"Losers!" she squeals when she has won against us once more in hold'em poker.

I grunt because I really hadn't planned on getting wet today. But maybe this is an opportunity to bath because when I woke up in the morning, I was too excited to sleep any longer and I know Zara always wakes up early and we steal treats together before the adults get up.

"This isn't fair, you gotta be cheating, Zuzu!" Leo complains

"You know the rules, I don't make them." She shrugs with a big grin on her face, completely happy with herself. Her dreadlocks moving and covering her face.

"You did make the rules!" Jose shouts

"And you agreed. So, you have to get naked boys and jump. And hurry, our fathers may be done soon." She looks in the direction of the house, ensuring one of the maids wasn't coming to get us.

"Come let's just get it over with." I rise and I pull my pants down. Fall just started and the lake is starting to get cold.

The rest of the boys start taking off their clothes too. Out of all of us Bas is the one complaining least. He always is too happy to do whatever Zara says.

We leave our clothes there next to the tree and I see Zara spotting a mischievous grin. We all move to the lake and get on the walkway.

"Remember up to 100." She reminds us in her evil villain voice as she juts her index finger in the air. I can't help smile. She always makes everything better, and funnier.

"I really hope I don't break out after this. My mom would kill me." Jose complains

"Oh, don't be a baby. A rash has never killed anyone."

"It has!"

But she ignores him.

The air is a bit chilly. Goosebumps erupt in my body. Okay, maybe its colder than I thought.

"It's freezing." Leo says

"Don't make me push you, Tatsu." she tells him with annoyance

With our solemn faces we look at each other then we jump. The cold water hits me all at once but I swim to the top as my teeth clank and I paddle, keeping myself afloat.

"Five, six..."

Bas pops his head out the water last and we are all freezing, but swimming.

"It's so cold, Zuzu!"

She grins. "Fifteen, Sixteen..."

"We gonna be dead by the time you get to 100."

"Thirty...Thirty-one..."

I notice she is starting to move back. Then I realize what she is going to do. I start swimming closer to the walkway, and she notices I see her, and she sprints.

"She's going to take our clothes!" I yell

We all swim to the walkway. By the time we are out of the water she is at the tree. She takes all of them, even the underwear.

"Zar!" Bas shouts

"Zara, you better not!"

We run after her, though its not fast enough as our bodies are trying to adjust again and our muscles haven't loosened. It's even colder after the water. She runs away giggling to the direction of the shed. We run as fast as we can, but Zara is also a fast runner. She has had to be to keep up with all of us boys.

"Zaza!" Jose shouts. We all do, to no avail. She always has something under her sleeve; a scheme, a plan, an idea. And we all have so much fun when she's around. The Pentagon. The five best friends, like our fathers.

We enter the shed, and she is nowhere to be seen. No doubt hiding. The shed has my father's tools, cars and other junk. We play here often. There is a little stage for Zara where she sings, and we mess with the cars and watch her shows.

All of us are breathing hard.

"Z-Zara, if you come out now and g-give us our clothes, we will forget about t-this."

"I won't forget. We will have our revenge." Leo says through tattering teeth

We all have hands running up and down our bodies trying to be warm.

"Mason!" my mother's voice comes from outside the shed

"Where are they?" Zara's mother asks

We all run to hide and the door to the shed swings opens.

"Kids, come out now."

We didn't find enough time to hide, and we are all still naked. We can't get out there.

"Oh, Zahara there you are, where are the boys?"

So, she got out. When we get her alone, she is in so much trouble. But all of us are praying they leave.

"There are their feet, mom. They are behind the car."

"Traitor." Leo whispers through gritted teeth.

"Boys, come on, get out of there. Time to wash before dinner."

Because I know it's going to be brutal either way, I am the first one to come out. I hide my privates and I emerge, naked. Zara is standing in between the mothers, holding both their hands. She folds her lips, trying to hide her grin. The rest of the boys come after me and they stand behind me.

My mom sighs. "Do I even want to know?"

"She took our clothes!" Leo rats her out.

We all look at him. He is snitching. We don't snitch.

