He gripped the driving wheel like a lifeline, thankful that the mechanic had finally finished with his car. It’s not like he was a car-obsessed kind of guy, but four days on the bus had been more than enough to appreciate dealing with traffic on his own than in an overcrowded public transport.

Closing the railing of his garage, he was about to open his front door when his phone rang in his pocket. He looked at the name on the screen and couldn’t help but let out a gasp escape him.

“Mia…” He said in a tired voice.

She was actually calling him…

Should he answer? Should he ignore it? But that would be rude, wouldn’t it? She was just being nice right now… Alright fine, he’d anwer. His mother had raised him better than to hang up on a girl who was just returning the favor.

“He-Hello?” He said with the phone to his ear.

“Hey! Pervy boy!” She giggled. “Are you busy right now? I got your shirt all washed up and wanted to return it as soon as possible.”

“Well, sure. I have some time-”

“Great!” She interrupted. “You know the park down the street where we got off the bus the other day?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m in the swings right now. I’ll wait for you.”

“R-Right now?” He let out louder than he would have liked.

“I’m in no hurry, you can take your time.”

“N-No. I’ll be there in a minute.” He sighed.

“Cool! See you then!” And she hung up.

Looking at his door, the boy sighed a little sad that he couldn’t just settle down after such a long week… Slowly, he turned and headed to the park, which was only a few houses away. Just as he crossed the street he could see her, in the swings just as she’d said. Today she was wearing shorts slightly longer than the ones before, it felt like an improvement, and her blouse, while loose, wasn’t see-through. He gave her a mental thumbs-up as he walked up to her.

“Hey.” He waved.

“Pervy boy!” She jumped from the swing, taking a step to stand before him. “That wasn’t even a minute! So fast!”

She looked up to meet his eyes, but they were pretty much covered by thick black frames and his shaggy brown hair, but there was a hint of honey hazel in there. He was clearly the nerdy type, with his button shirts and worn out converse tennis shoes, but his build made her think he probably did some exercise and those jeans fitted him perfectly. She really was curious about what kind of workout he followed to have such a fit body. Not bulky at all but definitely not sticks either.

“Aaah don’t call me that!” He looked around, hoping nobody had heard her. Sadly, a few others were looking in their direction with clear concern. He hunched himself a little to be at eye level with her, keeping a safe distance from her face but close enough that she’d hear his desperate whisper. “I have a name.” He hissed, embarrassed.

“Well you obviously have a name.” She laughed. “But fine. I’m Amelia Reed. Just ‘Mia’ is fine.” She smiled, her hands cutely locked behind her. “What’s your name then?”

“I’m Elias Foster.” He answered, pushing his glasses up. “So no more ‘pervy guy’ please.”

“It’s ‘pervy boy’ but okay.” She agreed with a laugh. “How about Elly?”

“Eh? Oh, sure.” Elias nodded.

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?” He wondered.

“Well it’s normally a girly sounding name, so I thought I could tease you with it.” She admitted.

“Hmm, I guess.” He pondered. “But that’s what my sister and my best friend call me so I don’t mind.”

“Well that’s no fun.” Mia scoffed. “I might keep ‘pervy boy’ after all.”

“Please don’t…” His shoulders slumped, his palms together and up to his lips as he begged.

“Anyway!” She jumped back to the swings and picked up a paper bag. “Here you go. Thanks for worrying about me the other day.”

“It’s nothing really.” Elias took the bag, looking inside to see the shirt he had let her borrow. “If anything, I’m sorry to force myself on you like that.”

“You know, if others heard that they might misunderstand.” She grinned.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s alright.” Mia laughed. “Goodness! You’re so easy to tease!”

“So I'm just being played with…” Elias sighed, defeated.

“Really Elly, you should learn how to word what you say or else it'll be too easy to tease you.” She tried to contain her laughter but failed miserably.

“It’s not my fault you’re the one with a dirty mind” He complained, crossing his arms across his chest.

Their bickering went on for a while until Mia looked at the time, her expression growing dim with disappointment. Her eyes became downcast and her lips barely pulled up in an attempt to beam. Elias wasn’t all that good with people, but he could tell when someone forced a smile.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, a voice so kind it surprised her.

“Y-Yeah.” She nodded. “I should get home. Um, say… Do you have any plans this weekend?” She asked almost innocently, fiddling with her fingers.

“Well, I’m going to the movies with my friend.”

“I see…”

“Do you want to come with us?” Elias asked. He didn’t know why he offered. It just looked like… She was begging for help. Maybe it was the way her smile became forced once she realized she had to go home.

“Eh?” She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Y-You won’t mind? We just met.” She laughed nervously.

“That’s alright. My friend likes to meet new people too, I’m sure he’d be very excited to meet you.” Elias smiled kindly.

Mia looked at him, thinking and considering his words before smiling in relief. With a nod, she sighed.

“I’d love to hang out with you guys.” She giggled.

Elias couldn’t help but smile wider. This delicate girl standing before him put up a strong front but if there was something he knew, it was that a front like that protected someone crying out for help. When he had approached her a few days ago, he couldn’t have imagined he’d make this decision now.

He didn’t have to make her life perfect, but he at least wanted to help her when she looked so sad and desperate like she did a few moments ago. All he had to do was be her friend, that would be enough.

And just like that, Elias became friends with Mia.