Hey!

I have totally like nothing to say, except if you name is Gabbie, no you cannot claim any of my boys even if i claim Ethan. Sorry. But my boys aren't up for claim.

Its very redundant to say please reveiw, but I'll say it anyway. Please Reveiw.

I hope you like my story. Oooh and thankies to my beta Eric.

Chapter One: Friends

The tree house was filled with laughter and chatter. The group of friends were arrayed around the room in various odd places and positions. Evin was sitting against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him. Samantha, or Sam, was laying with her upper half on the floor and her feet and legs on the wall bouncing a tennis ball against the wall, it always hitting right beside her legs, and snagging it deftly from the air. Lexi sat upside down in the only seat in the tree house, the seat by the window. Max lay on his stomach head propped in his hands. Jewel sat crossed legged, leaning forward until her elbows touched the floor head in her hands.

The group had originally consisted of Max, Jewel, and Alexis, or Lexi, who, with their own sweat and blood (from many splinters), had built the tree house. When Jewel had moved from Texas at the age of ten she had been made fun of due to her accent. The fearless Lexi, who constantly spoke her mind (not always a good thing but in this case it was) stood up for Jewel and had invited her to the tree house. She had been excepted into the close band of friends. Evin who moved from London at twelve was to quiet to make his own friends, until the outspoken Lexi had said Hi and the others had chimed in with their own welcomes. Now at fifteen they still gathered here.

Though they sat oddly, they were all comfortable and talking about they're first day of school.

"Mrs. Finks hair was over the top! And she kept running her fake nails threw it!" Jewel laughed.

"I know! I swear one time her nail got caught in it!" Lexi giggled.

"So thats what was sticking in her hair," Max said in a sudden revelation.

"You know," Evin started in his best preacher voice, his faint British accent just barely traceable. "Its not nice to make fun-"

"Yah, yah, yah." Sam waved a hand dismissively pausing in her ball throwing. "We've heard the whole speech every year. We get it."

"Its her own fault for giving us homework. Its the first day of school for Christ's sakes!" Max pouted.

Evin inclined his head, agreeing, though he would never say it aloud, with the point.

"Do you wanna go get some ice cream before dinner?" Lexi asked. It was Friday so, as a rule, they slept over at someones house. It changed weekly. They had been friends for so long that their parents trusted both boys and girls to sleep in the same room. Regardless, as proven by a brief fit of paranoia caused by puberty, if they wanted to hang out, they would. It just allowed the parents to keep and eye (or ear) out if they were in the house and not outside at some secret place. To save on finances, there were five of them, The parents all donated one type of food for the family hosting the event that week.

"Sure!" Jewel said enthusiastically. Everyone agreed. Lexi and Sam had some issues getting up. Everyone else stood easily and stretched.

"Ouch!" Lexi rubbed her head.

"There ARE reasons why people normally sit in seats the right way" Evin had a small smile playing at his face. Lexi stuck her tongue out impishly before joining Sam in a mad scramble for the door less doorway, Max hot on their heals. Jewel behind them at a quick but more mature pace, Evin even slower behind.

"You two are going to hurt yourselves one of these days," Evin said as both Sam and Lexi forsake the boards nailed to the trunk of the tree and jumped down.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said as Lexi hopped impatiently from foot to foot waiting as the rest climbed down.

Lexi literally skipped across her lawn, Sam beside her in a run, and Max at a jog. Jewel speed walked it and Evin strolled casually hands in his pockets.

"Careful as you walk in the door!" Lexi shouted over her shoulder. "Shane has sworn to get us back for getting him wet."

"It was only a little water!" Sam objected as she reached the back porch steps.

"He was soaked completely through," Evin said dryly.

"Pshh!" Max waved a hand dismissively but eased the door open slowly, stepping in carefully.

Shane, Lexi's older brother's, back was to them as he dug through the refrigerator. He turned around with a water bottle in his hand. At the sight of them he smirked.

"You guys look dry," Shane smiled.

