I figured I should update this story again.

'Toot! Toot!'

The honking of an approaching car made me realise I was spacing out.

I snapped my head up just in time to see it come closer at what seemed an immense speed.

Also, I noticed I was standing in the middle of the road.

''Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!'' Was all that popped into my mind as I half-ran, half-dove to the sidewalk.

The car that had almost hit me didn't stop driving, but the driver did shake his fist at me furiously.

''Blue! Are you out of your mind?'' I heard somebody call out to me. I could also hear footsteps approaching swiftly.

''Oh, hello, Green!'' I greeted the teen, brushing off my short, crimson skirt.

''What kind of Kamikaze-pedestrian are you? What is it with you and getting hit by cars?'' The blond continued, sweatdropping.

''I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry.'' I appologised.

''What was the reason you were standing in the middle of the road in the first place?''

''I was just... zoning out,'' I answered truthfully.

''You do that more often, but why there?''

I shrugged.

It was a surprisingly sunny saturday morning. The heat coming from sun had melted most of the snow, making the ground slippery. I had taken the bus to the center of the town, so I could go to the pet store.

For some reason, my parents had decided I was responsible enough to own a pet. I had asked Silver to come with me, but he had
grunted something like, ''I don't like animals'' and went to meet up with his friends. He was going to see a movie at the movie theatre.

Again, the feeling of warmth penetrated my body at the thought of my little brother finally having succeeded in getting good friends. I could not supress a smile. That thought also was what made me space out just minutes ago. Unfortunately, just as I was crossing over.

...I had to stop doing that, I was going to get myself killed someday.

Green helped me up and raised an eyebrow at me, noticing my sheepish grin, ''What is it?''

''Nothing,'' I said, shaking my head, ''I'm on my way to the pet shop. What are you doing here?''

''I was going to the library so I can work on the history project you should be busy working on as well.'' He muttered.
He was probably annoyed because he knew that I always got the exact same grade he did, despite the fact that I didn't do any work for school. I was normally one of the people that scampe the job at the last minute, and for some reason get away with it.

''Yep. So, wanna come to the pet store?'' I asked him.

''Pets hate me.''

I chuckled, remembering a summer afternoon when Red, Green and me went to the public park. It had been fun. I had been playing with a ball until at some point, it fell into the pond. After a long time of scolding and arguing, Green and Red tried getting it back. Unfortunately, a dog passed by when they were reaching for the ball with a stick, and pushed Green in.

Things like that had been happening to him since he was born.

''Oh, come on. I'm sure nothing happens. They're all inside of their cages.''

''Fine.'' He mumbled. He knew me well enough to understand that I wasn't going to let him pass out on this one.

''Ok, then!'' I said, grabbing a hold of the white hat I was wearing, to prevent it from being blown away by a sudden strong breeze. Even though it was pretty warm today, for a february morning, it was still winter.

The chilly wind kept creeping up on people, making them wrap their coats around themselves and secure their scarves around their necks, protecting their skin from the cold.

The centre of the town was completely deserted, aside from two old ladies that were chattering on the corner of the street, their small dogs, Green and me.

The weeks after the holidays had passed without much happening. School had started again, and we had started the year with a charity project, in which we painted the walls in an orphanage.

It had been fun.

I noticed a shop display on my right, that was filled with cages with all sorts of animals in them.

''Look, Green! It's the pet shop!'' I said, pointing at the shop the display belonged too.

He let out a long sigh as I pulled him into the shop.

When we entered it, my eyes almost popped out of my head. I had never seen so many different kinds of animals gathered in one place.

Everywhere were cages and boxes piled up, making the shop indistinct, but also giving it a cozy feel.

An elderly woman was sweeping the floor. She looked about sixty years old, and wore glasses that gave her a bit of a stern look. Her grey hair was tied up in a bun.

When she noticed us she placed the broom she had been using to sweep the floor against the wall and greeted us politely, ''Welcome, can I help you?''

Green shook his head at her before I could reply, ''We're just looking around.''

