Just Friends

*6*

Hermione had stayed very loyal to her summer itinerary, much to the disappointment of her friends. Sure it was nice to have plans, but part of the fun of summer is the spontaneity that comes with it, the freedom of having no responsibilities and being able to sleep in. So when Hermione called each of them at 6 o'clock in the morning, they were less than enthused.

"Why did we let her add this?" FP questions.

"It's not that bad." Alice insists, dropping a handful of freshly picked blueberries into the basket FP is holding. "And besides, it's Hermione, do you really think we had a say in it?"

"The berry picking part isn't so bad, it's the jam making I'm not stoked about. I'm not Betty Crocker."

"Anyone who has had your pancakes knows that."

"I make good pancakes!"

"They taste like play-doh."

"Fred!" FP calls, gathering the taller boy's attention. "Do my pancakes taste like play-doh?"

"That's an insult to play-doh."

Alice smiles knowingly at him. "Told you."

"You could have just agreed with her, geez."

"To be fair, it's just the pancakes that are inedible. Your spaghetti isn't atrocious." Hermione pipes in.

FP rolls his eyes and reaches up to pick some berries Alice was struggling to reach. He pops them in his mouth, earning a gasp from the blonde. "FP! You've already ate half the damn basket, we're going to have hardly anything to make jam with."

"That's the point, Al." She quirks an eyebrow at him. "You really want to spend the afternoon making jam?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Let's split off from them and we'll say a squirrel got our berries."

Alice looks between FP and the couple up ahead of them. She just knows Hermione is going to drive her up the wall with demands and criticism of her jam making skills and ultimately that's what makes her decision. "Fine, but if they find out I'm throwing you under the bus."

***

"You shouldn't have left your basket unattended!" Hermione scolds as they all pile into the car with less baskets of berries than Hermione had hoped.

"It's not like we expected a squirrel to come eat them, Hermione."

"Why did you set your basket down anyway, there's two of you, surely one of you could have held the basket."

"If only we were as smart as you." Alice sarcastically says.

"Well I would never do something like that. You two better not pull this crap when we go to the strawberry patch."

"Don't worry, we plan on being sick that day."

Hermione whips her head around lighting quick, locking eyes with the sassy blonde. "Why is everything a joke with you? Why can't you ever just have fun without making some snarky comment?"

"Fun? Hermione you woke us up at the ass crack of dawn to go pick berries, which wouldn't be so bad and could have actually been fun, had you not been so bossy and planned every single minute." Alice points out. "Last time I checked this was supposed to be our summer of freedom."

"Ok you two, cool it." Fred loudly interrupts, effectively cutting off the girl's bickering. "Let's talk about something else."

"Are you guys going to Beau Freedman's party?" FP asks, steering the conversation in a different direction.

"Planning to."

"Im not sure anymore, Jamie's going and I just really don't want to deal with him."

"What happened between you two?" Hermione asks. "I know you said he had been really busy, but you seemed happy with him."

"He wanted something more serious than I did."

"You dumped him because he wanted to actually date you?" Alice nods. "You do know that's a good thing right?"

"I'm not looking for that, we were just having fun. And besides, he barely made time for me when we were just messing around, I can only imagine how lonely it would be being his girlfriend."

"Well you'll never know if you keep turning everyone down."

Alice shrugs. "I don't know why it's such a big deal to you, half the time guys are the same way, just looking for someone to fool around with. But because it's me it's suddenly frowned upon?"

"That's not what I'm saying, it's just... I don't know, you looked really happy with Jamie, and he seemed so smitten with you. I guess I just thought you two were a really good match for each other."

"Yeah well, I don't like being second choice. And with him it feels like he's constantly choosing someone or something over me. I deserve better than that."

"Amen to that." FP agrees. "Now if only you had listened to your charmingly handsome best friend when he told you that Jamie wasn't a great guy."

"Oh shut up, FP."

"Sorry, sorry. Just want what's best for you, is all." FP insists. "You want me to kick his ass?"

"Are you asking for my sake or because you've been looking for an excuse to do it?"

"Maybe a little bit of both." He teases, earning a playful shove from Alice.

"I think I'll take a rain-check on that one."