I wish I could write down every mischevious thing the girls did together, from the time they accidently clocked the principle or the time they flooded the third floor bathroom. Alas time flies and we don't have much so I shall highlight the very best...that is to say the worst.
After Arika's very first encounter with Avery the little seven year old seemed to pop up randomly to get her out of scrapes. Asher and Ari together were dynamite but they always had Avery to smooth things out.
When the girls were seven for example and he was ten they found themselves in the midst of a prank a swinging bucket aimed for Lea Fall. It was a twist of fate that the principal came in first and received a rather unpleasant knock upside the head.
Of course both girls were stunned behind their little hiding hole and as the principal turned they were sure they were done for. Until Avery who happened to be strolling along the corridor quizically asked the principal what was wrong. Avery had seen nothing hit him... or at least that's what he said as he glared at the girls.
A year later he bravely re routed every teacher in school as the girls scrambled to unflood the bathrooms.
He smiled charmingly serving as a distraction for two eleven year olds to sneak out of the teachers lounge.
He bribed the entire swim team once to not rat out the girls when they got caught filling the pool with whipped cream and Gatorade.
From the year's seven onward Avery became a master bull shitter a skill honed by year's of practice.
He thought he'd be taking care of the two girls all his life. A prospect he seemed to mind less and less as he got older. Yet everything changed when Ari was fourteen.
At fourteen Ari still had her waist long hair, redder and curlier than ever. She had grown into some of her curves but not a height she was proud of. She was now a head shorter than her best friend who had grown leggy and fierce and only barely reached Avery's shoulder.
Avery himself had aged beautifully at seventeen he was tall and muscled from constant swimming and football, something constantly thrown in Ari's face as he seemed inclined to wander around with no shirt.
It was a unseasonably warm June day when the kids heard. Ari had made plans to stay the weekend at Ashers and the girls lounged about lazily. Asher had talked her into shorts that were slightly shorter than the norm and they causally sipped lemonade whilst discussing a new prank.
"I think it's a waste, decent hair dye wasted on Andrew. Hes hardley around anyway." Asher scowled, "I say we be spontaneous you've always wanted to be raven haired I've always wanted to be a red head. You me some dye and a whole new world."
Ari rolled her eyes throwing a leg over her friends. "Youre insane why are we friends again?"
Asher stuck her tongue out and flipped Ari off the couch. "Cos you're a crazy bugger as well."
"Oomph."
"Sup losers," another voice rang out. "Where's my man?"
"Hello to you too Wyatt. You know as his best friend you're supposed to be nice to us." Asher glared.
"Who's that on the floor?"
"Hi Wyatt." Ari called out trying to get out from under Asher and all the pillows that had suddenly popped up.
"Hey sharkbait. Want me to get the elephant off you?"
"I'm good Wyatt can you possibly change the song though I really hate Justin Beiber."
"You have to be the only girl I know who does." He muttered switching the song.
After some thorough wiggling and failed tickle attempts Ari had scrambled out. Much to someone else's amusement.
"Having fun there shorty? " Avery smirked down at the panting girl.
"Shove off giraffe boy." She muttered getting to her feet.
Avery blanched at her and proceeded to throw her over his shoulder. Asher threw a pillow at him.
"You can't kidnap my hostage."
"Watch me baby sister."
"Put me down Avery you weirdo."
He ignored them all as he carried Ari upstairs. Grumbling under his breath as she squirmed trying to get loose. When he reached his room he dropped her on the bed and proceeded to rummage in his closet.
"Dont you own pants." He growled tossing her sweat pants.
Ari scowled at him, "what does it look like I'm wearing Ave?"
"Underwear." He offered blandly. "It looks like you're wearing underwear."
Ari turned red, "they're shorts!"
"They're non existent!"
He caught the pants and pulled them on top of her shorts. She scowled as he did up the draw string.
"I have hands."
"I noticed. Now those are pants."
"It's a hundred degrees out."
"What do you want me to do? Take you swimming, you're banned from every pool in town."
"You know that wasn't my fault." Ari grumbled.
"Oh really then who exactly was it that filled the pools with kool aid and washing powder. It took two weeks to drain and refill."
"They're fine now."
"Not really every swim practice there's still a bubble that shows up. I'm just glad I talked them out of calling the cops."
"Yeah after the last time in lock up I'm not anxious to go back."
"And that's another thing I left for a week and you two were in lock up. A week!"
"It was a misunderstanding Asher forgot her book. I didn't know there was an alarm."
"What am I going to do with you."
Asher and Ari spent the rest of the day goofing off in the backyard and pelting Avery with water balloons. By night fall they were exhausted too tired to even eat.
Or they were until around two am. That's when all hell broke loose... quite literally.