She narrows her eyes at him.

"Did you do it, Zahara?" my mom asks

She shakes her head and gives them that wide smile that makes everyone take her side. The mothers shake their heads and sigh in defeat.

"Come on, you little rascals, let's go get you showered and clothed."

They turn with her, and she goes with them. She runs ahead and heads to the house and we run after her, not carrying anymore that we were naked. She was gonna get it.

She giggles as she runs through the house. When she locks herself in her room, we promise revenge before we leave.

We get into my room because its bigger and the boys all sleep there anyway and we shower. When we are dressed, she comes in. She has that sweet face that none of us can stay mad at.

"Come on, I'm sorry, but that was fun." she grins

"We were naked and freezing, you were unfair." Jose complains

"Are you gonna hold that against me all day, or are you gonna accept my offer for peace?" she rolls her eyes, and I notice she has one of her hands behinds her

"What you got there, Zara?" I ask and I go behind her. She doesn't move as we all circle her. If it wasn't good, then we will tickle her until she cries. She moves her hand to the front and reveals one of our mother's brownies. We stole them last month and we ended up laughing so much we couldn't stop. Jose reaches for it and she holds it to her again. "Only if you forgive me."

We look at each other. Of course, we weren't angry at her.

"Fine, we forgive you. Now hand it over." I say as I take the brownie from her, and I bite it. I bite it and I hand it to Leo, who hands it to Bas and then Jose finishes it off.

"Don't I get to share?" she asks as we all sit in the bed

"No, you don't deserve a treat."

She shrugs. And reaches for the pocket of her hoodie. "I guess it's great that I have my own." Then she bits the brownie. We all jump up to grab her, and after she bites it the second time, we are on her. We tackle her and take the piece of chocolatey heaven and then we tickle her. She has a mouth full of brownie.

"I can't believe you!" Jose shouts

"Let me swallow." She says with an open mouth as she struggles between breathing, laughing and chewing.

"No, you don't get to chew in peace!" Leo sits on her face and farts on her

We all jump, and she spits the chewed brownie, and she runs to the bathroom. "Ew!"

We all laugh. She comes back thunderous. We all high five Leo for his excellent work. She plops down next to me.

"You sure there's no more treats there, Zar?"

"No more."

"How did you get it this time?"

"Mrs. Dawood was in the pantry looking for something and she left the container in the counter."

"That's my dog." Bas says and they do our handshake

"What do you think the fathers are talking about in the office? It's been hours."

"I don't know. Wanna go and listen?" I say and they all smirk.

"Zaza, what was Jerome saying to you next to the hall? You wouldn't stop laughing?" Jose asks something we all had forgotten to ask her. We all didn't like that 4th grader talking to our friend. Zara is ours. She is our friend.

"None of your business, that's what." She replies

We all wanted to know what Jerome wanted with her. She was our best friend, and ours to protect.

"Of course, it's our business. We are your protectors." Leo says a sentiment we all share

"Fine. He wanted to know if I wanted to do homework together, and before you ask, I said no. I already have you all following me."

"We don't follow you. If anything, you follow us." I protest

"No, we walk together." Bas corrects

"And nothing will come between us." I add

"And all the boys who want to ask you for ice cream or to do homework, tell them to come to us first." Leo says

"You are not my fathers." She protests

"We are best friends." Jose says

"Forever best friends." Bas adds

"Fine, " she rolls her eyes

Bas gets off the bed. He is about to force us to do the group hug. I hate the group hugs.

He opens his arms. "Come on. Best friend hug."

"We aren't babies anymore." Leo complains as he gets off the bed. Zara doesn't move. I get off the bed and stand next to the two.

"Zar, we will come and kiss you if you don't come here."

Zara jumps like someone set her butt on fire. We all laugh. She always turns red when we kiss her.

We stand in the circle, and we hook our arms on each other's shoulders and link heads.

