Pretty Little Liar (Aruani Element Shifter AU) ✔️

One

"Hurry up Armin!" She laughed, running carelessly through the streets. The school had finished for the summer holidays, and as always, Annie was in high spirits, jumping and dancing all the way down to the river.

"Annie! Slow down!" I yelled after her, my school bag bouncing against my hip, clutching my folders tightly.

She turned around, waiting for me to catch up.

"Look, lets put these in my bag, there's enough room," she said, taking my folders and putting them into her almost empty bag.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now come on! This will be fun!" She said, grabbing my hand, pulling me off of the path, and onto the river bank. "Ready for some climbing?" She said, looking at the long bank of trees overlooking the river. I raised an eyebrow. She mimicked it playfully. "Come on!"

She started to climb the branches of the trees, while I followed on foot on the wet slopping side, dodging the branches, watching her carefully as she jumped from one to the next.

"Be careful Annie!"

"Oh, come on! I do this all the time!" She then stopped, and fell down so that she hung upside down, with her face right in front of me. She laughed as I jumped back in fright. "Jeez Arlert! Relax! Come on!"

I blushed, looking away, embarrassed. She laughed again, shaking her head and reaching out her hand. I frowned, before taking it.

"Ready?"

"Debatable," I muttered.

"Yeah you are!" She grinned, pulling me up. I hesitantly grabbed a branch, and pulled myself up, hopping from one to the other, until Annie climbed down to the rocky surface on the riverside, under the bridge. She stood staring down at the town in the distance.

"I'm so happy school's over!" She yelled into the distance. I put down my bag and walked up to my best friend.

"I know right. This summer is going to be amazing!"

"You bet!" She turned around, grinning at me. I smiled back at her. "We're going to have so much fun!" She cried. "Down here everyday, by the river. We can take a hike up to the mountains and have a picnic! It'll be great!" She stared dreamily up at the sky, then grabbed both of my hands, spinning me around, both of us laughing as we tumbled to the ground next to each other.

Then I was reminded of what I needed to tell her. I'd been keeping this in for weeks.

"Umm, look Annie, umm..." I started. She shifted her head to look at me, her brows furrowing.

"What is it?'

"Well, we're actually going on holiday..."

It was silent for a minute before Annie frowned.

"That's right, you still have parents," she muttered. I was suddenly guilt ridden, but Annie did what she always did, and instantly chose to ignore it. She stood up, kicking me playfully.

"Well then, we don't have a lot of time, do we? Let's go get icecream and sit in the park, shall we?"

I chuckled, reaching a hand up for her to pull me up. "Alright. Let's go," I said. We climbed up by the bridge, until we reached the top. We then crossed it to the park that was on the other side of the river. Annie jumped childishly, making the bridge shake.

We crossed the park to the post office, and bought two Magnums'. As per usual, I got the white chocolate, and she got the almond. One simple, and boring, the other wild and full of flavour.

We found the bench we always sat at, an old one in the corner, far from the children's play park or the tennis courts. It sat in front of a colourful rose bush, and was beautiful in all seasons. Today, though, it was extraordinarily beautiful.

Annie plumped herself down, stretching her legs out and closing her eyes. I sat next to her, tearing open the packaging and starting to eat my ice cream slowly.

These days were always the best. After school with Annie. No homework, no exams, no school. Nobody but us and our happiness.

She opened up her icecream, and started biting into it gratefully. I laughed, shaking my head as she managed to get some on her nose.

Annie and I had been best friends since we were tiny. We were neighbours to her aunt and uncle when she came to live with them after her mother died. I was out playing in my garden when she peaked her head through a hole in the bricks, and so our friendship blossomed. We talked everyday over the wall, until we started school together, and instantly became best friends. Nobody else in the school matters, we have each other, and that was important. We're neighbours, best friends, and the siblings that we never had. Normal fifteen year olds, in a normal world.

Except Annie isn't normal. In a world full of tidy, well-dressed schoolteachers and pupils in their ties and well combed hair, we have her. My best friend, the fun, laughing mess with the blonde frizzy hair and the wonky tie. These perks make her who she is, and for that reason she is, about the single most amazing person in existence.

And every day, I am so grateful to her that she decided to stick with me, even after receiving several invites to join the popular people at school. Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate her being there for me.

"Hey, so Armin," she said, staring at her Magnum. "So when are you ditching me then?" She asked. I frowned.

"Sunday. For two weeks. You can handle two weeks without me, cant you?"

She smirked at me playfully, winking. "I'll have to see about that," she said. I grinned.

"I'll buy you a souvenir. I'll be back before you know it," I said. She nodded.

"Okay, we'll see. Hurry back, kay?"

"Of course."

And that's where we sat for the next two hours, enjoying the rest of the afternoon sun, and mostly just enjoying each others company.

Then, when the clock would reach half past six, we'd walk together, sharing a joke, planning adventures, all the way back home, waving like maniacs at each other before entering our two separate houses.