Whispered giggles and muffled shrieks echoed around the calm garden.  Two young girls, Charli and Alli, lay side by side on a worn quilt, their faces illuminated by the warm light of the setting sun. Charli stares wide eyed as the sky erupts in orange and yellow hues, her attention consumed by the spectacle of the burning sky. Alli lay at her side, a lady bug racing over her fingers as she played with blades of grass. Gaping at the sky, Charli mindlessly elbows her friend with a small gesture to the sky. Alli quickly forgets about the bugs, the grass, the candy in her moms closet, and the toys she left out. Her eyes widen as a bright smile grows on her face. Looking to her friend, Alli declares a competition. Pointing out the different sides of the towering trees, the two girls agree on a few rules before settling in. It was a silly and ultimately meaningless competition, who could have the most stars on their side before it was time to go inside for dinner wins. Vibrating with anticipation, the two girls watched as the golden sun disappeared, leaving specks of light in the sky. Neither of the girls could count past ten, nor could they pay attention long enough to remember how many stars they had already counted, but still they lay, shrieking out numbers drawn from air and insisting that they had won.

Sighing Charli let herself fall against Alli as the car flew across a big turn. With a playful jab, Charli sat back up again as Alli laughed. The two girls were driving home from school when the rain started pouring, effectively canceling their set plans. Charli groaned as she pouted at Alli, upset about their ruined day. Alli, on the other hand, simply rolled her eyes as she looked out her window. Charli rolled her eyes back, ready to do the same when Alli whipped around smiling. Pointing to her window, Alli began introducing each drop of rain to Charli, giving each speck of water a name as well as a job. The two rambled and argued for a moment before the car accelerated once more, causing the drops to begin racing across the windows. Shrieking in dismay, the girls made useless barriers with their hands, giggling as the water rolled past on the other side of the window. It was only a few minutes of hopeless hand barriers before the girls arrived home, but damp and naming each drop of water on their skin and in their hair.

Alli sat in class staring mindlessly at the white board. It was another long boring day of school for the teen and she would be caught dead before she was caught paying attention. Glancing in front of her, Alli smiled at the long dark hair of her best friend. Smiling, Alli thought back to the long emails and arguments it took for her and Charli to have the same classes. Resting her head on her palm, Alli let her gaze drift out the window. It was a sunny day with a decent amount of wind, blowing clouds across the sky. Picking a cloud, Alli counted the seconds it took before it passed through the window. Looking forward again, Alli delivered a small kick to Charli’s shoes, earning a glare from the girl. Scrambling for her pen, Alli wrote down the rules of her new game and passed the note to Charli. The girl glared at Alli for a moment before grabbing her own pen and passing the note back. Turning to the window, Charli grinned as she picked her cloud. And like that the race was on. Both girls kept a firm gaze on their clouds to not lose sight of them as they tumbled slowly through the sky. Every so often, Charli would sneak a glance back at Alli, watching the way the girl stared intently out the window. It really was a simple game, pick a cloud and whoever crosses the window first wins, but it captivated both girls’ attention until the sharp bell rang dismissing the class.

Tapping her pencil relentlessly against the table, Alli’s foot bounced as she stared down at her essay question. ‘Can people enjoy simple things?’ Her gut reaction was yes, people can be happy wherever, but with her reasoning the answer was no. People wanted complex and unique experiences, not just everage everyday occurrences. But as she procrastinated, Alli caught sight of Charli across the room and suddenly her pen hit the paper. Her most fond and memorable memories come from the simplest and most boring games she’s made with Charli. From watching clouds blow to counting stars in the sky, Alli had done all but watch paint dry and enjoyed it. With Charli, she had found that there was fun in every situation even if they play the simplest of games. From there, Allie made quick work of her essay and smiled as she realized how easy it was to play little games and how happy it made her. For a while now the girl had been embarrassed about her constant distractions and silly ideas, but now in a new light, she appreciated the fun she always made for herself.