Unfinished

Piper did not like hiking.

Especially not up a mountain.

She decided this about ten minutes into the journey, when the morning breeze had died down and she was left trekking in the sweltering heat without a water bottle.

Not to mention that they were now going up a very steep incline, and her shoes had lost their grip.

Of course Finn's family (who to hear them tell it have been hiking since they could walk) took it all in their stride, chatting amicably with each other. Oscar had all but crawled up, declaring himself a hiking expert, which left her and Claire struggling behind the group.

"Why on earth did I choose sandals?" Claire complained, halting suddenly to shake a stone out of her shoe.

She wobbled precariously, and Piper stepped closer and offered her an elbow.

Claire clung onto her with relief, dislodging the surprisingly large pebble and righting herself.

"Thanks," Finn's girlfriend sighed, smiling weakly at her.

"No problem," Piper replied.

She could see why Finn liked Claire so much.

In the sunlight, her hair had a reddish tint as her curls hung loosely down her back. Her face was round and sweet, with large hazel eyes. She was beautiful. Really beautiful.

Piper felt almost embarrassed at how dishevelled she must look in comparison.

"So, what's university like?" Claire asked as they began to struggle up the mountain once more.

"It's fine," Piper shrugged, her knee twinging slightly as she forced herself to the flatter part of the trail.

"Just fine?"

"Yeah," She sighed, her lack of enthusiasm about her studies managing to follow her even to Mincol.

"In that case, I'm glad I didn't go," Claire's laugh sounded forced, as she held herself upright with the aid of a large boulder.

"So you went straight into work?" Piper queried, reaching the slightly flatter, although still uphill, path.

Up ahead, she could see the backs of her friends and their dad, and a glimpse of Oscar's carrot orange hair in front of them.

She really hoped they would stop and wait, or else she was going to be lost in the mountains with Claire.

"Kind of. I started working when I was about sixteen, at the supermarket checkout in the next town over. Now I'm working at a bar in a nightclub," Claire explained, holding a hand up to shield her eyes as she saw how far ahead her boyfriend was.

"Sixteen?" Piper blinked in surprise. She'd only started working weekends last year, and the shop at Mincol was the second job she'd ever had.

"Yeah, I've always wanted to be independent," Claire said as she quickened her pace slightly. As Claire began to overtake her, Piper caught the briefest shine of tears in her eyes.

"Oh," She eventually said, just to say something in response.

"Do you have siblings?" Claire asked, almost calling over her shoulder, any trace of unhappiness gone.

"Yeah, three," Piper replied, hurrying to catch up. Thankfully, the others had stopped and were waiting for them.

"Older or younger?"

"All older."

"Ah, so you're the baby in the family?" Claire smiled at her.

"Kind of."