"What did you do?" Lexi glared, her dark blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Me?" Shane widened his light blue eyes so innocently no one believed it.

"Yes! You!" Lexi put her hands on her hips, surprisingly intimidating for all her shortness.

"Nothing, lil' sis," The smirk was back and he ran a hand threw his blond chin-length hair. He strutted, there was no other way to describe it, arrogantly out of the room pausing to ruffle Lexi's hair (earning a glare) and wink at Jewel, who blushed.

"Jackass," Lexi muttered.

"Language Lex!" Max grinned. Lexi smacked him.

They all went silently through the hallway. Lexi cautioning them with a finger on her lips. Her dad, who insisted they all call him Mark, worked from home sometimes. Max tripped and swore quietly.

"Language Max!" Lexi said loudly. Then clapped a hand over her mouth as she realized her mistake. They all, for some odd reason, Lexi and Max not included, laughed. A door on their left opened, and a tall man with brown hair and glasses leaned against the door frame.

After a moment of gazing at them sternly he broke into laughter. The scene in front of him was most amusing: Max held his foot as he hopped in place and Lexi's hand was frozen over her mouth. The others faces were masks of guilt.

"Daddy! Its not funny! We thought you were seriously mad!" Lexi's hand migrated again to her hip as she stomped her foot.

"You should've seen your faces," Lexi's dad, Mark, smirked. The resemblance between him and Shane made it all the more apparent. "Where are you guys off to?"

"We're going to go get ice cream. Is that okay with you, Dad?" Lexi asked.

"Course. Be back in time for dinner. Max brought hot wings." Mark disappeared back into his office.

They walked the rest of the way down the hallway and out the door.

"I don't know what Shane's problem is!" Sam exclaimed.

"Yeah, because it couldn't be the fact that we ambushed him with water balloons and the hose." Evin suggested in his usual dry humor. "I mea-"

He broke off staggering slightly as Lexi finished a running jumped landing on his back and latching on there.

"Hey! What am I? A pack mule?" Evin exclaimed.

"I got tired of walking!" Lexi smiled. Evin turned his head to meet her eyes, their noses almost touching.

"Please?" she widened her eyes and gazed at him.

"I guess," he inhaled deeply, melting under her pleading gaze, as did most people.

"Thankies!" Lexi tightened her arms briefly around his neck to constitute as a hug.

"Thats no fair! I don't wanna walk either!" Jewel whined. "Evin!"

Lexi blew a raspberry.

"To bad! Evin's my pack mule! Get your own!"

"Pack mule!?' Evin raised an eyebrow, although Lexi couldn't see it, she knew exactly what the expression on his face showed, being on the receiving end of it many times. One brow would be raised, one corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk, and his eyes would be wickedly amused.

"Ummm...yeah?" Lexi could see the eyebrow in her mind's eye raise higher.

"Are you sure about that?" Evin asked.

"Umm...no?"

"Good response." Evin said. "Now I won't drop you. I might let you go without the money you will undoubtedly beg off of me for ice cream, but on the bright side you won't be injured."

"You wouldn't!?" Lexi half asked, half exclaimed.

"You're right. I wouldn't. Not buy you ice cream at least, I make no guarantees about dropping you." Evin chuckled as Lexi tightened her arms, before looked a tad bit hurt. "At little trust? Please? I would never drop you! I'm not your friend for nothing!"

They arrived at the ice cream store they normally went to after school. Evin pointedly set Lexi gently down. The bell chimed as the group went in.

"Hey Teresa!" Lexi skipped to the counter, hopping up onto a spinning stool. They came here often enough to know the girl who worked the shift after school. The others settled into the stools on either side of Lexi. Jewel and Evin taking the ones on either side of her.

"What'll it be this time?" Teresa popped her gum loudly, drumming black nails on the counter.

"Two chocolate, one vanilla, one chocolate and vanilla swirl, and one strawberry," Lexi cited from memory, swinging her feet. The chocolate for Sam and Max, the vanilla for Evin, the chocolate and vanilla swirl for Lexi, and the strawberry for Jewel.