My Best Friend
I was happy that the bell had rung. Too much of French was overloading my brain. I put my French books inside and drank some water. After about two minutes, the others came from their Spanish class. My best friend, Maria, came and both of us went out to the school garden. Once we were there, she told me all kinds of secrets and gossip about the other girls who were in the school dance with her. She said that Gina and Betty, two of the three girls, are very unusual characters.
A few months earlier, Gina had made a huge drama in front of everyone that she and Betty would never be friends. She had cried and everyone tried to console her. But not me. I was just stunned at her immediate outburst. I didn’t even know why those two were in a fight. I just stood there, not caring a bit. You could say that we’re not the best of friends. Well, not friends at all would be more like it. There was no enmity between us; it’s just that we never talked with each other. She was sort of a drama queen, having these sudden outbursts and I was the calm and quiet girl in the class compared to the other girls.
But a few weeks after that, they were so lovey-dovey with each other that I was just wonderstruck at their sudden friendship. I concluded, from their behaviour towards each other, that they were the class weirdoes.
After a few more weeks, exams had started. It was the second terminal examinations and school was there only till 12:45 PM. Right after the bell had rung, I heaved a big sigh of relief and got out of the exam hall. I took my bag and other things and hung out in the compound of the school with my other friends, discussing various matters. I would always wait till 2:00 PM in the school campus until the bus came and took us home. Everyday went by like that. Same routine. Same gang of girls.
The much awaited day had come and I was very glad that it did. It was the last day of school for December and I could not wait to hear the bell ring and the feel the joy of happiness flow through my veins and arteries and energize my whole body. I was stoked and ecstatic that Christmas had come to save us all and give us freedom from school for ten days.
As always, time went by way too slowly. I waited and waited. And waited even more. But when the minute hand of the clock touched the number three, the bell rang. I grinned to myself and realized that Christmas vacation had finally started.
The next day, I slept peacefully and calmly. I knew that I didn’t have to wake up early in the morning for school.
The vacation passed while I was in Colorado with mum and dad. It was fun. We went rock climbing and I got that fear cleared from my system.
Since the day I came back to school, days had been going on quite normally. Until one day.
Maria and I went to the school garden to gossip about nothing in particular. She said that Gina and Betty were hard to dance with. She said that they kept on fighting and not dancing properly. I just listened because that’s what best friends do: listen to the other while they are facing small obstacles.
That day, too, went by just like that.
On a Tuesday, we were all seated in the classroom. The first few classes went by without any problem. But then, after that, it was our class teacher’s, Mrs. Gordon’s, class. When she came, she didn’t teach us anything. She simply sat there at her table and just wandered in her thoughts. Then suddenly, she asked Maria to stand up and tell her who her best friend was. I thought that she would say my name but she didn’t. she told Valerie’s name. I was shattered. Literally heartbroken. I was just too shocked for words. I couldn’t believe it. The person who I had thought was my best friend just betrayed me. So, when it was my turn to tell who my best friend was, I just said that I didn’t have one in the class.
That whole day I didn’t talk to her at all. I was just too upset to talk to anyone properly. I just sat there gloomily.
The next day when I came to school, I was more hostile towards her. I didn’t smile at her or talk to her. I didn’t even look at her. I just sat there and talked with the others. When the bell rang, signaling recess, I sat there and studied geography. I knew that Ms. Sheldon would ask questions. I wanted to be prepared.
I was sitting there studying when suddenly Maria came and stood in front of me. I didn’t look up for a few minutes. Then, reluctantly, I looked up. She was standing there, looking at me. She hadn’t spoken a word for sometime. Then she said that she was very, very sorry that she chose Valerie’s name over mine. She told me to talk to her again. She pleaded and pleaded until I started laughing at her pleas. Immediately, a huge grin came on both of our faces and we forgot about everything else.
We knew right then and there that we could not live without each other and that we needed ourselves to be together for the other.
