*Narrators POV*

It was just about the middle of summer break, and Olivia, Megan, and Yolen were sitting on the swings of their childhood elementary playground, eating lunch. They arranged to meet there, seeing as they had nothing to do. No other middle or high schoolers were at the playground. They were likely on vacation, so they were just the three. It was quiet. Only the occasional bird chirping, the soft breeze whirring, and the crunching of sliced fruit being chewed. It was quite peaceful. 

"So, how long do you think that this silence is going to last?" Yolen spoke; her voice was calm, but they could make out what she said. They knew that she was in puberty, and they did not want to make her uncomfortable.

"Well, we just must hope that it stays. I doubt that anyone would come here during summer break, Yolen. Everyone wants to escape school," Megan stated, and they nodded in agreement. School is torture for everyone these days: test over test, stacks of homework, and don't get them started on stupid summer school.

"So, what's going on with you and Max, Yolen?" Olivia asked; she was always one for drama and tea. She loved to hear what type of drama was going on everywhere, no matter what the person, place, or thing; she just had to know. She was the type of person to get up in everyone's business. Both Yolen and Megan knew that, but it didn't bother them. She gave them good advice in the end. Yolen looked away; her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. It may have been an indicator of embarrassment or that she was in love with Max; Megan and Olivia weren't sure anymore. She had a new crush every week.

"W-well ...We kind of hit it off in the- "

"Okay! Change of topic! I want to keep my appetite!"

Megan interrupted Yolen; she looked uncomfortable. She just wanted to eat her sandwich without any vulgar topics coming up when she was eating. All of them were seniors in high school and 18 years of age. All of them knew that it was bound to happen, but it was a sensitive topic for all of them. It went silent after that.

They saw that a few little kids, who seemed like they were in elementary school by their looks, had arrived at the playground, playing a game of tag or some sort of playground game. Yolen was typing furiously on her phone. Megan looked over her shoulder and saw that she was texting Max, no surprises there. Megan sighed and stared down at the lunch in her lap. She brought a sandwich consisting of ham, cheese, and mustard, with cucumbers, apple slices, a can of Arizona tea, and a small cupcake. Her mom had packed her lunch, and she didn't mind, but she would have preferred it if she had made it; she wasn't a child. Olivia was quiet, grumbling something as she shoved food into her mouth. After a few minutes, they were done with all their food, stacking their lunch boxes neatly next to the swing set and walking over to a roomy pit, where there was a rubber ball in it. The pit they were in they remember as their favorite place to be back in elementary school; everyone had named it the" Gaga Pit." It was a simple game where you hit the ball and try to propel it in the direction of other people from the waist and below. They started playing, laughing, and yelling at each other. Most of the time, Yolen had won since she was the most athletic of the group, but sometimes, she shot the ball out of the pit, which resulted in everyone bursting out in laughter. But they made her get it afterward.

Time flew by quicker than they thought, and it was now around 9 p.m. They grabbed their lunch boxes, which were still near the swing set, and shuffled off toward the street that all of them had lived on since they were children. They had met each other back in elementary school when Yolen was sitting all alone on the bench. Olivia and Megan were what some would consider "popular" at elementary school, and they always have been since they were "special." They invited Yolen over to their clique, and they've been friends ever since. They arrived on their street, and they stopped at their houses. Megan was last since her house was farther down the street. Soon enough, it was just her, and she walked quickly toward her house. She couldn't help but feel like someone was watching her, and she didn't like it. It was late at night, and only the house lights shunned the streets and sidewalks. She made it to her house, and the street went quiet. Only the sound of footsteps nearing closer to her rang through the street.