Surly Sarah

      “Come here Sarah, and tidy up will you?” chastised her mother, brush in one hand and a clean white smock in the other. 

        Sarah wrinkled her nose with displeasure, and pulled away from the untrustworthy hands. “I am tidy, MOTHER.”

        “No, you’re not.” she replied curtly. “Isabella is coming any minute now, and-”

        “Ughhh, Isabella. Isabella, Isabella, and Isabella. WHO CARES? She’s not MY friend. She’s a daughter of YOUR friend.” hissed Sarah through her teeth, pulling tendrils of agonized hair angrily.

        “Honey, you’ve never even met her.” 

        “Well, I know enough from the last time you invited Jill over.”

        “Well that was Jill and this is Isabella. At least try it out, and see how it goes. You and I both know that school starts in less than a month. Don’t you want to make some friends before then?”

        “NO!” yelled Sarah, and stomped her foot fatuously. 

        “DING DONG.” the bell rang exasperatingly through the house. 

        “Well there’s Isabella and her mother. Come and say hello now.” sighed her mother and put on a shining smile for her guests, tossing the unsuccessful brush and smock to the ground. 

        Sarah folded her arms indignantly across her, but had to no choice but to succumb to her mother’s will. That is, of course, not without a fight, and she blew some cowardly raspberry at the turned back. Moaning dramatically, Sarah shuffled sullenly behind with the occasional obnoxious groan. 

        When they reached downstairs, her mother stiffly clasped the door handle, took a deep breath, looked at her grumpy daughter, and creaked open the rotting old door. 

        First there was a “Well hello Isabella and Mrs. Miller! Sarah just couldn’t wait to see you!” and Sarah just couldn’t possibly bear to look up. “Come on in! Sarah say hello now, oh she’s just so shy now. I don’t know what’s up with this girl, just a few minutes ago she was bursting with excitement.” and her mother smiled threateningly at the girl, eyes spelling out the kind of if-you-don’t-be-polite-then-I-won’t-be-polite-later-to-you sort of look. 

        Wincing, the stubborn child slowly raised her eyes up... Humph, Isabella, well, she did not look bad. Sarah almost nodded at her taste, spaghetti stained shirt, basketball shorts, tangled hair, it was like another Sarah. Now, most people might not feel exactly as approving, but for Sarah, lazy Sarah, here was another person she could relate to. Whether it be the fact that Isabella simply didn’t care about her looks or that she didn’t care how people judged her, it all shined nicely to Sarah’s face. Finally, someone I can talk to that hopefully won’t go on about looks and boys she thought happily. 

        Isabella was also looking curiously at Sarah’s unkempt appearance, baggy sweatpants and similarly ragged hair. Finally, someone I can talk to that hopefully won’t go about looks and boys she thought gladly. 

        “Well honey, why don’t you lead Isabella to your room? I’ll stay here and talk a bit with Mrs. Miller.” prompted Sarah’s mother.

        “Okay.” and she beckoned Isabella to follow her. 

        “I like your shorts.” blurted out Sarah while she was marching solemnly upstairs. 

        “Really? That’s awesome, no one ever said that to me before. Heh, I guess I’m a real tomboy, huh. Hmm, well I guess I like your hair.” she replied giggling. 

        “Gee thanks, haven’t brushed it in 3 da- well a long time ago.”

        “Humph. Let me guess, in a galaxy far, far away?” 

        “Yes, maybe, although I don’t really think I was born in the age of Star Wars. How old are you?” asked Sarah. 

        “Turning 11 in September, how about you?” Isabella replied, puffing up her chest. 

        “HA! I’m already 11! Now you have to listen to me because I’m your elder!” 

        “Aaah, but no, no, no, we go by mental age here. See now, a person of 70 years can have the maturity and wisdom of a 7 year old. Since your mental age is 4 and 3 quarters, and mine is obviously the one of an 89 year old, I therefore am the senior.”

        Sarah pouted. “You can’t even give me a quarter of a year more?”

        “Well fine, if you insist. Then you’d have the mental age of a 5 year old.” she said smiling superiorly.

        A moment’s silence.

        “You are going to the same school as me… right?” asked Sarah hesitantly.

        “Yup. I’m a new kid too. You guys just moved, right?”

        “Yeah, do you think- we could uh- sit-”

        “Well, yes duh. Of course we could sit at lunch together.”

        Sarah nearly burst with relief. 

        “Right? That is what you were going to say? Unless you already met your new bestie…”

        “Yeah, that’s great! Ha, I think I already met my new bestie.” Sarah laughed, eyes twinkling.

        “Well, if you’re referring to me, then I guess I could accept. I was looking for someone with better hair, but with such limited selection at the moment, I guess I’ll have to make do with what I have.” sighed Isabella.

        Sarah wrinkled her nose. “Bleh. Who cares about hair and clothes? I wish I could wear basketball shorts all the time since they’re so comfy, but mother would never allow it.”

        “Same, very true. There are things in life that you don’t want to do, but you just gotta.”

        “Like brushing your hair and washing your face?”

        “Exactly. Goodness, are we dirty or what?”

        “Ha! I never thought I’d be talking about this kinda stuff out loud ” It’s nice seeing someone so relatable, thought Sarah.

        “Isabella! Isabella, it’s time to go now! Your father is waiting for you at home!” hollered Mrs. Miller in the distance.

        “Aw, but mom, it’s only been what, 15 minutes? Can’t we stay a little bit longer?” whined Isabella.

        “Come along dear, no is no. We’ll come another time.” She replied shortly.

        “Welp, looks like I gotta go, lickety-split. See you at school?” she asked, looking imploringly at Sarah.

        “Hopefully before school starts, I mean we got a whole month!” smiled Sarah.

        The girls leapt down the stairs laughing, all the while to the same front door they went, an undoubtedly very different expression written on Sarah’s face than earlier this afternoon.

        “Ba byeee!!!” waved Isabella through her car’s window.

        “See you soon!!!” shouted Sarah right back, and she kept on waving and smiling and laughing till the little buggy went all the way up the little hill. But the smile vanished when she turned around to her mother’s I-told-you-so-look.