Friends

“Do you think I look fat in this shirt?” Lola asked me. “No, but your popsicle is melting all over it,” I replied. She looked down at her shirt, and shouted a lot of good words. “Shhhh!” I said. “You don’t want my parents to hear you say that!” She laughed. “You are such a goody-two-shoes!” She said. Uh! Even though she is my best friend, she is so annoying sometimes!! Lola and I have been friends for about 4 years now. Whenever I first moved here, I was very, very shy, so I didn’t have any friends. 

Then one day, Lola just walked up to me, stuck her hand out, and said, “Hi! My name is Lola Ramirez, and I like to eat apples!!” I was a bit weirded out, but I shook her hand, just to be polite. She kept coming up to me every single day and saying the exact same thing. 

After a while, I finally grew tired of her saying that, so I said, “What do I have to do for you to be quiet?” She replied, “Be my friend.” I know! That is a weird way to start a friendship, but it is because she has autism. After we have been friends for a long time, she finally told me. She can’t always control what she says, so she gets in trouble sometimes. 

There was this one time, she was walking down the hall, when Josh Haggart, the school bully that is like 6 feet tall, said, “What is up, mental?” My best friend replied, “Stuff a sock in it, Pigface.” Josh Haggart’s face flashed with fury. 

He went up to her, lifted her by her collar, and was about to slam his fist into her face, when a teacher happened to walk down the hall. It was not just any teacher. It was Mrs. Haggart. Josh’s mom. Mrs. Haggart bent Josh over, and spanked him right then and there! It is really funny, because we are in 6th grade. Josh was so embarrassed, he hid in the restroom the rest of the day.

Whenever Lola told me this story, I felt a mix of emotions. Happy that Lola wasn’t hurt, but also mad because she replied. I always told her not to reply, but sometimes she forgets. Just in case you are wondering, I get bullied too because I am friends with Lola. The bullies all call me Lola’s granny, caregiver, and other names not worth repeating. But unlike Lola, I keep my composure. I just slowly walk away. 

Even though there are people who bully Lola, she also has a lot of admirers. Why? Because she is very beautiful. She has Dark brown hair, big eyes, and tan skin. She always picks the best outfit, and puts on just the right amount of makeup. Every year, if there is a party, there will be a line of people at Lola’s locker trying to ask her out. She says no every time. I asked her why, and she said, “Because they are all ugly.” Do you see how straightforward she is? 

I sometimes wonder what it is like to be like her. Sometimes, I even envy her, like the time she got a computer as a birthday gift from one of the grandmas at her party because she felt sorry for her. She always gets what she wants, because she will go completely bonkers if she doesn’t get her way. One time, she even held a knife to her cousin’s throat!!

Even though I envy her sometimes, I am kind of glad I am normal, because I don’t think I can go through all of the laughter she faces. She is a really brave person, and I admire her for that.

After she went and changed her clothes, we headed down to the beach. This is where I first saw Lola go crazy. She wanted to buy a hot dog, but her mom wouldn’t let her. First, she started breathing really heavily. Then, she clenched and unclenched her fists. Her mom rolled her eyes, and I can tell she has been through this experience before. Then, the screaming began. She screams, she cries, she kicks, and she flails around. I stood there, dumbfounded. She just kept going, and going, and going, and going. Her mom finally caved in, and bought her a hot dog. She stopped immediately.

She told me it is uncontrollable, and she can’t help it. Still, it shocks me whenever it does happen. 

We had a lot of fun at the beach, except for the time she got bit by a crab. She tried to pick it up, and it got angry. She screamed for a full minute. Now, we are both very hungry, so we went to McDonald’s. We can get free meals there everyday, because of the help Lola gave to them.

A few months ago, there was a thief that steals from McDonald’s every night. Lola busted the thief by installing a security camera in the food bin. I know! Such a simple thing and no one thought of it. We had a really good meal, and we headed home. She was having a sleepover at my house.

Whenever she first slept over at our house when she was 5, she wet the bed. She said it was because she dreamed of a waterfall, gushing down into the lake. She has wet the bed about 5 times when she slept over, but now she learned to control it by using the restroom before going to bed. 

We sometimes sneak video games into the bed, and that is what we did now. We had a great time, but then, my mom busted us. She scolded Lola, and grounded me for 4 weeks. Lola repeatedly said sorry, but it literally was not her fault. That is what I like about Lola. She actually has a heart. Maybe one day, we will grow apart, but in the meanwhile, I just want to enjoy the experience of having an autistic friend.