Cherry

Her name was Cheryl, but I called her Cherry.

No one else called her that. Just me. That was, until we met Susie Bridgers.

She saw us chalkin’ on the sidewalk across the street and walked over. I warned Cherry that we shouldn’t talk to strangers, but she insisted there was no harm in makin' a new friend.

Susie heard me say, "Cherry, I’m hot. Need more sunscreen. Are you ready to go back and keep swimmin'?” 

"Cherry." Susie snickered, smilin' to herself.  "That's a cute name."

"It’s Cheryl, but that's what they call me.” Cherry snuggled her rounded chin into sun-kissed shoulders. Brown features flushin' pink beneath the sunlight. "I like it."

They. Who's they? And why are they callin' you Cherry?

"It's nice to meet you, Susie, but we're celebratin’-"

"Would you like to come over and swim with us?" Cherry waved toward the fence on the side of a red brick house. It was closed and locked. Her momma would fuss if we left it open. Might accidentally let the dog out. 

Celebratin' our ten year friendiversary, I wanted to say, but instead I said nothin' and let Cherry talk, like usual.

Susie shrugged her shoulders. "It'd be cool to make some friends. I just moved into town to live with my dad."

"Well, you're welcome to come over and swim anytime."

"Cool."

So cool.

Everybody always talked about breakups, about how detrimental they were, about how men have the power to destroy your self confidence and walk away without a scratch. Nobody warned me about Cherry, about how a woman would drag me to my lowest point and walk away unharmed.

Nobody prepared me for that. 

Susie crashed our ten year friendiversary talkin' about her crackhead mom and her twin sister, who was already sleepin' with the boy next door. Sittin' together on the steps of the pool, sun-kissed skin hot beneath the southern sun. It should've been me makin' Cherry laugh, makin' her eyes wrinkle shut.

Sittin' close like that, what would we have talked about? We spent every weekend together. Even had sleepovers on school nights. Our moms never had a problem as long as we made it there on time in the mornin'. So I knew everythin' about Cherry, and she knew everythin' about me.

But Cherry knew nothin' about Susie. The way they were talkin', I knew she would learn every little detail.  She used to talk to me that way.

I thought Cherry might've forgotten we were celebratin', but then she said, "Well, today's our ten-year friendiversary."

"Oh, wow!"

Wow, I grumbled beneath my breath, lookin' down at my reflection in the water and rollin' my eyes. Ten years, and I have to share my special day with a stranger. Fun.

“We’ve been friends since before Kindergarten.” Cherry dove into the water, splashin' a wave over my face. She clung to my shoulders, wrappin' her legs around my waist. Weird, I thought. It was usually me clingin' to her. "We're gonna order pizza later and watch Sky High."

I carried Cherry in circles around the shallow end, driftin' away from Susie's place on the steps until I was nearly drownin' with water over my chin. "I've never seen that movie."

"You can stay if you want." My grip tightened on Cherry's thighs. She must've noticed, because she squeezed my shoulders. She nuzzled her chin into the curve of my neck. "Is that okay with you?"

I couldn't say no. Didn't want to be rude. "Sure."

The beginnin' of the end is what I called that day. When I think back, that's the moment I was sure to have lost her. Ten years worth of memories gone because of Susie.

She sat on the beige leather sofa and watched as Cherry and I dragged all the kitchen chairs into the living room. We tossed blankets, tied them into place with ponytail holders. Unzipped sleeping bags and stacked them across the concrete floor. 

Cherry’s momma never did finish the renovations. Or maybe she did. I wouldn’t know. 

“My sister baked brownies for breakfast this morning. I’ll run across the street and grab some.” Susie climbed out of the fort, leavin' a half-eaten slice of pizza on a paper plate. Bad idea, I thought. I hoped Cherry’s dog would sneak inside, grab it, and disappear. 

“Cool,” Cherry said. Cool. 

“So cool.” The door swung shut. I stuffed half a slice of pizza into my mouth and avoided Cherry’s obvious stare. “Pizza and brownies. Yum.” 

“Why so hostile?” Cherry leaned her head against my shoulder. She didn’t bother pausin' the movie. That was a good sign. “No need to be jealous.” 

“I’m not jealous.” Defensiveness, I learned, was not the best reaction. I leaned my head against Cherry’s. “I have no reason to be jealous of Susie.” 

“You have nothin' to worry about.” 

"I'm only worried because she might be a psychopath. She hasn't seen Sky High. That's insane." Cherry continued to stare, continued to let silence surround us. “You can't blame me. Today was supposed to be our day.” I wanted to scream, but my voice lost all volume. It collapsed into nothingness. “Our day. Me and You. Not me, you, and Susie.” 

“Well, like I said, you’ve got nothin' to worry about.” 

But I was worried, and I continued to worry. I worried that my worryin' would drive Cherry away, and ultimately, I think it did. 

Five years later, Cherry and I should’ve been celebratin' fifteen years, but I didn’t have a clue where she was. Last I heard, she was travelin' the world. Spain, maybe. She studied Spanish in college, so maybe she was in Spain. 

I didn’t have a clue, but with that thought I would’ve killed to be on a flight to Spain. To show up, find her in Madrid throwin' pennies in a fountain. One for travel. Two for romance. Three for marriage. 

She’d throw three. 

I doubt Cherry would recognize me or remember that today would’ve been our fifteen year friendiversary. If I flew across the globe to see her again, she would narrow her eyes, look at me for a long second, then walk away. 

She wouldn’t waste time talkin' to a stranger.