Just Friends [ m. arguello ]

1) Milkshakes

i : Milkshakes

It all started with boy meets girl. 

He's busy trying to pick a lock and she's wondering what the hell he's doing. "Hello?" The boy jumped back at the sudden voice, turning around with wide eyes as he dropped the hairpin he was using to pick the lock. "Uh, I locked myself out." 

She hummed and looked him over. He was the definition of scrawny, a gray hoodie hanging off of him while the hood was up and over his messy head of curls. She glanced at a bruise forming on the side of his face, not to mention his split lip. 

"You don't work here," she surmised, "You're trying to rob the place." He made a split second decision and grabbed a piece of broken glass off the ground, pressing it against the girl's throat as he shoved her back against the alley wall. "So what? You're gonna call the cops on me?" 

He was somewhat concerned by how the girl stared at him with a blank look, almost as though she could care less if he slit her throat right there in a back alley. 

"Avery." She spoke as though this was a Monday evening pastime, "Avery Martinez." "I don't care." He pushed the glass farther against her neck. A little more pressure and she would be bleeding. 

"You won't do anything," she spoke, "Also-" She glanced at the door he was trying to get into. "-There's an employee walking this way now." The sound of the door handle jingling added to her statement as a smile crossed her face. "Pick your battle, Loser." 

He pulled away from her and rushed down the alley. What he didn't expect was for her to follow him, falling into step with him when they got to the empty sidewalk. 

"What do you want?"

The girl was about his age, not much older than 12 and standing just at his shoulder. She also looked like she was on the streets, her thin frame covered with a green sweater that looked like something a grandpa would wear while being paired with some loose jeans and old tennis shoes. As for her auburn hair it was flowing over her shoulders and ended at her mid back. He assumed she's never tried to cut it. 

Another thing he didn't expect was for her to dig into her pants pocket and hold up a wad of hundreds. Was she just faking the homeless look?

"Where'd you get that?" She grinned, "Pickpocketing. Some old dude kept messing with his jacket pocket. Honesty it's the easiest way to find out where someone's wallet is." She chuckled, "Especially for the old rich guys, it's the only thing they care about." 

He nodded, making sure to note the information so nobody could use it against him in the future - such as the scraggly brunette beside him.

"Want to get a milkshake? There's this diner right down the street that has all sorts of flavors." "How do you know I won't kill you and take your money?" She grinned up at him, "That's the thrill of it all." 

—

The duo ended up in a bright red booth, facing each other and surrounded by a series of empty plates - most of which belonged to the boy. "What's your name," Avery suddenly wondered. She reached over and took the cherry from his third milkshake. He didn't bother yelling at her. She would just shrug it off and mutter an apology. 

"Marcus." "Marcus..?" "Arguello." "Cool name," she hummed while leaning back in her seat and looked around the building. An almost childlike expression took over her face at the sight of a jukebox tucked into a corner. He assumed she really liked music, rolling his eyes when she suddenly stood up and ran over to the machine. 

She only had twenty dollars left after their feast and Marcus assumed she was going to waste it all on music. "Idiot," he whispered. 

"That's a mean thing to call somebody," she retorted while fishing five dollars into the money slot. After a second ABBA was flowing through the restaurant. Great, so she was annoying and had terrible music taste. 

Marcus groaned and stood up. "It was nice meeting you Princess, but I think I'll be on my way now-" "Wait!" She ran towards him, almost like she was scared of the idea of him leaving.

"Don't go." "Why? Scared of the dark?" She looked taken aback for a second (because she was very much so scared of the dark) before recovering and shaking her head. "I thought we were friends." Marcus laughed at that. "I was just hanging with you because you had money." 

Avery didn't let his harsh words affect her, instead letting a smile take place on her face. "I'm an excellent thief and you seem to know how to pick locks. We would make a great team!" Marcus was glad the waitress had stepped outside for a smoke due to how loud the girl was talking. 

"Shut up, do you want to get arrested?" She scoffed, "It's been two years and I haven't been caught once. I don't think it'll happen now." Marcus grumbled, yet thought over her proclamation. It wouldn't be terrible to have somebody to talk to.. But at the same time it would be a higher risk of getting caught..

"Fine. But you better not annoy me. Or else I'll-" He brought his thumb across his neck and made a choking sound. "-Got it?" Avery happily nodded, grinning as she followed him out onto the street. 

"So, what should we do now Buddy?" "We can start by not calling me that," Marcus decided. "Got it. What about Marc?" "Nope." "Arguello it is then," she sighed. "Why not Marcus," he asked. "Because that's boring. Everyone else calls you Marcus so I want to call you something special." "There is nobody else," he muttered. 

Averys smile flickered for a second, almost as though a memory had forced its way to the surface before she quickly recovered and started skipping beside him. 

"So, Arguello, what now?"