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Started December 23, 2019 by @PrettyLittlePyro

tune

Arsen stumbled toward her, trying to hold her up, and found that she was almost unconscious. She twitched slightly at his touch, but otherswise didn't react to his shaking. And then he stopped, vision going blank.

About 10 years ago…

The small bus drove along the path, shaking quite a lot. On it, were over a dozen students sitting around excitedly as they made there way along. Almost everyone at least. A smaller girl sat in the back, alone and quiet. She was fine, just not as excited as the others.
They were going to the zoo, an hour away from school. Normally, the girl would be more excited, but something was telling her not to be. Silently she wrote in quite neat writing for only being ten years old. With the nice writing, the name Joanna was written at the top, in cursive writing. Below were things about herself, that she quite enjoyed. It was silly, but she needed the boost.
Joanna hadn't had the best morning, feeling a little neglected as they road along to the zoo. All of her friends were too busy, up near the front of the bus. All interested in something up there, she stayed in the back.
As they pulled up to the zoo, Joanna began to pack her things up in her small pink backpack. Pulling it up on her shoulders, she started making her way to the front of the bus. She didn't speak to anyone, keeping her distance so she wouldn't get trampled.*

A young boy stood at the back of a crowd of loud, rowdy students, his arms crossed, an annoyed expression on his face. He was adorable, his baby fat not quite yet having left his cheeks. His eyes, a blue so striking it seemed to stare through your soul, had an expression of boredom in them.
Arsen hated field trips. The teachers would all try and make things interesting and fun. "Learning is a privilege," they would say. He didn't care. None of his friends had to come! This trip would be as boring as it could be.
Then he saw her. She came in, pink backpack bright against her darker shirt. She was at the back of her classmates, and looked almost… frightened. Right then, Arsen knew that she was the one for him. He walked straight over to her and held out his hand. "I'm Arsen," he said with a bright smile. "You're really pretty."

Joanna heard his voice, turning her head to look at him. With her wide green eyes, and darker red hair, he wasn't wrong. "… Thank you." She said softly, lowering her head down to the floor. "I'm… I'm Joanna." She told him, her cheeks turning a rosy color.
The little girl had the smallest of smiles, barely glancing up at him. In all honestly, Joanna hadn't expected the abrupt compliment. Especially from such a cute boy. Smoothing out the denim shorts she wore, she glanced over her painted finger nails to distract herself. She knew her class was already moving on, but it wasn't like anyone would notice she was gone. Not for a while anyways.
"Can… can I help you?" She asked him softly, glancing over to her class nervously. Even if she didn't want to be with her class, she didn't want to be lost.

"Yeah," Arsen said, smiling gently at her. "I'm bored, and I don't want to be with my class. Do you want to explore the zoo with me?" His tone was so hopeful, it could break your heart. It was fourth grade romance at its cutest. "I've always wanted to be with someone as pretty as you. You'd make things interesting!"

Joanna's lips parted a little, and pushed up into a smile. Glancing back at her class, she decided that she would much rather spend time with him. "Yeah, I think it could be fun." She said softly, taking a few steps closer to him. She was still nervous, but not as badly. "My friends are all too busy, anyways."

"Well, they're not very good friends, are they then?" Arsen grabbed her by the hand, a roguish grin on his face. "Come on!" He looked back at her. "Where do you want to go first? I've been here a hundred times, so I know where places are."

Joanna's flush deepened when he took her hand, and she looked up at him. "I… I don't know. Maybe we could go see the lions?" Joanna offered, not seeming one-hundred percent sure. She never really paid attention when they went on field trips.

"Sure. They're cool. They actually had a baby lion recently, and it's soooo cute," Arsen said, grinning, seeming to do his best to set her at ease. "Although, not as cute as you."

Having warmed up to him a little bit, she let a light giggle through. "I think it's got to be cuter. I mean, a lot of baby animals are." Joanna told him, holding on to his hand tightly in her own. Her smile wasn't wavering, as it felt good to have someone tell her they thought she was cute. "But that's just what I think."

"No," Arsen insisted, grinning. "I promise you, some of the baby animals are really ugly. Like the… like the…" He searched for an animal out of the top of hid head. "Like a puppy, when it's first born. They're so ugly. Or baby rabbits, when they're first born. They're all hairless and weird."

