Hi! Ok, sorry I haven't updated, I'm currently bedridden with either strep or a really, realllllllyyyyy bad cold. I truly don't deserve you guys! Sniff All I am is excuses, excuses, excuses! I LOVE YOU GUYS! I would hug you, but ya know, ill and quite possibly slowly dying? Enough of my complaining, here!
"SWEET, SWEET GROUND!" Cleo shrieked and leapt off the side of the boat before it even had time to dock. Taffy covered her eyes in horror; afraid her bestie was about to become paste. She peeked through a finger and saw Cleo flat on the ground, kissing the earth repeatedly. She sighed in relief.
"HEY! CLEO STAY THERE! WE'LL MEET YOU DOWN THERE!" Cleo stuck a hand out from were it was plastered to the ground, and flashed the OK sign. That's when Taffy realized she was alone with the ex-school playboy and the jerk-twerp-Cleo-injurer. "On second thought…. BANZAI!" She closed her eyes and hurled herself over the edge, landing neatly on her feet- do not try this at home cheeldren*. She opened her eyes. "Holy cheese, I survived!"
Something stirred underneath her. She screamed and fell over, revealing the bedraggled Cleo. "Yeah, but I didn't," she wheezed weakly.
"OMG! Sorry!"
"I forgive you on one condition: Never say OMG again. I command it, so shall it be done." Cleo got up and patted Taffy's shoulder, then glanced up at the two boys who could not believe that two GIRLS had the courage to jump off a boat, but they-the men- didn't. Cleo closed one eye and gazed coyly up at them, "Coming? Or are you going to take the easy way down? Hmm?"
"I think we'll stick with living if it's all the same to you!" Lucas called down to them. The girls groaned.
"Are you serious? Girls could do it, but oh well, I guess we are the weaker gender after all." Gryphon shrugged and winked at the two females who immediately started planning his ultimate demise.
"HEY! YA KNOW WHAT? FINE! WE'LL SEE WHO THE WEAKER GENDER IS!" Taking the bait completely, Lucas climbed up on the railing and without looking twice, flung himself off, not realizing that the boat had moved forward. He crashed headfirst into a convenient wheelbarrow and emerged, covered in Ponyta manure.
"Heh, like taking candy from a baby." Gryphon peered over the edge, a grin splitting his face ear to ear.
"AGGGHHH! What the-!" here Lucas started off into a bout of swearing that could have turned the toughest sailor blue. Cleo whistled, impressed by the boy's vocabulary.
"Ok, enough fun, coming down." Gryphon joined them quickly and the four companions, unwilling companions, but companions all the same sat down on the soft green grass together.
"Well, now what?" Lucas said finally after the group had just sat for a solid fifteen minutes. Everyone looked at Cleo, who turned around. Seeing no one, she came to the conclusion they were looking at her.
"What?"
"We said, what now?" Gryphon said slowly as if talking to a small child, which Cleo did not take kindly to.
"HOW THE **** WOULD I KNOW?" She said (Yelled) at Gryphon.
"Well, I don't know, you're the leader! And I use that term VERY loosely!" he sneered.
"LISTEN TEME*! EITHER SHAPE UP OR GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!"
"Well maybe I will!"
"Good!"
"GOOD!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!" Gryphon spun on his heel and stormed off. Lucas and Taffy, who had been too scared to intervene on their little screaming match, looked at each other. Taffy knew the duo didn't get along and Lucas was a quick learner, but even this was a bit… much for the two.
"Erm…Cleo?" Taffy ventured softly; afraid to set off the bomb that was her best friend at the moment.
Cleo turned and Taffy noticed her friend's green face right off the bat. "Yeah, I know. Let's go after him…" she whispered. Cleo had forced down her sickness too long and it had hit her hard. It was no small wonder she had gone off like that. Taffy swung her backpack around and dug around for a moment before handing Cleo a bottle of water and some aspirin. Cleo nodded appreciatively and swallowed the two small pills with a swish of water. She wiped her mouth and handed the water bottle back. "I'm fine now. Let's go."
Taffy nodded silently. This was the basis of their friendship. Each had a weakness that the other could both handle and help: Cleo with her sickness and Taffy with her infuriating shyness.
45 Minutes Later…
"AGH! YA KNOW WHAT!? SCREW HIM! WE'RE NEVER GONNA FIND HIM!" Cleo ranted and raged, flailing her arms around and stomping her foot childishly.
Taffy sighed, then tapped her shoulder softly, "He's right over there."
Cleo froze, "So he is. I knew that! OI! BLUEBERRY HEAD!" Gryphon turned slowly, a vein pulsing on his temple.
"What do you want?" he asked irritably, clearly not over their little squabble.
"Come on! All's forgiven!" she said brightly, slapping him on the shoulder.
"What."
"All. Is. Forgiven. You may join us again, you inconsiderate mountain of cocky arrogance that most likely evolved from pond scum!"
