What Time Is It, Really?

I don't know why, but today felt off from the start. My alarm didn't go off, my hair would not cooperate no matter how much I straightened it, and when I got to school, literally no one noticed I was wearing a new hoodie. Like hello? It's bright purple. I basically look like a grape.

I sat down in first hour next to Bri like I always do, but she didn't say hi. She just scrolled on her phone like I wasn't even there. I mean she has been acting different since she started hanging out with Ava and them, but still. We've been best friends since, like, third grade. You'd think that means something.

Mr. Gleeson started rambling about photosynthesis or whatever, and I zoned out completely. instead, I started watch the clock, which I swear was moving slower than ever. I kept checking my phone too, even though I knew I had no texts. I don't know what I was expecting-some random "Hey, thinking of you" from a person who doesn't exist?

The day dragged. Math was a disaster, Spanish was boring, and by lunch, I had a headache from pretending everything was fine.

I sat at our usual table. Well, my usual table. Bri and Ava were sitting at a different one. Laughing. Not even looking my way.

I stared at my tray. School pizza. Again. Cold and slightly wet? I didn't even touch it. I just kinda poked it with a spork and felt sorry for myself. Classic.

Then, this girl I kind of knew from English- her name's Noelle-sat across from me. Just like that.

"Hey," she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Can I sit here?"

"You already are," I said, half-smiling because I was so confused.

She shrugged and smiled. "Cool. You looked lonely."

I blinked. "Thanks?"

"No offense!" She said quickly. "I just meant, like... I'm usually lonely too."

That made me laugh. A real one. Which felt weird after the day I'd had.

We talked the whole lunch. About dumb stuff mostly. How she hates gym class, how her dog literally chewed her geometry homework (which sounds faked, but she showed me a pic). It wasn't like the deep kind of talking I used to do with Bri, but it was something. It felt... easy.

When the bell rang, we both stood up. And I said it, without even thinking:

"What time is it?"

Noelle looked at her phone. "It's time to survive sixth hour."

I laughed again. "Fair."

But that line stuck with me the rest of the day. What time is it? Not like, actual time. But like-time for what?

Time to let go?

Time to move on?

Time to fight for what I had?

I didn't know.

That night, I laid in bed staring at my ceiling. I texted Bri.

me: hey. are we good?

I saw the three dots pop up. Then disappear. Then come back. Then disappear again.

Cool. Great.

I threw my phone on the bed and rolled over. I wasn't gonna cry over this again. I wasn't. I already did last week when she left me on delivered for 12 hours and then posted a TikTok with Ava captioned "my ride or die."

If I was dying, I guess Bri wouldn't be riding. Awesome.

My phone buzzed.

bri: yeah. just been busy.

That was it. No "sorry." No "I miss you." Just busy.

I didn't even know hoe to answer that, so I didn't.

The next few days were weird. Noelle started sitting with me more, and I started looking forward to lunch again. We didn't become, like, besties overnight, but it felt like something new. Something real.

Meanwhile, Bri didn't text me again. But I caught her looking at me once in English. Just for a second. I looked back, and she looked away.

And it hit me-maybe she was just as confused as I was. Maybe she didn't know how to say sorry either. Maybe everything changed and we didn't know how to not be friends, but also didn't know how to still be friends. If that makes sense.

Friday came. I was walking out of the building when I heard someone call my name.

"Liv!"

I turned around. Bri was standing there, hugging her binder like it was a shield. She looked nervous. Which made me nervous.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey."

Silence. The kind that makes your stomach twist.

Then she said, "I miss you."

I blinked. My brain needed a sec to process that.

"I miss you too," I said quietly.

And just like that, we were both kind of awkwardly smiling, kind of about to cry, kind of not sure what came next.

She nodded at the parking lot clock. "What time is it?"

I looked. "3:17."

She smiled. "Time to fix things?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not gonna chase you, Bri. If you want to fix things, I'm here. But I'm not doing it alone."