I nodded. I walked around in the store for a few minutes, taking in the animals and my surroundings.

I noticed rabbits, cats, dogs, hamsters, guinea-pigs, birds and fishes in many colours, all in a suitable cage.

The walls were painted a playful orange, and the floor consisted of checked white and black tiles. There shelves filled with colourful toys and food meant for animals everywhere.

As I looked around curiously, poking my head around every corner and petting a few animals that were standing on tip toes, pressing their paws against the sides of their cages, probably expecting to be feeded, I noticed something that attracted my attention.

It was an aquarium, filled with fresh water and rocks. Lying on the rocks and splashing about in the water were a few turtles. All of them were quite big, but I noticed one smaller one. It was dark blue, but had a few lighter spots on his shield.

The rest of the animals looked perfectly at ease in the water, but the smaller turtle seemed to have some difficulty keeping its head above the water. It was splashing about in the clear liquid. For some reason it seemed like the other turtles were shooting him awkard glances.

I didn't even know it was possible for an animal to be an outcast, but this creature was the living proof it was.

''What are you doing?'' I heard Green's voice ask.

''Look, Green! Aren't they beautiful?'' I asked him, turning around.

He was standing a few feet away, but then took a step into my direction.

''Turtles.'' He said blankly.

'Oh, right. He doesn't like animals.'

''What do you think is wrong with the small one over there?'' I asked him, pointing at the turtle that had attracted my attention.

He took another step into the aquarium's direction, ''I don't know.''

The woman that worked in the shop had previously been busy cleaning one of the cages nearby, but then looked up at us and stood up.

''We don't know what he has. There's nothing wrong with his brain or anything... We think he's just clumsy.'' She said, brushing off the flower-patterned apron she was wearing.

I looked back at the turtle. It was still splashing about in the water. It looked kind of miserable.

''...How much does it cost?'' I asked the elderly woman.

Green gave me a look that said, ''Are you serious?''

''It's £15,'' She answered.

''I'll take it, then!'' I chirped. The woman smiled, making her features appear much softer and more gentle.

''You are the only person in the world that would choose an off-balance turtle as a pet,'' Green muttered as we exited the store about ten minutes later, ''There were cats there! Girls love cats, don't they? Are you even a girl?''

I was carrying the box that held my new pet in my arms, protectively wrapping them around it, and humming a song as Green continued sulking.

I stared at the cover of the box when I noticed it was trembling slightly. Before I knew it, a small, dark-blue head was sticking out, taking in its surroundings.

I chuckled at the small creature.

''What are you going to call him?'' Green asked me using his trademark bored tone of voice.

''I don't know yet,'' I replied, ''What kind of turtle is he, anyway?''

''He's a Western Hermann's Tortoise,'' he answered almost immediately.

I shot him a how-do-you-know-these-things glance. He replied with a I-work-for-my-grades glance of his own.
We kept walking in silence.

Not awkward silence, but the silence between friends that know exactly when there's no need to talk.

This silence was, of course, broken my a grumbling stomach. It seemed to only make funny noises when it was not supposed to.

''You hungry?'' Green asked me dryly.

''I kinda forgot to eat breakfast this morning,'' I replied, rubbing the back of my head, embarrassed.

''Right,'' Green sweatdropped, ''Let's grab some breakfast over there.''

The emerald-eyed blond pointed at the Starbucks that was located at the opposite side of the street.

======

About ten minutes later we we were sitting around one of the iron tables the shop was filled with. I was sipping from an Iced White Chocolate Mocha, my favourite, and poking into the Vanilla Bean Cupcake I had bought. Next to the cupcake was a Deluxe Fruit Blend, my favorite kind of fruit salad. I swear I almost purred at the sight of my breakfast.

The only thing Green had bought was a glass of water with ice cubes. I wondered how he did that. Everytime I entered a shop filled with all kinds of delicious beverages, I couldn't resist buying something, or anything.