"I believe in the Pentagon..." Bas starts our best friend chant

"Whether comes Megatron..." Leo continues

"...Amagedon..." Jose adds

"...Or Ultron..." I say

"...The pentagon will never fall." Zara finishes

"Together forever..." I say

"Forever..." my best friends say in unison

We spent weeks arguing over what the chant should be. Zara wanted us to sing it. Jose wanted us to each have a few lines. Bas wanted it to include dance moves. Leo thought it was silly. And I wanted it to not happen. But we all caved and finally agreed on the now seven lines. Its straight to the point and represents us well.

After dinner we head to the tree house, named The Pentagon Headquarters. It is our last night together for another month. Bas and his family are going to Australia for holiday and Jose and his family are visiting his home country of Cuba, and Leo and his parents are going to Greece for holiday. It will just be me and Zara alone for a whole month and I am very excited. I have a present I've been building for her for months and we can play with it together, just the two of us, away from Leo's farts.

A voice calls as I'm in deep sleep. I shake and my eyes open. Zara is snuggled to me, and she has a frown on her face and her hands are on my face, she was waking me. I feel warm all over seeing her face when I wake up. A strange feeling; one I've never had before for my best friend.

"We thought you were dead." Jose's annoyed voice says from behind Zara and she smiles

"Come on, your dad is calling for us?" she says in that warm voice then she gets off me

I look out the window. It's still very dark outside. Leo stretches his hand out for me, and I take it. We climb down.

"What's going on, dad?" I ask rubbing my still sleepy eyes. I don't think we've been asleep for long. After Leo told us his scary Japanese ghost stories, we all had to stay awake trying to comfort Zara till she fell asleep. She is always scared after she hears the stories, but she is always the first one who wants to hear them. I can never understand her. Maybe it's because she's a girl.

"Come on." My father turns on his heel and heads to the direction of the house.

We all look at each other. We are all thinking the same thing. Are we in trouble? And if we are, what for this time? We do so much mischief it's always hard to know what we are in trouble for exactly.

We hear yelling as we near the house. Sounds like Jose's father. Then Zahara's father. I start panicking. Zahara slips her hand in mine. She is trembling. I squeeze her hand to let her know she doesn't have to be afraid. We are all here.

"You are lucky we aren't blowing your brains right now, you fucking snake!" Bas's father spits

"Hey, hey, hey. The kids are here." My father says

All the adults turn to us. Bas's father has blood on his face. Zahara's father looks much worse with blood on his clothes and many cuts on his face. My heart sinks. Why are they fighting? They are best friends, like us.

Zahara's mother hurries to our direction and she takes Zahara by the hand and pulls her to herself. But I don't let go of her.

"There's no need for all of this. We can just go. Just let us go." She has sweat beads on her face and looks like she's going to cry. I don't like that.

My father gives her a very mean look and I see her looking away quickly.

"Kids, come this way and say bye to Zahara." Jose's mother says to us as she approaches. Something in the way she says it that I don't like.

"But she was supposed to stay here for the summer." I say, confused. Does this mean I won't be able to show her what I made her?

"Not anymore, sweetie. They have to go, and you won't see her for a while, okay?" she says to only us.

"No! I don't wanna leave!" Zara protests loudly. She pulls her hand from her mother, and she comes back to my side, and she squeezes me hard. Its painful, but I would rather this pain then let them take her away.

"Son, they must go. They are traitors. You need to let her go."

"Nathan!" my mother says to him

Tears fill my eyes and I feel Zara tremble in my arms. All the boys hug her too.

"They all need to know what a piece of shit Clark is. And I hope you burn in hell, asshole."

Zara's father moves in lightning speed, but he is held back by Leo's father before he can reach my dad. The whole scene is unbelievable. I hope this is just a nightmare.

"Come on, sweetheart, we need to go." Zara's mother says in a panicked voice

"You all better leave before I shoot this mother fucker." Bas's father says in a sinister tone, and I shiver

Zara's face rises from my chest, and she has tears in her face. Her beautiful face. She looks so sad. I want to make it better for her. I reach to remove her locks so I can wipe her tears, but her mother pulls her away.

'No!" she screams

We all advance, and my mother comes before us. Zara's father and mother drag her away kicking and screaming, and that was the last time I saw my best friend.

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