The Story of a Forgotten Friendship

I remember the day we met, our first day of high school during the second period. I walked into health not knowing who was in my class. I spotted my best friend since second grade. I tripped her in her Taylor Swift cowboy boots. We still fight to this day whether I took her to the nurse's office or not. But that's not the friendship we’re talking about.

I sat at a table across the room from Chole. I nuzzled awkwardly down in my seat. Since today was the first day, I was dressed up compared to my normal sweatshirt and leggings; which only made me more uncomfortable.

“Hello class, I’m Mrs. Raab.” A spunky short lady announces. The class mumbles. “Today is a simple start, all we are doing today is getting to know your classmates. First we are going to start with getting to know our table group. Tell them your name a few fun things about you.”

Our group stays silent till Mrs. Raab tells us, “These are going to be the people you do most assignments for this quarter.”

“Okay, I’m Mia. I don’t know what to say, but I guess do cheer.” Mia says then goes back to her phone.

“I’m Jack and I’m a gamer.” 

“I’m Marie and I just moved her from a nearby island.” Marie says, there is something about her that just feels off.

“I’m-i’m Mercy, there is not re-really anything interesting about me.” I say while picking at the skin around my nails.

“There has to be something.” Marie asks, “What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Nothing you guys would listen to.” I listen to punk rock music, or as most people call it emo. Not many people in this school like the things I do.

“I’m sure there's something.”

“Nope” I roll my eyes. God, of course I’m sitting at a table of people that couldn’t be less different than me.

The rest of the class goes by slowly. By the end of the day I still felt lonely, but I have never had a place surrounded by people which made me feel like I belonged in this world.

Weeks went by and everyday was just as bad as the last. But this was the day that changed the course of my whole year. In health today only Marie and I were the only ones at our table; which sucked because I have grown to not like her very much.

“Look, Marie and Mercy if you don’t work together you are both gonna get F’s on this assignment.” Mrs. Raab says.

“Fine, let’s just get this over with.” I say.

“Agree.” Marie says with an eye roll.

We work through the work sheet and get to know each other better. By the time the bell rings we are laughing, smiling, and getting to know each other. Maybe she isn’t as bad as I thought she was.

We did become close until one of my worst days. It was a January day and I already wasn’t feeling great. I had come out a few months early which led to tension between my family and I. My father told me to get the hell out so I did, I ran away. I ran away when I didn’t care what happened to me. Which didn’t work, my great-grandpa drove me back to my house an hour later.

The next day one of the people that were the most affected was Marie. She cried when I showed at school telling them I wasn’t getting shipped away to so mental hospital. She hugged me and cried saying how she never wants to lose me and I realized I never wanted to lose her either.

Months went by quickly with Marie by my side, Marie made me want to live forever. We began to survive on our matching Starbucks drinks and learned about how similar we were. I felt like I met my sister, even my mom began to call Marie her daughter.

March was when my mother took us to a movie we have been dying to see. We had arrived about an hour early so we decided to go shopping in the dying mall the movie theater was located in. We stumbled into Victoria Secret and blushed, we both felt so out of place. We decided it was time to have thongs. We bought the panties and hind them in both of our purses. This just led to our bond growing stronger.

The next month was spring break which strengthened our friendship. The first day we got high while shopping with my mother, which just led to our inside jokes. On the second day she pierced my cartilage. But on the third day of spring break is what tested our friendship. We went through the drive-through of Starbucks. I can’t remember how we came up with the idea of pouring vodka in with our drinks, but we did. We did shot after shot and drank our spiked white chocolate mocha. We finished our drinks under the stars and told stories. We came inside very drunk, we made Top-Ramen trying to be as quiet as we can be, but ending up being very loud. But what happened later is remembered through our drunken memories and two sentences I wrote after the first round. I can’t remember how it started but it did. She kissed me, then again and again. It went all the way till I realized that I had fucked up, I had a girlfriend that wasn’t her. That was our first bump in the road. 

The second bump didn’t come till our dirty little secret got out. Marie is straight and having sex with a known lesbian wasn't making her look very good. Marie was very mad at me, I just didn’t know who it was who exposed our secret. I was going through a break up at the time, so at this point my life was a big shit hole, but not having my best friend was even worse.

The second bump lasted the longest, it lasted all the way till June. I knew Marie was mad at me even though I didn’t know why; I wasn’t the one who told the whole freshman class about the night that opened my eyes. I still don’t know who told everyone. The bump ended in a second hand shop with another friend, Lily. We were in this shop for hours trying on different clothes and she apologized. 

The third and final bump was when she told me she was moving at the end of sophomore year. At this point her mom hated because of the sex story that went around school, so she had to lie when hanging out with me. She was the only one I had after Lily moved and things between Chole and I were tense. Then Mary came into my life, we liked the same things, including music; she took Lily's place in our friendship circle.

“I’m not leaving till the end of this year.” Marie promises. That was in November, by December everything changed. Her mother’s jackass of a boyfriend made it so he was known in Marie's life. 

“You have till the end of the semester with me, you know I hate Jim too.” She hugged me as I cried. I was about to lose a sister to a jackass who makes her feel like shit.

It was the final week before winter break and Mary and I have come up with a plan to give Marie a wonderful Christmas because her mother wasn’t going to celebrate it this year. Mary and I planned the last day before Mary left to go be with family over the break. 

I arrived at school with many bags dangled over my arms, one including a two foot Christmas tree that I wrapped with ribbon for Marie. All I saw was Mary and when I asked, she told me.

“She texted me at 10 last night telling me she wasn’t coming back, she didn’t tell you?” Mary says. That was when my world shattered. I couldn’t tell you what was going through my mind, I was hurt, angry, sad, annoyed. I dropped the bags on a table near us; I ran to a bathroom and cried. 

The next few days were hard; Mary left to be with family so I was alone at school. I got sent home due to not being mental stable enough to make it through the school day. I knew that was the end of our road. I had my mom text her because I couldn’t, she hurt me too much. Anything at any time set me off, and I could not control it. 

I was like this for a while. A week after Christmas Marie came to exchange our gifts we got for each other. I ran into Starbucks and hugged her. I was happy for the first time in so long. We talked for what seems like hours, till I had to go. After that we talked less and less. I have only talked to her a few times since she has left five months ago and every time I feel betrayed. I loved her and a part of me always will, but I know I know it's time to let her go. I have to move on. Marie is part of the past and she will never be part of the future, but I’m still so happy with the little time I did have with her. She helped me survive my freshman year of high school and without her I wouldn’t have made it. Goodbye Marie, I’m always here if you need it.