Chloe

Chloe's POV

"Ugh, just leave me alone!" I screamed down the hallway, yelling at my parents. I slammed the door to my room before letting out a sigh of irritation. Why did they have to pressure me into talking about such personal topics? Why couldn't they let me figure out my romantic life on my own? I sighed once again, this time as I walked to my bed. I laid down on it, my head hitting my favorite pillow. I close my eyes and began to try and calm down.

It was a beautiful summer afternoon. The sun was bright, the sky was a perfect baby blue, and the breeze felt amazing coming through my open window. But even though today seemed like a perfect day to be outside, I was inside, arguing with my parents about boys and "feelings." Well, one specific boy in particular. I groaned internally as I turned on my side. I needed to get it off my mind. To get him off my mind. As I opened my eyes, they immediately made contact with something across the room. A backpack with a Star Wars logo on it and a picture of an X-Wing fighter underneath it. It was severely patched up, duct-tape covering nearly everywhere to keep it from falling apart.

As I looked at the bag, I couldn't help but think about the memories that came with it. My best friend, Sam, had given it to me on my twelfth birthday. We were sitting on the dock behind my family's house. Everyone else was inside, enjoying the food and company. Sam had taken me by the hand and pulled me to the dock while the others were talking. I remember the look he gave me, the moonlight of the late evening glinting off his hazel eyes. His auburn hair moved lightly with the wind as he handed me a bag. Happy Birthday was written on the side in big letters, with balloons and candles covering the rest the surface. As I took it from him, the expression on his face changed from happiness to nervousness. I looked at him inquisitively, before pulling the paper out of the bag. As the last of the paper came out, I heard his breath hitch. I slowly pulled another bag out of the one birthday one he had given me. On it was the logo for Star Wars, my favorite movie series of all time. I took one long look at the backpack before realizing that I had seen it before.

Being that I was twelve, I had almost no money to spend on things I wanted. I didn't need anything per se, as my parents had spoiled me a bit as a child. But I remembered walking through the mall with Sam and our both of moms earlier in the week. I had seen the backpack in the window of a store, and I fell in love with it immediately. Though I begged my mom, she told me that she wouldn't buy it. My birthday was only a few days away. I was a bit upset for the rest of the trip, though the ice cream Sam's mom bought the two of us made up for it.

A few days later, and here I was, holding the very same backpack I'd wanted so badly.

Sam's face was still filled with nervousness as I looked up at him. I stared at him for a second before throwing my body into his. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I love it so much!" I laughed as I hugged him fiercely from the side. His concerned look changed into a smile as he laughed out loud. "I'm glad you like it. Honestly, I thought you might think it was stupid." I pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. "Not at all. It's extremely sweet that you did that for me." I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He then blushed, color filling up his face. "Uhh, ye-yeah. No problem." I giggled at his reaction. I leaned my head onto his shoulder and we stayed that way for a little while.

I smiled as I remembered that moment. I still thought that Sam buying me that backpack was extremely sweet and thoughtful, even though it had been nearly destroyed a few years ago. I remembered that day as well, but not nearly as fondly. I did enjoy thinking about the very next day, when Sam brought over a roll of duct-tape and told me we were going to fix my backpack. We worked hard that entire afternoon to get it, and although he still wasn't satisfied, I assured him I was with thank you and a hug. He blushed when I did that too, I recalled. It was weird. Whenever I showed him affection like a hug or a kiss, he acted odd. He would blush and look away from me, like he wasn't sure how to react.

I wasn't sure why he was acting like that, but it wasn't the only weird thing he'd been doing around me lately. He was constantly acting nervous, choosing his words carefully, like he didn't want to say the wrong thing. He had never been that cautious before. It had only started recently, within the last few months.

Whatever the case was, I didn't like it. I was not okay with the awkwardness between us, though inside, I knew that I was to blame for some of it.

That, of course, had been the topic my parents had brought up that had brought me to such frustration. I knew how I was feeling inside, but I also knew of the promise Sam and I had made each other. I knew that to break that pact would hurt him, and I wasn't willing to do that.

I flipped to my back again, staring at the ceiling. God, I needed to let off some steam. I considered turning some music on, but decided against it. I reached into my shorts pocket and pulled my phone out. The screen came on and I saw the familiar screensaver I had put on it. My gaze warmed as I looked at it, a picture of me and Sam at the beach. He had picked me up and was carrying me on his shoulders. I was laughing and he was smiling, his hair wet. His body was wet too, his muscular chest and abs seen clearly through the photo. The phone timed out and the screen grew dark. I instinctively touched the home button to turn it back on. As the screen became bright again, a weird feeling hit me down below, in the center of my core. I stirred slightly as I stared at his abs, a nice six pack along his stomach. My eyes lifted up to his large arms, the muscles in his triceps pronounced attractively. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of his image. Without thinking, my right hand began to slowly slink down towards my crotch. I felt myself becoming wetter down below with every passing second. The phone timed out for a second time. This time, I pushed the button twice and entered my password. I opened my photos app and scrolled through the pictures to find the correct one. When I had found it, I resumed my actions.

As my hand reached the waist band of my shorts, a thought rang out through my mind. This is so wrong. I should not masturbate to my best friend! I can't even tell him how I feel about him, what if he found out I was getting off to a picture of him? I sat there for a few seconds, debating whether or not to turn the phone off, or to continue what I was currently doing.