Changed Since Texas / Post Malone

0.2

July 2011- Charlie's POV

Today would be Austin's 16th birthday and I was wishing more than ever that he was still here with me in Syracuse. It's been 7 years since I actually saw him in person and I still remember that day well. I missed him like crazy. Sure we talked every night. He had changed so much. He had long curly hair, he had braces and he was very into 80's metal bands but something about all of that was so cute.

Our friendship hadn't changed much. We still talked for about three hours a night. He never failed to make me laugh when I was having a bad day and we never seemed to run out of things to talk about. I turned 16 in May and I had called him and bragged about the fact that I got my drivers license before him. We joked that now I would be able to drive down to see him. Even though I laughed about it, a huge part of me had wished that I could.

Over the years, even though we lived 1,530 miles apart, I had grown to like Austin... like like like Austin. I never told him because I thought it was a waste of time. We could never have anything being this far apart from each other, and even if we did say we were dating.. what kind of relationship would it be?

"Charlie, are you coming?" my friend Makenna said to me as she was standing in the doorway to my room.

"Oh yeah sorry" I laughed as I flipped my long hair over my shoulder.

"What were you thinking about?" Makenna laughed as we climbed into Brittany's car.

"I think the better question is who were you thinking about?" Brittany laughed.

Brittany and Makenna were two of my best friends. We were all on the cheerleading squad together. Brittany was dating the captain of the JV football team and Makenna was dating a sophomore on the basketball team. I had plenty of boys interested in me, but I had always felt if I dated any of them I would somehow be betraying Austin.

"Oh just my friend Austin" I blushed.

"The one that lives in Texas?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah, it's his birthday today so he's on my mind a little more than normal" I said as we pulled into our favorite smoking spot.

"Girl, he's in Texas... Texas! I hate to be rude, but do you honestly think you have a chance with him?" Brittany said as she sat next to me pulling her pack of Camels out of her purse and handing me one.

"I don't know. I just feel like I would somehow be betraying him if I dated someone else" I shrugged lighting the cigarette and exhaling quickly.

"Does he even know how you feel about him?" Makenna asked sitting next to me.

"Well no, not exactly" I said laughing.

"Hey baby there you are" Makenna's boyfriend Brandon smiled as he ran over to her.

"This conversation isn't over" Makenna said getting up and walking with him down a path that led deep into the woods.

I sat there drifting off into my own thoughts when my phone vibrated in the pocket of my short white shorts. I pulled it out and instantly had a smirk on my face.

Austin
Okay, now whose the bad ass!?

I laughed as he sent me a picture of his smiling face on a Texas drivers license. My heart doing flips as I looked at his face.

Charlie
Look at you! Maybe one day you will be like us experienced drivers lol

Austin
Hey, do you mind if we talk a little earlier tonight? A couple of my friends are going to take me out to celebrate