Molly: How I Met Her

Molly: my best friend. We’ve done everything together: homework, vacations, and holidays. Through thick and thin, we were with each other. 

         It’s been forever since we met, but I still remember it like yesterday.

         “Mom, why are we moving?” I sassily asked as I helped her carry the boxes into my new house. It was this large modern thing, very different from the rusty old walk-up we used to live in. 

         “I already told you,” she answered. “Dad’s got a new job.”

        “Ok, yeah, he’s got a new job,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But can’t he just drive to his work?”

         “He… drives…”

         “No, I mean, we stay at our old house, and he goes to work at his new job.”

        “That would take four hours,” mom said as she opened the front door and carried the boxes into the house. “Now, come in.”

        I reluctantly entered the house. It was way bigger than I thought. There were three living rooms and two kitchens! Also, there were three floors, and my new room was way bigger than my old room. 

        “It’s amazing!” I said as I jumped on my new queen-sized bed. It was so comfortable, I could sleep in it for days!

        Mom smiled. “Also, we’re having KFC for dinner.”

        “Really?”

        “Yeah!”

        “This is the best day ever!” I exclaimed.

        But I was still upset.

        “Are you ok now?” Mom asked.

        “Yeah,” I lied. “I’m good.”

        “I’ll leave it to you then,” mom said as she left the room. I stared at the empty wall. Pictures of happier times used to hang on my wall in my old room. I’ve left so much. No, I’ve left everything. My whole life was in my old neighborhood. The ice cream truck, my friends, my life, and practically everything I’ve known. Then I had to leave it all when dad got a new job. 

         I rolled my eyes and looked at the window on the corner. The sky was a perfect blend of purple, orange, and pink. Then, someone opened her window and waved at me from the other house. I opened my window too. 

         “Hi!” She exclaimed. She was very pretty. Her wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and straight white teeth shined as she smiled at me. 

         “Hey!” I said as enthusiastically as possible. I’m a bit shy.   

         “What’s your name?” She asked me. 

         “Uh… What’s yours?” I asked awkwardly. 

         “Molly!”

         “Uh… Nice name! I really gotta go. Bye!” I said as I quickly closed the window. I sighed. That was intense. I hate meeting new people.

         I have old friends. Why can’t I be with them instead?

           It was the first day of my new school. I was so scared. It was a normal middle school, like my old school, but everything else was different. The facilities were bigger, the halls were cleaner, and the students were… different. They had some sort of a status symbol, the overdogs and underdogs. 

           I checked my schedule and went to my first class: english. 

           Everyone was already seated when I arrived. Only one seat was left, and it was beside Molly. I didn’t know whether I liked her or hated her. 

           “Hello everyone,” the teacher said. He was a tall man with a beard. “This is our new student, Ava.”

           “Uh… hi,” I said shyly.

           “Can you tell us something you learned at your old school?”

          “Uh…”

          My mind was racing, trying to go through all the things I’ve learned in my old school. Math problems, old essays, and messy details of my old lessons boggled my head. Soon, I was sweating in front of everyone. It was so embarrassing. 

           “Maybe she learned about the nervous system!” A girl seated at the back of the class exclaimed. Everyone laughed, except for Molly.

           “Annie, not cool!” Molly told her.

           “Shut up,” Annie told her. “Do you really wanna lose your status?”

           Molly rolled her eyes and ignored Annie.

           “Um… You should take your seat,” the teacher said. “I’m Mr. Hover, by the way.”

           I awkwardly smiled and went to my seat, covering my face with my hands. 

           “Hey,” Molly told me. “Are you ok?”     

           “Yeah,” I lied. “Leave me alone.”

           When I’m upset, I like being alone. It’s not that something is wrong with me, I just prefer it that way: being in my own world. That’s probably why I don’t have a lot of friends. I just prefer it that way. 

           I stared at Molly. She was chatting with the other kids. I guess she has a lot of friends. I mean, she’s very friendly.

           I sighed and grabbed a book from my bag. I was reading till the end of the period, when the bell rang. Then, I got up and went to the yard on my own, reading a book as I walked. Molly had lots of people with her, even when she was walking in the halls. 

           I always feel this slight stroke of jealousy when I see charismatic kids. 

           “Hey nerd,” Annie said as she grabbed the book from me. I looked at her. 

           “What do you want?”

          “You know, nobody likes you, and you’ll never get a boy with that kind of hoodie. And your skin! Are you albino or something!”

           I was speechless. 

           Annie cackled and kicked me. 

           “You ain’t getting her, kiddo!” she said as she left me bleeding on the floor. I sighed and wiped my hoodie with some tissue. Then, Molly went to me.

           “Leave me alone, sociopath.”

           “That’s not what a sociopath means. I’m the exact opposite,” she told me. 

           “Why are you with me? You have a thousand friends out there. I wanna be alone.”

           “Because,” she said as she helped me get up and wiped my face. “You’re nice. Quiet, but nice, unlike those trash cans. I like that more. Quiet isn’t a bad thing for me, you know.”

           I laughed.

           “Are you ok now?” She asked as she hugged me.

            “Don’t hug me.”

            “Sure,” she said as she let go of me. “Just know that you have a friend.”

            “Yeah,” I said.

            “Wanna hang out at my house after school?”

            “I mean, we are neighbors.”

            “Is that a yes?”

            “Of course!” I exclaimed. We laughed. 

            “I guess… I’ve made a new friend,” I told her. “That’s nearly impossible for a person like me.”

            “Don’t worry about it too much,” she told me. “I like you.”

            “I like you too, I guess.”

            “Also, here’s my phone number. Add me in your contacts if you want,” she said as she gave me a paper with her phone number.

            And I did.