"That's true… if you're sure they're really cute, then let's go see them." Joanna smiled brightly, brushing her red hair out of her face. "Lead the way, Arsen!"

Five years ago…

"You needed me?" Arsen asked. He stood by a tree, in the woods where he and Joanna always met. They were just friends now, just friends. It was always awkward when he thought of their childhood dates… he shook his head with a smile. She was his best friend, still. She was funny, sarcastic, understanding, and really hot, too. Not that he would ever tell her, of course.

"I- I mean…" Joanna was half frozen, sucking in a deep breath. "No- but, yes?" She offered him weakly, before dropping her head in her hands. Making her way up to the tree, she dropped down and leaned back against it. "Why are words so hard?" Groaning a bit, she looked up at him. It only gave her more reason why she wanted to tell him what was on her mind.
Weeks she had spent, trying not to let her mind take control. And as soon as she had saw his face again, she couldn't help it. She hated the way she felt around him- yet it was also… calming in a sense. Bubbly feelings were rising to the surface, and she couldn't decide whether to tell him or not. "You probably think this is stupid, right? I'm wasting your precious time." Even as best friends, she knew he could be doing a million other things. He didn't need to be here to listen to her ramble.

"Of course not!" Arsen said, surprised. "My time is precious when I spend it with you." He sent her a grin. "I have nothing better to do. Coming here was an escape from the house. Dad and Grandpa are arguing again. I'm glad you called me here." He crossed his arms. "What is it? Do I need to kill anyone for you?"

Relaxing a bit, she just sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No… no killing." She said softly, adjusting her position so she could hold a hand out to him. "I just…. I just need you to sit, and listen. And if possible, not to laugh at me when I'm done talking to you." Joanna told him softly, trying to prepare herself for what she was about to make herself tell him.

"I won't laugh at you unless you deserve it," Arsen gave his solemn promise.
He sat down on one of the many logs and trunks that littered the forest floor and looked at her expectantly. "What's bothering you, Jo? Come on, you can tell me."

Taking a moment, she let out the deep breath she had been holding. If she didn't stop thinking, she would never tell him. "I like you… like, like you, like you. A lot… and I have, for a really, really long time. I- I know this could ruin our friendship, I just… I can't keep hiding it. You're a lot more than I would have liked you to be to me… You can laugh, or tease me. Just get it over with quickly." Joanna told him, feeling a soft pink pull up on her face. She couldn't look at him. Not anymore, scared to hear what he would say.

Arsen just sat there for a long, long moment. If he hadn't been leaning against a tree and sitting on a log, he would have fallen over backwards. His mind was a race of thoughts, feelings and emotions. He realized that he hadn't spoken yet and turned to look at his friend, who looked terrified, and couldn't seem to meet his eyes.
"Well," he said slowly, trying to plan out his words. "I-I'm not good at flowery words or speeches or anything. I'm not going to tease you, either." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I think-I think I like you too - as more than a friend, I mean." He wasn't sure what else to say. Now that he thought about it, what he just said was true, very true.

When he spoke, her head jerked up and her eyes grew wide. She couldn't believe it. Heart racing a mile a minute, she half stared at him in surprise. Yes, she kind of knew he liked her… a little at least. But hearing him saying it was a totally different thing. It was a little hard to believe.
"You…. you really do?" She asked weakly, tucking her hair back out of her face. If anyone knew her well, they could tell you this was strange behavior. The girl was typically strong headed and confident. So this moment of vulnerability came as a surprise. Even to her. "I- if you don't actually like me, and you just don't want things to be awkward, you can tell me."

"I do," Arsen confirmed, hardly believing the words that came out of his mouth. "At least, I'm pretty sure." He frowned at her next words. "You should know that I will never lie about anything to you, or exaggerate things. Unless it's my awesomeness, or a present for you. Then I'll lie and exaggerate."
It was weird, telling her these things. He wanted to start babbling, to cover up the moment of vulnerability, but he refrained.

With the confirmation, Joanna felt a grin pull up on her lips. She still had pink cheeks, but she was beyond thrilled to hear he liked he. Or she was pretty sure. He had kind of run off down a rabbit trail there for a minute. When he fell quiet, Joanna scooted you closer to him, so she could wrap her arms around him. “Thank god… I was so scared that you wouldn’t.” Joanna whispered, resting her head on his chest, while her arms were around his waist.
”And I know your awesomeness. It’s hard to miss.”