Gryphon stared. And stared. And stared. "…"
Cleo pursed her lips in a vain attempt to keep her laughter at bay, to no avail. "…hee…heehee…heeheehee…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Cleo roared with laughter; pounding him on the shoulder…again. "Dude! I was joking! (Most likely) You shoulda seen the look on your face! No, no! Do it again! I need a picture!" Gryphon somewhat relaxed. One of Cleo's best traits: No matter how much of an idiot she acts like, and she acts like quite the idiot sometimes, she can always make you feel warm inside. She's loud, rude, violent, and snarky; but she's also an amazing friend, hilarious, and always has your back.
"Alright then. So I guess this means you don't hate me anymore?" He said hopefully.
"We'll see. Though, I'm warning you: if you do anything to hurt or even slightly damage Taffy's feelings, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth, and make you wish that you were never born. M'Kay?"
From about ten feet away, Lucas and Taffy watched the whole ordeal, though they couldn't quite hear everything. Blue squirmed around in Lucas's arms before settling down and nuzzling into his chest. Taffy's jaw hung slack, "Did that just happen?"
"I…don't honestly know. If my eyes are to be trusted, I think they just… made up!"
"Cleo…and Gryphon…just… I think my brain just exploded."
"You and me both, sister." Taffy and Lucas glanced at each other in a mutual look of disbelief; then they remembered they didn't like each other and huffily turned away from each other with cheeks a' flaming. Gryphon joined them.
"Did you just see…?"
"Yes." They answered simultaneously. "Yes, we did."
"Did we just become…friends?"
"Meh. I wouldn't push my luck if I was you." Taffy said off handedly. In reality she actually didn't want to share her best friend.
"Right." Gryphon looked like someone poked him with something sharp: deflated.
"OK! I HAVE AN IDEA!" Cleo bounded over excitedly.
"Really?" the other three said. Today was just full of miracles.
Cleo opened her mouth to speak when all of a sudden, out of the blue; she was knocked flat on her behind. "YOW! WHAT THE-?"
"OH! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you!" A smooth voice like rich caramel that was completely unfamiliar to Cleo rang out close by her ear.
"I'm fine! I don't need your help you pra- oh my gosh…" she opened her eyes to see the most beautiful boy she had even seen in her fourteen years kneeling in front of her, hand out stretched. Long, charcoal colored hair fell down to his neck and partially covered his stunning silver eyes. He had lightly tan, smooth skin and an adorable pair of large black-framed glasses that kept slipping down his small nose. Cleo felt her face heat up and a blush spread across her cheeks and nose. "On second thought…" she shyly took his warm hand and he stood up, pulling her with him. He was shorter than she expected, around 5'5, two inches shorter than herself. He was slim, but looked like he could fight an Ursaring and win.
"Are you alright? I'm really sorry, I swear I didn't mean to knock you down!" he bowed deeply and looked at his shoes.
"…." Cleo's voice had deserted her. Filthy traitor! She thought venomously. ""s ok…" she stuttered out finally. The boy looked up and smiled, showing off his pearly white teeth. This boy should come with a warning sign, 'cause those teeth are about to blind me! That, and the fact he's unbelievably hot…
"Great! I'm Jasper!" he gave the hand that Cleo realized she hadn't let go of a warm shake and laughed lightly. It was like angel had started singing.
"Jasper! There you are! Are you ok? Why'd you run off like that?" A girl ran up to them and Cleo felt her heart crack and shatter as she flung and arms around Jasper's shoulder. Great. She was his girlfriend… Now that she thought about it, compared to this girl, Cleo was a troll living under a bridge. She had light silver hair down to her knees with rose highlights running from the top of the head to the tips of her hair. Her warm brown eyes sparkled merrily and her light golden skin gave off an ethereal glow in the dying sun light. She also had impeccable taste in clothes, much as Cleo hated to admit: A rose halter top with a silver crop jacket, a pair of whitewashed ripped skinny-jeans and black winter boots with a pair of silver fluffy baubles hanging off the top.
"Hi! Sorry, I thought I saw- oh! This is Anna! Anna, this is…"
"Cleo! My name's Cleo." Cleo said hastily.
"Hello! I'm Anna, oh wait, he just said that, my bad!" the girl chuckled and rubbed her head. Great. She's the type it's impossible to hate…
"Nice to meet you, are you his girlfriend?" Cleo gestured to Jasper.
"Oh no! Friends! Just friends!" Anna said, her cheeks turning ever so faintly pink.
"Yeah! Friends…. Anyways, I knocked Cleo here down and I was just apologizing. You're sure you're alright, Cleo?"
Cleo nodded frantically. "A-OK!"
"Well then, I'll be seeing you! Bye." Jasper gave one last wave and followed Anna.
"Well, that was unexpected." Lucas said dryly.
Cleo just sighed and leaned against Taffy, her eyes closed and a sweet smile on her face.
"Oh no… Cleo's got a crush!" Gryphon snickered.
Instead of going ballistic and trampling on Gryphon's face, Cleo just slid to the ground and tucked up into a ball, humming a song.
The others looked at each other. "Well. This is new."
Hi, I hope it was decent! I'm not feeling very good and it was the best I could do. I'm sorry if Cleo's and Gryphon's frenemy-ship was rushed!
