noah

"Frick!" 

I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Jason hit his foot on the chair leg and stub his toe. 

"Would you stop freaking me out and acting like a five-year-old?" I yelled. 

"Oh shut up. It hurts like hell," he scowled, hopping around on one foot and banging into furniture. 

"Watch the lion!" I leaped up and pulled the small lion statue to safety as Jason crashed into the cabinet. 

"Sorry," he said, wincing as he collapsed onto the carpet. Sighing, I placed the statue our family had had for about fifty years back into place. 

"I hadn't figured you could be so attached to a statue," he joked as he stretched his foot out. 

"I take offence to that. It's for the benefit of happy parents that I saved it," I snapped back. 

"True."

I flopped down next to him, casting my tired eyes over the textbook that was sitting on my desk. 

"Are we gonna finish studying or what?" Jason asked after two minutes of him inspecting his toe. 

"Nah. I'm really not bothered."

"Me neither," he confessed. 

"Wanna hang out at the park?" 

He sighed. "Not really."

"Well then what do you wanna do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

I groaned. This was the most pointless conversation ever. 

"Well, I'm going out. Catch you later I suppose. And my mum comes home at odd times so best be ready to dash when you hear her car."

"Dad?" He asked.

"Won't be here until tonight."

"Okay then. See ya."

I got up and pulled open the front door, pocketing my keys, wallet, and phone. A blast of hot air entered our cool home and I shrugged off my jacket, leaving a plain black shirt underneath. 

"Are you sure it's not too hot?" Jason called. 

"There's a nice breeze blowing. I'll be fine."

*

The day was rather hotter than I'd thought it to be. As I walked along the pavement, I decided to head towards the small park near my home, which was a few streets away from Jason's. A couple of kids were swinging on the swings and playing on the seesaw, and I briefly smiled before heading over to the oval. God, I didn't even know what to do. Occasionally Jason and I went to the gym, but clearly he wasn't in the mood to go outdoors.

I'd jogged a lap and was starting to feel seriously bored when in the corner of my eye I spotted two- no, three girls head onto the oval, with one spinning a netball- one with long, wavy brown hair, one with strawberry blonde hair and one with short black hair. They crossed the grassy expanse and headed down to the netball and basketball courts. 

I blinked. It was Dawn and Aria and... Kathleen, right? 

Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled out my phone and started to walk slowly towards them, keeping a fair distance. They were talking about something... was that 'Jason' that I heard? 

Suddenly realising that I was now walking faster than I should be, I slowed down and heard Aria say, "Oh who the frick cares. I'm just gonna ask him out. Stop giggling you two!"

I put the pieces together in record time and smirked. 

Now looking at my phone in earnest, I wondered if I should tell Jason. But as I was about to send my message, I paused and deleted it. I wouldn't have liked someone telling other's secrets, and spoiling surprises. 

"Careful, person. This is a public area!" 

I had a one-second warning before I crashed into the threesome, scattering two like chickens and landing on top of a third. 

"Shit, I'm sorry," I began to mutter, begging that it wasn't who I'd thought it would be, and looked down. 

Wide green eyes stared back at me, brown hair spread around her and her full lips slightly open in a silent intake of breath. And her body- her soft body was- 

My brain went into overdrive.

Get off her right now, Noah. Right now. Like, anytime now would be nice. 

Light laughter reached my ears and I focused down again to see her laughing. Her eyes were sparkling as she took in the situation.

"Sorry," I said again, forcing the words past my dry throat, and pulled myself off and, after a second of hesitation, helped her to her feet.

 "Well, isn't this cliche," Kathleen snickered while Dawn dusted herself off. 

I backed away, absolutely ecstatic to head right back home-

"Isn't this your phone?"

I swung round to spot Aria holding out my phone while Kathleen spun the netball. She threw it high up into the air-

"Is Jason with you?"

Dawn groaned and smacked her head while Kathleen stared disapprovingly at Aria- until Dawn peeked between her fingers (which were still hiding her face) and yelled "KAT! The ball!"- and Kathleen was bashed down by the traitorous netball. 

As I muttered a quick, 'No' to Aria, and grabbed the phone, Kathleen mumbled from the ground, "What the heck happened to feminism?"

*

"Aria was there?"

That was Jason's first question.

Not, 'How was the walk?' or 'Why did you come back so early?' or even, 'You look sweaty.'

"Aria- was she there or not?"

"Yeah, I just said that."

"Huh."

I glared at him, then almost yelled, "I freaking fell on top of Dawn!"

He laughed, and I stole the chip packet he was eating from and fell onto the couch. "It's not. Freaking. Funny."

"The look on your expression is," he replied.

"Shut up and go get a date with Aria."

This sobered him up. "Good point."

For a while, we sat in silence. Then-

"So, what do you say- a double date- Aria and I and you and Dawn- I know you like her and you haven't had any trouble with girls before."

"Mate, that's not happening anytime soon."

"Then it's just Aria and I," He flopped back against the couch.

I shrugged. I didn't know why I was already thinking about the next time I'd see Dawn- was this what Jason thought of when he saw Aria?

I turned to look at him. He was staring out the window- so unlike himself that I snickered. "Go ask her out now," I said, nudging him. "They'll probably be at the park."

"They? I'm only asking Aria, thank you very much. I don't need an audience."

"Whatever."

He was out the door before I could open my mouth again.

*

Dawn

I glared as Aria nudged Kat and they smirked at me. "If you're talking about me one more time..." I threatened.

"We're not talking about you! I haven't opened my mouth until now." Aria protested, elbowing Kat pointedly, as if to prove a point, then twirling the ball she'd taken from Kat. Kathleen coughed- which sounded suspiciously like laughter.

I frowned and looked away, feeling my face still bright red. It was so the sun's fault. 

"Sooo..." I jerked as Aria sidled up to me. "Clearly someone (more coughing from Kat) is falling for you-"

I shot a glare at her. "Yeah, we can't be friends anymore."

Aria mock nodded seriously and looked away for a second, passing the ball from hand to hand.

Unable to resist the pull of teasing, she turned around and whispered, "He likes you," into my ear.

A coughing fit reached my ears and I swung a blind punch at Kat.

"Do you need to see the doctor, Kat?" I called as an annoyed 'mpphh' reached my ears.

To Aria, I whispered back, "All the girls he could pick from and it's me?"

She opened her mouth and was about to respond when Jason popped up out of nowhere and Kat and I both launched into painfully loud coughing fits as Aria blushed bright red.

Throwing a scowl over her shoulder, Aria chucked the netball at us, and I dodged out of the way and grinned as Kathleen was knocked down a second time, with a loud, "Holy shit!"

My grin faded as I watched Jason pull Aria over, talk to her, and then hugged.

You have to be happy for her, Dawn. Be happy. She deserves someone.

I repeated this over and over again in my head until all that was left was the word happy, as if it was torturing me.

Taunting me.