appreciate it." Peter's eyebrows furrow, "I am being totally and completely serious, this is better than anything I ate during the whole two weeks I studied there." Mom looks thoughtful, if also doubtful. "Sweetie I'm not so sure- Is it really that good?" "Don't be modest, it's not good it's amazing!" Suddenly mom stands up and goes to a kitchen drawer where she pulls it open and takes out a flyer, "Well if you really think so, then do you think it's good enough to enter a contest? I've been practicing and thinking about it but if you guys think I'm ready then I think I'll sign up." We all take one look at her muffins, and it says it all. All four of us at the same time (including my father) say, "YES." And that's all it takes for mom to print out the online sign-up sheet, and sign it.

 Then while me Dash and Peter get started on my extended chores and dad heads to a friend's house, mom drives off to mail out her sign-up sheet. Before we start cleaning, I pull from the hall closet a speaker, then connect it to my phone and hit the play button to my playlist. The speakers start playing "Pump it" by Black eyed peas.

 Peter and Dash watch me so as the music picks up speed, I start swaying sticking out my pointer fingers, making romantic hand gestures meaning I want them to come and dance, to both of them at the same time. Peter looks from me to Dash, obviously unsure, Dash seeing this as a dare cocks his signature smile, makes the first move advancing toward me. 

He comes up behind me his hands on my hips, my hands reaching backward holding the sides of his head, his own hips copying the deep dip swaying of mine. 

(I know what you're thinking. Wtf are you doing!? You're dirty dancing with your best friend. But c'mon, it's just a little dancing.) 

The music starts getting really fast paced, me and Dash now side by side no longer touching mimicking each other's moves, first putting our hands behind our heads pushing out our chests back and forth, Laughing and smiling the whole time, then jumping up and when landing sweep our hands through the air pointer fingers out, switching the arm we use after every jump, then finally slowing down as the music slows down.

 I notice that Peter still hasn't moved. I make the hand gesture at him again. He shakes his head No. Huh, stage fright, maybe? Moving across the living room floor as seductively as possible, I reach peter putting a hand on his shoulder, I cock my hip to one side. Then returning to a natural stance, turn my back to him take his hands place them on my hips, recreating the same dance me and dash had started with, luring him out of his stage fright. Unlike with dash I lean against him my head tilted backwards resting on his shoulder. Then quick as a flash, I whip out of his arms dancing all on my own, my eyes on his daring him to do the same. This time the challenge is excepted. 

For the rest of the morning, we clean and dance and laugh, the three of us. Were all finished flopping onto the couch, tired from the effort of cleaning and dancing. On cue the door opens its mom. "Oh my god, it looks spotless in here!" Mom squeals. You'd think she'd never seen a clean house before. "You guys did way more than just a day's worth of chores, you guys must be exhausted!" Mom continues. It's true we were super tired, but it had been a lot of fun for an early Saturday morning. "Well don't you guys worry about a thing, rest for a while." Mom leaves the living heading into the kitchen, a few minutes later she returns with three bowls full of ice cream. "Here you guys must be a little hot, and hungry so here's a nice cold snack." "Thank you Mrs Tippy." My mom smiles "Don't worry about it. And please call me Carol." Peter looks contemplative, "How bout I call you Mrs. Carol instead?" My mom's eyes twinkle. "Such a gentlemen you are! Okay, you can call me Mrs. Carol, but only since you insist." My mom grabs her purse and heads up to her bedroom.

 Me and Dash snarf down the ice cream like we'd never tasted anything so sweet. And peter sticks his pinky out eating the ice cream slowly little by little.

 After his maybe twentieth bite, he pretends to have only just noticed us acting like starved dogs. Peter stands up whipping his head flicking his invisible hair, "Huh, well I never! Pigs!" We all contain our laughter chuckling a little. Dash stands up trying to look like he's a Greek god. Dash speaks as deep and heroically as he can, giving his voice bass as he booms, "I AM NOT A PIG, I AM A VEGAN!!!!" He lunges at Peter, and they tumble to the ground wrestling, "No offense Peter but I'm betting on dash." I shout letting them both know who I think will win. And it's payday. Dash has Peter pinned on his stomach. I whoop and cheer like we just scored a touchdown. I jump rum fall to my knees sliding. I wrap my arms around Dash's neck. "AND I-I-I-I will always love you!" I bellow, classic Whitney Houston. 

