Jax and Jilly

It was just a plain old boring day. Jilly Crowther lay stretched out on the couch in her living room staring at the ceiling. Her best friend, Jax Hilyard sat on the floor beside her. Jax and Jilly had been best friends since they were little kids. Ever since the day, he started chasing her on the playground, and she turned around and started chasing him right back, they were inseperable. Even when they got to to that awkward age when boys and girls stop being friends, they remained close.

"What do you want to do?" asked Jax. Jilly shrugged and didn't even bother sitting up. "Wanna play a board game?" suggested Jax.

"No, I'm bored of that." she replied. "Wanna watch TV?" she suggested. Jax nodded okay. Jilly picked up the remote. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels twice, but they could not find anything to watch so she turned the TV back off again.

"How about a video game?' said Jax

Jilly shook her head no.  "Nah." she said.  "Not in the mood."

Just then, Jilly's Mom came into the room. "Get your shoes off the couch." she reprimanded her daughter. Jilly sat up and slid her feet onto the floor. 

"What are you two doing inside on such a nice day?" inquired Jilly's mother. Then, the phone rang, and she hurried off  to answer it.

Jilly  walked over to to window followed by Jax, and they looked out. It was indeed a beautiful bright and sunny day.  "Do you want to go in the backyard and hang out?" she asked. 

"That would be the same as being in here except outside." he pointed out. "We still wouldn't have anything to do."

"Yeah, you're right." she agreed. "How about a walk?"

"Nah." he replied. "Not really in the mood to go for a walk."

"Let's go for a bike ride!" they both suggested at the same time.

"Jinx!" they said in unison, and then, they burst out laughing. When they  finally got themselves under control, they went to the garage and got Jilly's red ten speed bike. Jilly walked her bike down the street to Jax's house where they picked up his blue ten speed. "Where do you want to go?" he asked as he walked his bike out of the garage and joined Jilly on the driveway. 

"The park." she suggested.

"The park is probably going to be too crowded on a day like today." he reminded her.

"You're probably right." she agreed.

"How about just around the neighborhood?" he suggested alternatively.

"Boring!" she declared.

"Let's go to the hill!" they suggested at the exact time. Gooseberry Hill was one of their favorite places in town. There was a big well, and they loved to climb to the top of the hill and drink water out of the well. Other times, they liked to picnic on the hill or even just lie on their backs and look at the shapes in the clouds. 

"Race ya!" exclaimed Jax quickly scurrying onto his bike and taking off down the driveaway.

"No, fair." pouted Jilly. "You just gave yourself a head start." she hopped onto her own bike and raced after him.

When they got to Gooseberry Hill. They jumped off their bikes and dropped them in a heap at the side of the hill. "I'll race you up the hill!" called Jilly starting up the hill before she even finished talking.

"Hey!" exclaimed Jax taking off after her. "No fair, you got a head start."

"Payback!" she shouted gleefully over her shoulder.

At the top of the hill, they collapsed on the grass out of breath. After a few minutes, they got up and they each drank a little water from the well. Next to the well, there was an empty plastic pail that somebody had left there. Jax picked it up and turned it upside down and put it on his head. "I'm the king of the hill!" he exclaimed.  Jilly wrinkled her nose at him and gave him a shove, and he went tumbling down the hill. She  reached out to grab him, but lost her footing, and she went tumbling after.

At the bottom of the hill, they lay on the grass with the wind knocked out of them for a few seconds. "Are you okay, Jilly?" Jax croaked out finally.

"Yeah." she assured him. "How about you?" she asked.

"I'm fine too." he replied.

"Hey where's your crown, Mr King of the Hill?" teased Jilly as they sat up and started brushing off. 

"It's right here." said Jax putting his hand to the top of his head but it wasn't there. He got up and was about to start looking for it, but as soon as he took a step, they heard a loud cracking sound from under his feet. He took a step back and there was the plastic pail with a huge crack in the middle. 

"Oops!" he said in mock horror.  "I broke it."

They both burst out laughing.