(Should I be sorry?)

And then, something reached around the tree and grabbed her.

(lol no. Also...YAGER)

She yelped and willfully attempted to shake off the grip of whatever it was.

(xD)

Laughter exploded out behind her. Robbie Goodfell, her closest neighbor--meaning he lived nearly twelve miles away--slouched against the tree trunk, gasping with mirth. Lanky and tall, in tattered jeans and an old T-shirt, he paused to look at her, before cracking up again. His spiky red hair lay plastered to his forehead and his clothes clung to his skin, emphasizing his lean, bony frame, as though his limbs didnt fit quite right. Being drenched and covered in twigs, leaves, and mud didnt seem to bother him. Few things did.

She paused as she saw them, quickly becoming annoyed with her friend. " Ugh!! Robbie! Dont do that! "

"S-sorry, princess," Robbie gasped, clutching his heart as he sucked in air. "It was just too perfect." He gave a final chortle and straightened, holding his ribs. "Man, that was impressive. You must've jumped three feet in the air. What, did you think I was, Leatherface or something?"

" Of course not. I just saw something really strange....and stop exaggerating! We both know i did NOT jump 3 feet in the air. "

"Sure thing, princess. If you say so."

" why do you keep calling me princess? Its weird. "

He ignored that.

By the time the bus showed up a few minutes later, he was covered in mud, dripping wet, and the bus driver told him to sit in the back.


"What are you doing after school?" Robbie asked as he huddled in the far backseat. Around them, students talked, joked, laughed, and generally paid them no attention. "Wanna grab a coffee later? Or we could sneak into the theater and see a movie."

She attempted to dry out her hair, seeing that she'd gotten rained on. " I would prefer to just grab a coffee. I don't trust the theater. "