It was inching closer to Christmas, and I had absolutely no idea what to get mike, Tre and especially Billie.

It's not like I had Alice anymore either to ask her what she thought, not that I needed her. I could figure it out on my own, I mean I'm not completely stupid.

I sat on mine and billies bed scribbling ideas down, Billie was downstairs with the other two doing band practice. I could faintly hear their music from up here.

I began to get frustrated as I violently scribbled out all the ideas I had with the black ballpoint pen in my right hand. They were shit ideas anyway. I ripped the paper out as I screwed it up into a ball and attempted to throw it into the trash can in the corner of the room, but obviously, I missed.

"Ooh, I've got it!" I said to myself as I quickly jumped off the bed and grabbed my phone on the bedside table.

I began to wait for her to answer, come on. Answer.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Who's this?"

"It's me, Marsha? Marsha Brooks?"

"Say again, slowly."

"Casey, what are you on about?"

"Marsha! It's you!"

"Yeah? How did you not know? didn't it come up on your phone?"

"I've lost all my contacts by accident, I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

"So y'know how you owe me a really big favour...?"

"Yeah?" she slowly asked. 

"I need your help. Like really badly."

"What is it?" 

"I have no clue what to get The boys for Christmas. Y'know I've never been good with presents."

"So how can I help?"

"Can you give me some ideas or something? Or even come down and shop with me?"

"If I come down Tre will want to see me y'know he will." She laughed.

"Well can we just not tell him you're coming down? I mean you can get Tre something while we're shopping too. Please I'm begging you I need help."

She sighed. "Fine, I'll be able to come down tomorrow if I catch the coach. But this makes us even."

"Definitely, thank you! I love you so much!"

"Yeah yeah," she laughed. "I love you too, alright I need to get back to work."

"You're working right now?"

"Yeah. But my breaks just gone so I need to go."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Bye love,"

Tomorrow morning.

I simply told the three guys I was helping my mum out with some things back home today before leaving the house and meeting Casey in the little café located in the mall. I walked in and instantly spotted her sat down with her phone in her hand and a cup in her other. I smiled to myself before sitting down across from her as she looked up and smiled.

"You found me,"

"You're not hard to miss with that new hair colour," I said as I looked at her freshly new died her. "It's so bright, why blue?"

"Why not," she smiled. "I love it. Tre doesn't know I've done it yet so don't tell anyone." She Warned.

"I won't, I won't," I said sticking my hands up in the air. She laughed slightly before we got up and headed out the café.

"So what are you thinking about getting him?" She asked me as we walked around looking for a shop to go into.

I shrugged unsurely. "I have no clue yet."

"What does he like?"

"Music, weed, y'know that stuff." I shrugged again. "What are you planning on getting Tre?"

"No clue either. What are you suppose to get boys?"

"Beats me,"

"The only thing I can think to get Tre is something that's based around music."

"Me too, the only things I know Billie likes are music, weed like I said and other stuff like skating. He likes skating now, and writing songs, and-"

"-Does he have a skateboard?"

"No, actually he's been using my old one," I told her.

"Why don't you get him one?" She asked me. I looked at her for a minute.

"Holy shit you're a genius!"

"Well, I guess it was an obvious option I don't know how you didn't think of it sooner,"

"I could personalise the deck for him and everything! Oh my god, this is perfect!" I said as I began to ramble, completely ignoring her comment.

"And what about Tre and mike?"

"Yeah, I have no clue for them."

We browsed around for a bit. Wondering in and out of shops. I got Tre and mike's presents knowing I'd have to have some great scene for billies. But it would be pretty worth it.

Everything was going great, I was having such a fun time really catching up with Casey until...

"Oh my god look who it is!" She squealed as she looked across the café we sat back in after finishing shopping.

"Who?" I asked her before she got up out of her chair and ran over to a girl. I watched her as she hugged her tight, I couldn't see the girls face. It was buried in between caseys shoulder and neck. I sat looking confused for a second, it could possibly be anyone, Casey did use to live around here so she did know the people around.

After they stopped I waited for Casey to move out the way so I could see who she was talking to. And finally, she did.

"Look Marsha it's Alice!" She said over to me as she pointed to Alice beside her. I gulped awkwardly as Alice looked anywhere but me. Casey stood and looked at me, then Alice as she put a confused look on her face. "Am I missing something?"

"A lot," I said.

Casey walked over to me as Alice didn't, but Casey told her to come so she did as they both stood beside the table me and Casey had been sat at. But only I was sitting.

"What's happened?" Casey asked confused.

"We aren't really friends anymore," Alice answered her awkwardly.

"What? Why!"

"It doesn't really matter," I said shaking my head.

"What? Why can't I know?"

"It's already over and done with," Alice told her.

"But I want to know. Just tell me what happened."

"Fine," I sighed as Alice looked over at me. "Her and mike were obviously a thing, then mike broke it off with her and she was angry at me for staying friends with mike."

Casey didn't say anything but nodded as she looked over at Alice.

"But I'm friends with mike...?" She said confused. "And... I go out with Tre...."

"I know," Alice said, sounding a little sad.

"Does that mean we aren't friends?"

Alice breathed out before she spoke. "No, course it doesn't. Actually Marsha I've been meaning to say something to you."

"Go on?"

"I'm-"

"-is that you!" A voice shouted from across the café. We looked up to see Tre. Beside him with obviously Billie and mike.

"Shit, the bags!" I said as I grabbed them and shoved them quickly under the table as Tre made his way over to Casey. He picked up a piece of her hair looking at it.

"You didn't tell me you were coming down!" He said to her.

"It was... erm-"

"-It was supposed to be a surprise. But you ruined it." I lied quickly. He looked at me, then her before smiling.

"Surprise?" She said questionably smiled awkwardly over to him.

"Awww," he said as he grinned before absorbing her in a big hug.

"Looks like you really helped your mum out today," Billie said with his hands in his pockets as he looked at me, his red hair shagging in his eyes.

"I actually just finished."

"Oh really?"

"No." I sighed. He smiled satisfied. "But this makes us even! We've now both lied at least once that we were helping our mums and we weren't."

"But why didn't you just tell me you were going out to the café?" He questioned, not knowing why I did come here.

"Because it's more than that, and-"

"-and it was supposed to be part of the surprise," Casey said cutting me off as she helped me. I smiled at her thankfully before Billie nodded.

"Alright, okay I'm sorry," he said before putting his arm around my shoulder as he stood next to me.

"Where did Alice go?" Casey asked as she looked around.

"She seemed really uncomfortable, I smiled at her and she kinda gave one back before she walked away," Mike said.

"Shit- because you're her ex." Casey reminded herself as mike nodded.

"Yeah, that's why."

"I thought you didn't like Alice?" Billie asked me with his arm still around my shoulder as he turned his head to look at me.

"I don't, but Casey didn't know about our argument and called her over. She was about to say something to me but then you guys came in and... well she obviously left." I told him.

"What do you think she was gonna say?" Casey asked me.

"I honestly don't know."

"She looked pretty bummed out before she left," Mike said.

"She did?"

"Yeah. I didn't say much to her though. I kinda feel bad," he shrugged.

"Why?" Billie asked.

"I never got to take her out on that date I promised her."