"Piper, Walter, Lincoln, Ronan!"
Noah stands up, running to his friends and hugging them. They laugh, jumping around while embracing each other. Tulip watches behind then, frowning.
They seperate after their giggles cool down and Noah who realises Tulip is left behind, heads over to her. His friends watches him curiously, noticing the girl who is with him.
"Tulip! These are my friends, you know what I told you about friends right? These are mine."
Tulip continues to frown, Noah's friends that notice her expression whisper to each other. One of them steps forward, extending her hand to Tulip with a smile.
"Hello! My name is Piper. A friend of Noah is a friend of mine, I'll let you call me Pipe!"
The girl greets with a perky voice, waiting for Tulip to respond. However contrary to her expectation, Tulip only stares at her hand that hover. Looking at Noah who awkwardly notices her disdain.
"Ah..about Tulip, she doesn't really know how to speak well, so she's kind of shy!"
Only then Piper puts her hand down. The girl smile falters when Tulip gives her a foul look, her mouth quivering and eyes furrow clearly upset. Tulip turns her turns away lying back down to make snow angel, uninterested in the girl who is about to cry.
That was it, the action that set Piper wailing. Noah panics and signals for help to his friends who look at him not knowing what to do either, averting their stare scratching their hair and neck.
"Piper…"
"I don't like her! She's mean!"
Piper screams out, her legs that were about to turn around kicks the stand that flings towards Tulip. Noah gasps and goes over to Tulip who sits up and coughs, sand going up her nose and mouth.
"Piper!"
Noah is upset, not understanding why his friend Piper would do that.
Piper is his only friend that is a girl beside Tulip, hanging out with his group of guy friends because they have all been friends for years. Piper is particularly known to be the nicest of all of them.
Noah brush off the sand that was stuck to Tulip face and hair, then glares at Piper who cries harder.
"Why would you do that!?"
Noah shouts out, he wanted to ask loudly but didn't mean to shout it out, but his gaze doesn't falter, still feeling upset at her. Piper quiets down and stares at Noah who holds Tulip, Tulip looking elsewhere. Walter, Lincoln and Ronan is now beside Piper, consoling her and watching the feud.
"Noah, that girl was staring at us weird."
"Yeah, I saw it too!"
Walter and Ronan spoke, looking between Tulip and Noah. Noah is confused, not knowing what they mean, turning his head down to Tulip who looks at him innocently.
Yeah, Tulip wouldn't do anything mean. They must mean her clueless stare that had Noah frustrated too.
"That's just her face, she did it to me too, she might've not understood Piper because it's their first time meeting!"
The two don't reply, not knowing if they should help Piper or understand Tulip who Noah is adamant on defending. Piper sees this and becomes uneasy, fiddling with her blue dress. Then she turns her back to Noah and Tulip, grasping Walter and Ronan arms.
"I still don't like her! I'm not playing with Noah if she's here."
Piper says, dragging the two friends and looks at Lincoln to follow her, heading to where they came from again. The two friends don't stop her, only waving at Noah with awkward smiles.
The only one left is Lincoln, a boy the same age as Noah with grey eyes and black hair, a flower crown on top of his head that capture Tulip's attention.
The boy notices and walks closer to them, crouching before them and staring at Tulip who only stares at his flower crown.
"Hi, my name is Lincoln."
"Do you like this? You can have it."
Tapping his flower crown, Tulip eyes grow wide and she raises her hands to touch it, but Lincoln takes it off first and places it on her head. Not being able to see the flower crown anymore, Tulip sulks, her shoulders hunch and head lowers.
Noah sees this and taps her cheek, and Tulip raises her head dispiritedly, the flower crown that wasn't placed properly drops, Tulip grabs hold of it, turning and twisting the fragile crown.
"Looks good. I'll see you later Noah, you too Tulip."
Lincoln stand up, waving his hand at them and catching up to the three in the distance. Noah waves goodbye and Tulip fiddles with the crown.
"Do you like it that much?"
Noah asks, his hands that were holding Tulip drops and Tulip sits up, nodding her head. Smiling dotingly, Noah takes the crown out Tulip hands, she watches him curious as to what he'll do.
"You wear it, like this."
Noah demonstrates, placing the flower crown on top of her head snuggly and pushing Tulip back by her shoulders to take a look at her wholly. Tulip looks at him obliviously. Raising her hands to her head, feeling the crown there.