Author's Note: Hello all! As you know, it's been a really long time since I wrote anything. I haven't had anything to write, and to be completely honest, it's been a loooong while since I saw the series. However, this little idea has been bubbling beneath the surface for a while now, I just didn't know how to approach it. PLEASE don't get excited as I'm not even sure if I can commit to this piece. Honestly, I don't even know where this story will go. For all I know, this might be the only chapter I'm going to write. But anyway...

If you're familiar with my work, you'll notice that this one has a HUGE difference in it. Some of you might like it, some of you might not. Either way, it's what I came up with. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Changes

It was one of those summer days in the clubhouse that felt quiet, though it actually wasn't. The cool, artificial air from the AC was layered with the roaring crowd on the television (another one of Wally's wrestling matches), Kuki's gentle humming from the corner, and even Nigel's muffled voice from outside the window as he argued with Lizzie on the phone.

These were the best days of their lives.

Abby, comfortably sunk in a beanbag chair, was reading her favorite magazine. She flipped a page. Five Signs that He's Into You. She pondered for a few seconds, trying to force her fingers to flip onto the next page. Maybe those had something more important to say – maybe something about a new jazz album or trendy sneakers. But she found herself reading on.

#1: He always takes you to hang out with his friends.

Doesn't apply. They've all been friends since childhood. His circle was just as much her circle.

#2: He laughs at all your jokes.

Invalid point. She doesn't really make jokes. More often than not, she contents herself with humorous observations and only Nigel usually understood those. Everyone in the group always said they can be such sticks in the mud sometimes.

#3: You catch him staring at you all the time.

Final verdict: this article is crap. Her eyes discreetly rolled up over the top of the pages. Across the room, all she saw as a mop of mousy brown hair sunk behind broad, blue-linen shoulders. Hoagie's aviator hat was laying on the side of the table, next to rolls and rolls of freshly drawn blueprints. He seemed in the zone again. She watched as his fingers dug into his messy hair as the other hand happily scratched his pencils away against a sketch pad.

If the article somehow implied that constantly watching the back of someone's head was a sign of advantage, she might have been more interested. She flipped onto another page.

Not long after she had been grazing an article on vinyl records, Kuki's voice interrupted her though it wasn't directed at her at all.

"Hey Hoagie, what'cha doin'?"

Her eyes shot up along with a jolt of her head. Kuki had abandoned her rainbow monkeys in the corner and was standing alongside Hoagie. The wrestling match on TV had heightened to another level of intensity, but Wally didn't seem to notice. His head was turned towards the sketching table too.

"I'm just working on some new designs. There's an aviator's convention coming up and I wanna show some of my work some professionals. Maybe I can snag a position as an apprentice or something. That would be sweet."

"Oooooh…"

Kuki leaned in with genuine fascination. Her long black hair curtained over Hoagie's shoulder, just inches away from his own shaggy hair.

The wrestling match ended with a triumphant pin, but Wally hadn't noticed at all. His head was still turned away from the TV. Meanwhile, Abby had already reached the bottom of the article, though she didn't register a single word. The last paragraph was particularly difficult to read because the words crinkled away with the pages within her grip.

As much as she tried, Abby couldn't recall when it all began or rather what it was that began. One year passed after another, cycling through playful winters, hazy summers, and homework-ridden autumns and springs. One day they were all running around, conspiring against the adults in their tree-house, and next thing they knew, they were teenagers. The tree-house was still there, though they renovated it towards the ground (they were all wise enough to know that a rickety tree-house might not support the weight of five teenagers – two of which were boys with relentless appetites). And though they were still beloved by kids around the neighborhood, they were just as well-known and even often loved by adults and those of their own age (though Wally and Hoagie often wreaked havoc and Nigel was known for being too clever for his own good.)

Nowadays, little Wally was towering over everyone as if his height finally decided to catch up with his feistiness. He was scrawny, yet he ate like a dinosaur, and many girls beheld a guilty infatuation with his green eyes as they scowled from beneath his scraggly blonde hair. Nigel had grown into quite the gentleman: handsome, toned, presentable, and well-spoken. He over-achieved in everything, from school to athletics, and even widespread adoration from girls, unintentionally but gratefully building a name for himself in the community. Kuki, who had always been pretty, had blossomed more than ever. With hardly a touch of make-up on her face, she unknowingly turned heads wherever she went, and her kind, playful personality endeared her to many. As always, she laughed all the time and anyone within a ten-foot range from her was a potential target for a Rainbow Monkey hug. As for Hoagie… He was just plain lovable. Though he didn't incite the same following as Wally and Nigel, he was within notice of a handful of girls - attention which he never noticed, just as much as Wally and Nigel never noticed their own admirers. His knack for jokes made him the class clown and his natural charm made him a friend to anyone. He had lost all the baby fat from childhood, though some of it still showed in his cheeks whenever he smiled - and he was always smiling.

Abby was the only one who didn't feel the weight of the transitions, though she saw it all around her. While many noted that she was now a woman - noticing her height and her slender, athletic frame - not much had changed in her personality. She still possessed the same maturity that she carried even as a child, only now she was even wiser than before. People still admired casual intelligence and her flawless style. Everyone still loved her because other than maturing physically, she was still the same Abby.

There was only one thing about herself that she knew was different from before, and even now she refused to admit it.

"You know what they say, one magazine a day keeps the fashion police away."

Abby jumped at the interruption of her thoughts, and looked up, suddenly frozen. Hoagie was right in front of her smiling his usual, cheesy smile. Without her noticing, he had swiveled his way towards her on his chair, though now he sat on it backwards while he faced her. His arms were folded against the backrest, and his legs twisted the chair side to side, swaying him along.

"...What?" Abby said blankly.

"The magazine. In your hand. You looked like you're about to tear it up for some reason. I figured it was another one of those weird beauty trends, like when people tell you to eat nothing but banana peels for a week or something to make you smell better. Women's magazines are always giving weird advice like that."

He was still smiling at her, waiting for her to answer, waiting for her to laugh. He was always trying to make people laugh. It was annoying. Just as annoying as the stupid aviator's hat on his head, with the gleaming, yellow-tinted aviator glasses hanging off of it. Just as annoying as the mousy little strands of brown hair sticking out from beneath the front, curling away from his bright blue eyes. Just as annoying as his wide smile. His bright, wide, and cheesy smile...