Dash playfully shoves me off. I laugh falling onto my back purposely. "Wow this is so great, to think just a few days ago I was so worried it wasn't going to be the two of us anymore. I was so afraid that things would change, that certain things were already changing." I sit up noticing that Dash and peter had also fallen to the floor on their backs at some point. All of us staring at the blank ceiling. I look directly at peter. Watching his body's response to my words. "But then I realized, change isn't all bad, it's not bad at all, me and Dash have had this monthly tradition up until two months ago, and this time we almost died because our tradition was stupid and dangerous... and we needed a change. And you Peter are an amazing friend and I wouldn't have met you or anybody new for that matter, if something between me and Dash hadn't interfered, and Dash hadn't done something differently, hadn't changed." Dash and peter are both sitting up now listening, "I guess what I'm trying to say is I am so glad I got the opportunity to meet you, and with you this has been a great day." I direct that last bit toward Peter.

 I put a balled fist to Dash, we bump fists. I look into peter's eyes, genuinely not interested in him right now as anything more than a lifetime's worth friend. I put out my fist, Peter bumps fists. Then Peter and Dash bump. 

It's been a few hours. We all had biked over to Dash's house where we there is a pool in the backyard. I have always loved swimming. Actually, there is only one thing that ever bothered me about it. Bathing suits. Ugh, I hate bathing suits. Once there was a time where my mom didn't care what I swam in. Then I turned ten. Okay I'll be honest, it had been my birthday and I wanted a pool party, mom took me to get a new bathing suit since I had out-grew my swim trunks. I always wore a white T-shirt with it. But instead of taking our usual route in our neighborhood department store to the boy's section, we ended up in the girl's section. "Mommy I think we went the wrong way." I had told her. Long story short, she said I was a growing girl, and needed to act like one and it was time I started wearing bathing suits. So, from then on up until now mom buys me a new bathing suit every year. Not TRUNKS. But this year was the worst by far mom had got me a bright sunny yellow one. It was so bright it was almost neon. Sure to draw lots of unwanted attention of the only other two people coming to swim. But that is not the HALF OF IT. The worst part of this all is mom decided that this year I was a young woman and got me a.... Bikini!!! This is worse than when she took me shopping for my first bra. I nearly had a heart attack when mom handed it to me. I had shoved it into the farthest corner of my closet, and never used it since, that was six months ago. 

But unfortunately, Dash had all his trunks donated, I couldn't fit my old bathing suits, (Heaven knows it's better than a bikini) and I didn't even bother asking dad. And I didn't dare ask PETER. So having no other choice I grabbed the bathing suit I stuffed it into a bag filled with things I might need if I spend the night. Then like a soldier heading off to war stiffly nervously marched to Dash's house. When I got there, Dash was in his bedroom, I came in. Peter wasn't here yet. I sat on his bed scared to put on the two pieces of napkin called a bikini. Dash pulled off his shirt then his pants, leaving his underwear, put on his swim trunks. I sat on the bed, waiting for a way to not have to put the bikini on. Dash now finished dressing waited for me to dress as well. When I did not his face became a question mark then a light bulb. "Oh did you want me to leave, I thought we were good- since- you know- the incident. But if you're not ready or if things can't be the same anymore that's fine." Dash said nonchalant, but the sound of his voice and the way he shifted uneasily told me he was feeling something underneath, confused? Sad? He turned to go out, "No! I mean no... it's not anything like that I just didn't want you to see the bathing suit until I absolutely had to." I peeked out into the hall making sure Peter didn't see the suit yet. "It's just something I'm not used to, okay? I'll show you as long as you promise not to laugh." Dash mimes zipping his lips. I take a deep breath and pull off my pants and shirt. I look up at Dash, then turn around before taking off my bra, then place on the bikini top. "Turn around." I tell dash he turns toward the wall I quickly trade my underwear for my bikini bottoms. "Okay you can look." I say. Dash turns around Dash studies me then whistles, "Wow Aaron you have just made babe of the year. How's it feel to be a winner as hot as you are?" Feeling less awkward and happy with Dash's response in a way I never thought I would be, I strut over to him arm around his neck pressing our bodies together. And say, "Wouldn't you like to know." Then I playfully slap his face and walk out the door. Dash follows after me saying, "Mama Mia, that is a 'one spicy meatball!" with an Italian accent. I stop at the bottom of the stairs, Peter is here. Maybe I can make it back up the stairs before he can see me. Too late. He's watching me. I take a deep breath, then make my way to where Peter is sitting, walking with an air of confidence, I, in what no way actually feel. "So what do you think?" I brace for impact. "Um, it looks nice?" Peter says unsure. And then it hits me. Peter has never seen me in anything else, and on top of that he has probably seen so many girls in bikinis its normal for a girl like me to be in one too, tomboy or not. I suddenly feel foolish for asking. Although maybe he was expecting there to be a T-shirt over it or something, which now that I think about it would have been a great idea. Too late now they both have seen already, no point in changing. The thought kinda makes me angry but I shake it off. Peter goes upstairs to change into his trunks. 

