You and Aiden were part of the same friend group. Ever since your freshman year of high school, you’d spent almost every day together. You went to every party, hung out constantly, and did all the stupid things teenagers do.

You often spent your afternoons at the skatepark in the town where your school was located. Aiden especially loved hanging out there, and somehow, everyone always seemed to listen to him.

He was one of the most popular guys in your friend group. And honestly, it wasn’t hard to see why. He was cool, confident, and willing to do just about any stupid thing someone dared him to. He had dark, almost black hair and was tall, too.

You, on the other hand, were more like the mom of the group. You were the one who took care of everyone when things went wrong and made sure nobody went too far. You were calm, kind, and usually the voice of reason whenever your friends got carried away.

Today had been just like any other day. After school, you went to the skatepark with Aiden, Zayden, Ivy, and Zoe. As usual, Zayden got way too high.

Afterward, you and Aiden had to catch the bus out of town together to get home. You both lived in a small village outside the city, so the two of you always took the same bus.

You sat together in the very back row, just like you usually did. The ride took about half an hour.

"I swear, Zayden's gonna get disowned if he shows up at home high one more time," Aiden said, his skateboard resting between his legs.

You and Aiden had been friends longer than anyone else in the group. Actually, you'd known each other pretty much your entire lives. And for the past three years, you'd been in love with him.