After about ten more minutes we stood up from the table and walked out of the store. I was still holding the carton cup filled with mocha, but had finished the rest of my breakfast. My yellow bag hung over my shoulder, and I carried the box with my pet under my arm. For a second, I wondered why the box seemed so much lighter, but then dismissed it.

''So where are you going now,'' Green asked me when I had finished my drink, ''are you coming to the library?''

I dropped the cup in one of the trashcans that were placed here and there on the sidewalk, and accidently, the box holding my pet as well.

''Oh crap!''
Without thinking, I half-jumped into the trashcan, reaching for the box with my arms. The whole upper half of my body was now inside the trashcan. I was standing on tip toes, careful not to lose balance.

''What are you doing, woman?'' I could hear Green shouting from outside.

When I finally grabbed a hold of the box and pulled myself up, my jaw dropped. The cover of the box had fallen off, revealing the fact that there was no blue creature inside.

I gasped, ''He's gone!''

''Wh-'' Green started, but before he could finish his sentence I pushed the box into his stomach, making him gasp, and dove into the trashcan for the second time that day.

''Stop doing that! Have you completely lost your mind?'' He called after me, but I didn't even hear him. I was too busy throwing all kinds of objects out of the trashcan.

When I was certain I had searched through the whole waste-bin, I pulled myself up again, and turned towards Green.

''...He-'' I gulped, ''-Isn't there...''

Green stood as frozen. I noticed most of the stuff I had dumped out of the trashcan had landed on him, resulting in both of us being covered in all kinds of trash, even though he wasn't the one that had been searching through garbage. I would have laughed at him, had my pet not vanished.

We spent the rest of the day searching for my pet. We searched the streets, the alleys and even asked the people that passed by. ''-Er... A blue turtle?'' they had asked, looking at us as if we were crazy.

it was six o'clock when we entered the local park. My feet were aching and the blue of the sky gained a slight orange glow, announcing the fact that it was going to be setting soon.

''I'm tired,'' I remarked.

Green was silent for a few seconds, but then said, ''How about searching the park, and going home after? We can continue searching tomorrow.''

I smiled. Green had sacrificed his whole day for the turtle's sake. He truly was a real friend.

''-Well?'' He asked me.

I nodded, ''okay.''

We started searching underneath the stone benches and in the flower beds. The flower beds consisted of nothing more than bald stalks right now, but I knew for a fact that, during spring, the buds sprouted so when it was finally summer, the whole park would be filled with beautiful, colourful flowers.

I pushed over some stalks to get a better view of the frosty soil when a bumblebee flew out, hitting me in the face. I yelped.

''What is it? Did you find him?'' yelled a startled Green from behind me.

''Ah, no, it's nothing. I did find a bumblebee though,'' I said, looking up at the small insect as it flew up, shrinking into nothing but a small yellow and black dot pressed against the azure sky, ''I think it's the first of the year!''

I heard Green let out a soft chuckle.

''What is it?'' I questioned.

''You're crazy,'' He stated. I was about to ask him wether he wanted to die or something, when he continued, ''You're always making the smallest things into miracles.''

I grunted, my cheeks colored an embarassed crimson, ''What's wrong with that?''

''Nothing, really. It wasn't meant as an insult,'' He said. I looked behind me when I heard the sound of cracking roots.

Green was dusting himself off -he had probably been crouching on the ground like me- and then dissapeared behind a big tree.

''I'm going to look for him by the pond,'' I could hear him yell from behind it.

''Ok,'' I said, continuing to search for my turtle in the flower beds.

I just kept sitting there, looking around for any sign of the blue creature, until I was startled by a loud splashing noise from the direction Green dissapeared in some minutes ago. My head shot up. I knew only one place that sound could be coming from.

I jumped to my feet and rushed over the pond as quickly as I could.

You can imagine how surprised I was when I noticed my best friend standing in the pond, his hair, skin and clothes damp and the water reaching his shoulders. I could only gape at him with widened eyes and my mouth hanging open.

Before I knew it I burst out laughing.

About five minutes later I was finally able to speak normally.

Green was still staring at me, his expression blank, ''Done laughing?''