She looked down. "Yeah. I know. I messed up."

That was enough. For now.

We walked out together. Not talking much. Just walking. Which was more than we'd done in weeks.

And I guess that's the thing-I kept asking what time is it? like it would give me some huge answer. But the truth is, sometimes it's just time to let people back in. Sometimes it's time to try again. And sometimes it's time to move on.

You just gotta figure out which one it is.

And honestly? I think I'm still figuring it out.

The weekend was quiet. I didn't hear from Bri, but I also didn't expect to. Fixing things isn't like snapping your fingers and pretending nothing happened. It's like... gluing something back together. Still kind of cracked, but maybe stronger in a weird way.

Noelle texted me Saturday night. Just a meme, some dumb cat doing a backflip. But it made me laugh so hard I snorted. And she followed it up with:

noelle: u good btw? I know the whole bri think is kinda a mess lol

me: yeah. kinda figuring it out

noelle: if she ghosts u again i'll fight her

me: lmao no fighting

noelle: maybe just like. a gently slap. character development

She was funny. And real. And I don't know when it happened, but I started feeling like I had space to breathe again. Like I didn't have to keep chasing after someone who didn't always reach back.

Still, part of me kept replaying old memories with Bri. Sleepovers where we stayed up till 3 AM talking about everything and nothing. The time we got caught sneaking snacks into the movie theater and pretended we didn't know each other so we wouldn't both get in trouble (which made zero sense but felt genius in the moment).

I missed her. Or maybe I missed who we used to be.

Monday came fast. I didn't even try to straighten my hair. Just pulled it into a messy ponytail and hoped for the best.

When I walked into school, I saw Bri by her locker. She didn't look at me right away, so I kept walking. Not in a mean way. Just... not desperate.

But then I heard her behind me.

"Liv, wait up."

I turned. She looked tired. Like she hadn't slept. Her hoodie sleeves were stretched out from tugging on them, which she always did when she was nervous.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

I nodded.

We walked out to the benches behind the school. No one really goes back there before first hour. It was kinda cold, and my breath made little clouds, but I didn't care.

She sat down first. "I don't know what I'm doing," she said.

I didn't answer right away. I just sat next to her.

"I didn't mean to stop talking to you," she went on. "It just... happened. And then Ava started inviting me places and I felt like if I said no, she'd move on, you know? And I didn't want to be alone."

I looked at her. "You left me alone."

She winced. "I know. And I hate that I did. You didn't do anything wrong. I just-I don't know. I felt like I was outgrowing who I used to be, and I thought that meant outgrowing you too. But it doesn't. I don't want it to."

I stared at my hands. My fingers were stiff from the cold. "You could've just said that. Instead of acting like I was invisible."

She nodded. "I was scared. And kinda selfish."

"Kinda?" I said, raising an eyebrow. That made her laugh, which made me laugh too, even if I was still kinda mad.

"I'm sorry," she said, more seriously this time. "For real. I should've talked to you. I should've fought for our friendship."

I breathed out slowly. "I'm not mad at you forever. But things are different now."

"I know," she said. "But maybe that's not a bad thing."

We sat in silence again, but this time it felt less weird. More like... peaceful.

She looked at me sideways. "Are we okay?"

I shrugged. "We're on the way."

She smiled. "I'll take that."

Things didn't magically go back to how they were, and honestly, I didn't want them to. That version of us was full of things we never said out loud. This one felt more honest.

Now, I eat lunch with Noelle and sometimes Bri joins too. Sometimes not. It depends on the day. And that's okay.

I learned that it's not about holding onto people so tight they can't breathe. It's about letting them choose to stay.

And also? It's okay to let new people in. To make space for something different, even if it scares you a little.

So the next time someone asks me "What time is it?" I think I'll say:

It's time to grow.

It's time to stop waiting for people who don't show up.

It's time to forgive-not just others, but yourself.

It's time to believe that things can change... and that sometimes, you can too.