I had thought I knew my best friend so well. Turns out I knew next to nothing. Sure, I knew her favorite color (blue) and her favorite food (lobster), and I was the only one who knew who she had liked since the third grade. But I never even thought that it could be possible…..
It started on a Wednesday. Two years ago. It was right after our math exam and I was going to the bathroom before lunch. I went in, did my business, washed up and went out to the cafeteria. While waiting in the line for food, I looked over to the table that Megan, my best friend, and I always sit at. Usually she’d already be there, digging into her tuna sub from Subway. Except that day, it was empty. I knew Megan wasn’t out sick; I had sat with her on the bus that morning. At first I panicked and thought stupid thoughts, like maybe someone kidnapped her. But then I got real and thought maybe she just needed help from one of the teachers and had stayed later. So, that day, for the very first time, I ate lunch alone.
After a lonely lunch staring at the table where all the “cool” people sat, including Jason Starr, a really cute guy, I walked back into the bathroom to wash my face and make sure nothing was stuck in my teeth. Only, as soon as I walked in, I ran back out. Inside, standing right in front of the mirror I usually use, were two girls, making out. Either that or they were just……um…..licking the insides of each other’s mouths?!?! I took a few deep breaths then casually walked in, pretending I hadn’t seen anything that made me want to puke. Nope, nothing here unnatural. Nothing at all. I walk to the other sink and wet a paper towel. As I wash my face, I look at the must-be lesbians out of the corner of my eye. I don’t think they’ve noticed me because they haven’t moved an inch. I walk over to the paper towel dispenser and take one out. I’m drying my hands when the two girls disconnect. When I see who it is, the paper towel drops and my mouth drops with it. There stands Megan, wide-eyed, next to Claire, the girl who, if our class went on High School Reunion, would probably show up as teacher’s pet. I quickly wipe my still wet hands on my jeans and run out.
Megan’s following me, I know, because I can hear her footsteps. I can also hear her heavy breathing from trying to catch up with me.
“Naomi!” she says breathlessly. “Wait!”
I start to cry as I run. I don’t know why, because really I don’t cry that often. It takes a lot more than a lesbian running after me. Usually.
I feel a strong hand on my back, and before know what’s happening, Megan’s pulling me into the janitors closet. She shuts the door after her just as the last bell rings.
“Let go! We’re going to be late!” I try to reason with her as to why she shouldn’t keep me hostage.
“We’ll be late anyways. Didn’t you hear the bell?” she replies.
I keep quiet. I feel my head spinning and I feel like I’m going to puke all over again. It’s like I’m trapped in a nightmare and all I want is to wake up.
“Look. I know…I know you’re probably really freaked out by what you saw. But…I just didn’t want to tell you before because I thought you would be scared and ditch me. I really hope you understand.”
I nod. I do understand; I just don’t want to. How could I have not known? How long had Meg been…this way?
“I understand Meg. How long have you been…like this?” I asked, not knowing if I really wanted to know.
“Ever since I realized Jason Starr would always belong to Whitney Huggins,” she sighs. “Now, he doesn’t even seem attractive.”
“When…?”I start
“This was, like, the beginning of this year” she explains. “Not too long.”
“Okay,” I say. “Now can we please get out of here?”
“Sure,” she says.
We walk out of the janitor’s closet, then down the hall to the front door. Not caring much about getting in trouble, we walk down to the pizza place downtown and each get a piece. It wasn’t until we were right in front of my house that we realized school wouldn’t be over for another hour and a half, and my mom wouldn’t expect me to be home until then. Instead, we walk to Megan’s house down the street and walk in. Her mom works so we didn’t have to worry about that. We sat down on her couch and watched “Dirty Dancing”. When it was around the time my mom would expect me home, I called to say I was going over to Meg’s house. We spent the whole afternoon prank calling and playing truth or dare, just like the good old days. If there had been a stalker looking in on us, he wouldn’t have seen that anything was different. And really, it wasn’t.
That was two years ago, and now we’re in high school. Meg is going steady with Claire, who has loosened up a bit and wasn’t so preppy teacher’s pet anymore. They’re not afraid to show it to the public, either. And somehow, they both convinced me to walk with them in the gay pride parade. Sure, it was different. Meg was different. My life was different. But what’s life without a few changes?