''Yeah, yeah. So what are you doing in there, anyway?''

''I thought I saw something moving in here, and I lost my footing.''

''Really?'' I questioned, ''So, planning on coming out?''

''I'd like to, but there's something biting my thumb.''

''W-what?''

Green raised his hand with a smirk, revealing the blue turtle he was holding.

''Ah! You found him!'' I yelped, running over to my friend.

''...So, please remove him so I can climb out.'' He muttered. He shook his hand at me, causing the creature's limbs to wiggle around.
I grabbed the turtle and tried to pull him off, but the iron grip he had on Green's thumb didn't loosen. I was wondering how Green could keep a blank expression like the one he was wearing right now.

''Doesn't it hurt?'' I asked him, looking up at him suspiciously.

''A little bit,'' He admitted, still managing to keep his expression unreadable.

I furrowed my brows and pursed my lips in concentration, trying to remove the turtle from his hand without hurting either of them. Then, all of a sudden, the hold the turtle had on Green's thumb loosened, sending me thumbling to the ground backwards.

Green rubbed his thumb and tried climbing out of the pond as I stood up.

''I'll be honest with you,'' he started when he was on the shore, ''my hand hurts like a bitch.''

I pushed my turtle into his face, ''but you found him, didn't you?''

''Yeah I d-''

'splash!'

I stomped my right foot on my left to keep myself from bursting out laughing the second time that day.

My turtle had just spat out whatever amount of water he had kept in his mouth, in Green's face.

Green's eyebrow twitched annoyedly, before he opened his mouth to slowly mutter, ''Why is it, that every time something stupid happens to me, you are, or at least a part of, the cause?''

I lowered my arms, so I could now look at him in the face, ''I know I should say I'm sorry, but I know you won't forgive me anyway, so I'll just keep quiet.''

He opened his mouth to retort, but then probably realised I was right and closed it again.

''Let's just go home,'' He sighed.

''Aren't you cold?'' I asked him, eyeing the way his hair was sticking to his forehead and his dripping clothes.

''No.''

I sighed.

'Why do men always think women like them when they pretend they're tough?' I thought as I unwrapped my new, white scarf (the old one had been completely destroyed during my accident last year) from my neck and tossed it at Green's face.

He removed it from his head, stared at it and then directed his gaze at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he got the message, reluctantly wrapping the white piece of fabric around his own neck.

When we arrived at the bus station, we received some awkward glances from people that passed. In fact, they almost broke their neck as
they tried to see if their eyes weren't deceiving them.

Green sighed as another woman's eyes almost popped out of her head when she was trying to catch a glimpse of us.

We must have indeed looked awkward; a damp boy and a girl that was holding a blue turtle standing by a bus stop.

''So,'' Green started, ''Deciding what you call it yet?''

''It is a he.''

''No it isn't, it's Satan in the shape of a turtle.''

I rolled my eyes, ''I think I'll call him Blasty.''

'''Blasty'?''

''Yes! From 'water blaster', you know? I thought of it when he sputtered water in your face,'' I sang.

''...That's not even funny.''

''I think it is extremely funny.''

''As long as you keep it away from me, everything's fine with me.''

''That's ok.''

I turned my head to see a bus approaching, and nudged Green with my elbow.

After we had entered it, handed the bus driver some money -again gaining ourselves some awkward glances- and seated ourselves on two seats in the back of the bus.

Green was gazing out of the window and I was having some difficulty keeping the turtle on my lap. If it was true that turtles were slow, Blasty ignored that fact completely.

''Thanks,'' I muttered.

Green turned his head to look at me.

''-For today I mean. Thanks for searching Blasty with me. I'm sorry we didn't go to the library because of me,'' I said, trying to keep the turtle from falling off of my lap. This time the jolting and turning of the bus were the cause of his odd movements, not his nosiness.

''That's ok. That's what friends are for.''

''Yeah, that's what friends are for...'' I repeated, trying to hide the fact that I had felt a wave of sadness wash over me at the word 'friends'.

Because that was what we were.

Friends.