I go to the kitchen to make myself a glass of orange juice, but Dash being him, races off to start the fun all on his own. I hear a big splash, Dash + Pool = Sopping wet. In other words, endless cannon balls. Finished drinking my juice I make my way out of the kitchen, but halfway through the kitchen peter comes up to me. "Oh, hey I'm on my way to the pool now, you coming?" I ask. "Yeah but first, I wanted to tell you, are you free next Saturday. You know.... for our date?" To be honest I had completely forgotten all about our date. I shook my head yes. "Okay cool, also how much Spanish do you know?" "None actually. Why?" Peter shakes his head smiling, "You'll see." Hmm, odd. I splash into the pool thankful for the refreshing cool sensation.

 I can't say that it was a super hot day, but all the cleaning did make me a little hot on an already warm afternoon even though it was already fall. I swam over to dash trying to keep him from getting out the pool so he can drown us three times over with his massive cannon balls. "Dash you're gonna kill us!" I scream yanking him back into the water. Dash smiled like an idiot. I give his ear a fierce flick. "Ow! Not this again." Yes this again. I give him one more for extra measure. Then I go swim over to peter who had quietly patiently watched the whole thing. "Oh my god he is such a pain in my donkey's butt." I say to peter, "Well it seems that you guys have a connection." Peter says calmly. I look over to where dash is, "Yeah we do, I don't think I'd give up our friendship for anything. Dash he's always just been there for me. We've known each other such a long time. Almost ten years." I look back to Peter he is busy studying Dash to meet my eye. Is peter jealous? Oh no! Did I give him a reason to be. 

Peter's eyes turn to focus on me. "If you could have anything in the world what would it be?" I think about it. "I guess nothing. There's not really much I want right now." Peter nods his head wisely. All of us spend the rest of the day having water war, swim races, underwater Hide and go seek. When we come back inside, I am exhausted. I decide to stay the night after all. Peter gets picked up at 6:59 pm, half an hour later. We got here at 2:00 pm. Me and Dash walk upstairs and change. I grab the pajama's I packed in my overnight bag and replace their spot with my dirty clothes, Dash and I, hang our bathing suits over the lawn chairs by the pool to dry it out in the sun. I turn on the Tv in his bedroom. Then we pull out sour belts and potato chips, no popcorn for us. After the movie we eat dinner. It's 8:23. Then go upstairs to brush our teeth, and go play video games until 10:54, when we finally get tired. I get into bed with Dash, I lay on his chest. It's unbearably quiet, I think about what is there really to say and it hits me it's something important, "Hey dash... um I got to be somewhere next Saturday." "Your mom finally convince you to get braces?" I hold my breath although I'm not exactly sure why I mean Dash and I have already been through this and solved it, it shouldn't mean anything anymore, so why do I get a sinking feeling in my gut that it does? "Uh no not exactly. I'm going on a date. With peter." It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. My chest started to ache for oxygen. Twenty seconds later. 

"Oh okay." That's all he says. I release my breath. I cautiously ask "So whatever happened to asking April out to the dance or on a date. It's been a while since you talked about her." Dash doesn't answer, for a moment I wonder if I made the wrong decision asking him that question especially right now. "You know I haven't really thought of her since hanging out with Peter." I smile. I tap his nose with the tip of my finger "Well I think you should still go ask her, I mean we're in our junior year of high school and were both still single. We'll be seniors next year! We have to step up our game." Dash smiles and wraps his arms around my waist. "Maybe I will ask her." He whispers. He places a kiss on my cheek, "Goodnight." He says, I say goodnight back, but he has already fallen asleep, a moment later so am I.