Dawn

I swear my breathing was as loud as the trains that rumbled every morning as I doubled over with my hands on my knees. Panting, and not to mention sweating like mad, I turned to grin at the even sweatier Aria (if that was possible). She groaned and plonked herself straight onto the park bench.

"Remind me why I agreed to race you around the park?"

"Um, it's quite obvious."

"Chocolate?" She asked weakly. 

"No. It's because you're an idiot."

Her face fell comically. "Oh. Sorry for not meeting your standards. I'll just head home now, shall I?" She got up to go.

"I'm kidding," I said quickly, lobbing a chocolate bar at her head. It smacked her right in the face and she fumbled to catch it. 

I snickered. 

Finally grabbing it, she tore open the wrapper faster than I'd ever do it, and ate half of it in one bite. 

I sighed. "Don't stuff yourself, Aria. You're gonna be sick."

Shrugging, her mouth full, she gestured that she didn't care. As she waved her hands around, one of them hit a passing girl on the shoulder.

"Hey! Watch it, please."

We both turned to apologise- and that was when I realised that it was the girl from recess yet again- with the short black hair and brown eyes. 

"Sorry, Serena!" I said quickly, the same time Aria said apologetically, "Sorry, Kathleen."

I froze. Say what? 

I turned to Aria and tried not to notice the girl's confused expression. "You said her name was Serena!" I hissed, shooting a death glare.

"And I was freaking joking, calm down!" 

The girl, or Kathleen, burst into surprising laughter as she caught our words. 

"I'm sorry... Kathleen." I smiled nervously. Curse Aria to make a joke at the wrong time.

"It's cool," she smiled. "And it's Kat, please, not Kathleen."

"And now," announced Aria, "let us leave this miserable misfit to run laps while we go to lunch and talk about stuff Dawn doesn't need to know about." Grinning at me, she thrust an arm over Kathleen's shoulder, then took a step forwards and tripped on her untied shoelace. 

I laughed. 

Aria laughed.

Kat rolled her eyes and laughed as well.

And that was how we became the Three Musketeers. 

*

Kathleen lived quite far from the high school that we went to so at the end of the day, we split ways, with Aria and I turning left and Kathleen turning right. 

I was surprised a how quickly our friendship had escalated. In three days, we'd become the closest of buddies; we'd even arranged a time where both Aria and Kat would come over to my mum's house (because it would be better in the future when my mum could trust Kat and her family enough so I could stay at her house if she knew Kat better) though at the moment I was at my dad's. 

Aria and I couldn't hold our excitement in, and we talked all about the upcoming get together- it'd been a while since we'd actually let in another girl to our small group and the possibilities were endless. 

Unfortunately, as soon as we passed a fast food store, and Aria spotted Jason inside, she paused to wave at him. I smiled as he waved back, and watched as Aria hung around uncertainly outside as if she was waiting for Jason to come out to speak with us- or her more like. And he did, even if it was quick. 

After he'd gone back inside, placing a hand on her shoulder, I steered her away. 

Blinking, she looked at me, then opened her mouth and said, "Did I tell you about Jason at Youth?"

Sighing, I shook my head. But inside, I was happy. For her. It was clear that she had a crush on Jason. And it was clear that he had no doubts about his feelings for her either. 

As for me, everything was uncertain. 

*

noah

I watched my mum slam her keys and her phone down onto the kitchen table and sigh. She looked so tired, with dark bags under her eyes and her clothes crumpled. 

"Are you okay?" I asked cautiously. I didn't ask my parents too much about their daily lives, but my mother was worrying me, especially since she was so busy almost every day. 

She sighed loudly. "It's just tiring," she said, patting down her pockets to find her phone. There was no need for both of us to say that 'it' was 'work'.

"It's on the table, mum," I said, quickly darting forwards to place it in her hands. They were so cold- cold as ice. 

"Thanks, Noah." She stared at me, her eyes scanning me; no, searching me- and in that moment I knew she was trying to find the boy she'd known back in Year Seven, back when everything was was just innocence and more innocence. 

But he wasn't there anymore, and so I stared back- and realised that the happy, carefree mum I'd known back then wasn't there either.

I hadn't noticed how much had changed before.

Before...

She pulled her gaze away and sighed. I shifted from foot to foot, ready to leave the room, when she suddenly moved forward and pulled me against her. 

How long had it been since she'd put her arms around me and given me a hug? 

She stroked my head. "Sometimes I wonder if I even know my little boy anymore," she whispered into my hair. 

I stiffened- I was not a 'little boy anymore'. But to her, I knew I would always be. 

"Work is just so unforgiving," she continued, almost too quiet to hear. "I'm never spending any time with you anymore, and I should be there- I should be there to support you. I'm sorry." 

The last word was nothing but a whisper, a flutter of breath. 

I opened my mouth to say something.

But then her phone rang, still in her hand, and she detached herself from me and smiled apologetically, almost sadly, and walked into the living room to answer the call.

Work was pulling her away from me- but the line between us was already gone- and she knew it.

*

Dawn

"Person." I cut into Aria's ranting. "If you like Jason so freaking much, then go get a freaking date with him."

She paused, as if the idea had never come to her. 

Then she muttered, "That's just plain weird."

"Sorry?" I grinned at my bedroom wall, noting the silence on the other end of the phone. "I couldn't hear what you just said."

Jumping up from my bed, I started to walk through the house aimlessly while waiting for her to answer. It was weird how my body did random actions whenever I was on the phone- I wasn't thinking about where to walk, but I did anyway. 

"I said that's just plain weird."

"Why?" I laughed. "Are you thinking it would be strange for you guys to start a relationship earlier than me and Noah? Because I don't mind." My face fell at the last part. I was lying- I did mind. A little. But my troubles weren't going to get in the way of Aria, and I hoped she knew that too.

"Well," Aria continued, "you aren't exactly in the position to give me any advice on love and romance. So shut up."

"Fair enough," I answered, smiling slightly. 

And I realised I was happy for Aria. 

My dad called me down for dinner two minutes after I'd hung up, sitting back on my bed, hugging my knees and staring out the window. 

Wondering if Noah was looking up at the sky at the exact same moment I was. 

You did not just think that.