BF

by Alma Hernandez

It was the beginning of 7^th grade, I was both excited and nervous. What if my teacher’s are mean? Am I going to like them? I asked myself many questions, hoping I would soon have good answers to them.

“Juliana do we have any classes together?” I asked

“I hope so, let me see” Juliana answered

We both desperately compared our schedules hoping to have a class with a familiar face we already knew. After going over every teacher, I realized I wouldn’t have a class with her. I felt alone and scared to be by myself in a class for the first time ever. The bell rang. I began walking to my class all alone hoping to find a good seat and maybe, just maybe, I would recognize somebody. I lost hope after not seeing any of my friends from last year. But, things changed once I entered 3^rd period

“Hi”, a girl who sat in my third period.

“Hi…..” I responded.

“What’s your name?”, the girl asked while trying to look for it on my sheet of paper

“Alma, what’s yours?” I said.

“Sara….did you come here last year?” she asked me.

“Yeah, did you?” I asked trying to remember if I had ever seen her face last year

“Yeah, last year was fun. I had many friends and now I get to make new ones” she said.

Sara and I continued chatting as I grew more excited with the addition of a new friend.

After that day Sara and I became close. We always sat together during 3^{rd period} talking. Because of our chatty ways, the teacher would always call out our names.

“Sara, please stop talking!” Mr. Saunders said.

“Sorry Mr. Saunders” she said. “Let’s hang out at lunch okay?”

“That goes for you too, Alma” He said with his eyes staring me down

“Alma!” Mr Saunders yelled

“Sorry”, I said with intimidation over his loud deep voice.

The bell rang. Time for lunch. We walked out of class down the long corridor of steps and into the courtyard full of children running around .Food scraps everywhere, seagulls passing by fighting for what belongs to them now. Day after day we would spend time together at lunch and after school. We became very close friends, soon considering each other best friends. We talked about boys all the time from their cute smiles to their annoying little laughs. I could always count on her to make me laugh and have fun. We were inseparable.

“Hey, you should come over my house this weekend”, Sara asked me one day.

If my mom lets me, I thought. She never let’s me sleep over anybody’s house.

“Yeah, I’ll ask my mom,” I said with no hope of going because I already knew my mom would say no.

“Okay, because my birthday is coming up and I want to have a sleepover.”

“Alright sounds like fun, when?” I asked.

“Saturday. Come around 6. I’ll give you the directions to my house” Sara said.

“Okay, I’ll ask when I get home”, She has to say yes I thought

“If you don’t go, I am going to get mad at you. So you have to go, or else” Sara demanded

Or else what?, I thought.

The next day I was sure to see Sara and keep talking about her party. Hmmm I wonder if any cute boys will be there. The late bell rang. I began looking out at the empty silent hallway, hoping Sara would come by any minute. Tick- Tock Tick- Tock. Still no sign of Sara. My mind froze. Who am I going to hang out with at lunch?

“Where’s Sara?” asked one of my classmates Adam.

“I don’t know …home I guess”, I said anxiously hoping maybe she’ll come by the lunch time and rescue me from my solitude

“You guys are always together. As if she always had to tell you what you do and you follow. Am going to tell you right now don’t be her friend. It’s not worth it”, Adam said, shaking his head as if I was stupid not to realize it.

“What are you talking?” I said as I left and anger began to overcome my own body clenching my fist.

Everybody thought she was my leader. My stomach began to hurt as if someone had punched me straight in the gut with no regards as to whether I deserve mercy or not. Reality began to sink in. What if Adam is right? What if her friendship really isn’t worth it? No they’re wrong she’s not mean. She’s nice. She’s my friend. I’m not going to judge her for what people are telling me. I was sitting all alone in the courtyard as my thoughts began to drift away. I noticed Alex, my classmate and boy who I’ve been crushing on for a while, began to come my way and I got nervous. I began to blush, there was no way I could avoid him.

“Hey Alma. What are you doing” Alex said as he smiled and sat down next to me

“Nothing really and you?” I asked.

“Ha-ha why not” he said.

“What’s so funny and I don’t know” I said as I pushed him. I couldn’t help but smile. Something was going to happen. I could feel it.

“Well I just wanted to know: who do you like?” Alex asked as he got closer and closer to me on the seat.

“Why do you want to know?” I said.

“Well because I like you and I wanted to know if you liked me too, I told Sara to ask you and tell you that I liked you. Didn’t she tell you?” he questioned.

“No she never told me anything about you or mentioned that you liked me” I said Maybe she forgot. Why didn’t she tell me?

“So do you want to go out?” Alex said as he hugged me towards his friends and began to smile at them

“Yeah I do …Dork ha-ha” I said as I soon forgot about Sara and was happy with what has just happened. Alex asked me out

“So I am your loser” he said as he grabbed my hand and began to walk me to class and say goodbye.

The next morning I was excited to get over with my first 3 classes and get to lunch. My hand began to tremble I was nervous in seeing Alex again during lunch. My head began to loose its focus and just think of him. To me his company would make me forget about everything and everyone he was like a best friend.

“Hey Alma”, Sara said.

“Hey your back. Guess what” I said with enthusiasm as I was excited to tell her the good news about the boy who made me laugh all the time.

“What?” she asked

“ I go out with Alex” I said as I smiled

“WHAT! Are you serious? You’re stupid. You could do so much better” she yelled and all eyes where on us.

“You knew that he liked me, huh?” I said to her hoping she would come clean and say yes

“No I didn’t why would you say that I didn’t know anything”

“Why the fuck are you lying?! He told you” I yelled as I moved out the seat

My mind was lost after the confusion of Sara denying everything. Was Alex lying or Sara? I was lost, I needed to confront her and know what’s going on. What was her reason to be lying and denying everything. Aren’t we best friends? Isn’t that what we became. As lunch began I went to the courtyard looking for Sara needing to know why she lies. I’ve never appreciated people that lie and still don’t.

“Sara we need to talk?.”

“About what? Do you think I’m lying? Your really stupid! You really don’t trust me! Your willing to believe the boy who likes you and you barely started going out with.

I was confused. She was right I decided to believe the boy who I just meet over our friendship that I had with her longer than Alex. Guilt began to hit me and make me realize I was the one that was doing wrong.

“I’m sorry I overreacted, their isn’t anything I can say know, what’s done is done”.

“Whatever Alma”.

I left back to class realizing that If I risked a friendship that had been established since the beginning of the school year. Step by step I began to think of all my actions and believe everything my best friend has told me.

“Bitch” I overheard interrupting my thought that was consuming me with guilt.

“Who are you talking to?” I asked as I turned around to her face to face. “I’m right here Sara and if you have any problems then tell me right now, not when I walk away”

“Oh I wasn’t talking about you I was talking about this other girl” she said.

“Sara nobody else is here, but us so what do you mean other girl?” I questioned

“It wasn’t about you”

I hoped we would return to normality but everything has changed. The person who I considered my best friend was no longer my friend but had transformed into my enemy. Best friends are always suppose to be there for you no matter what, but she wasn’t. I’ve learned that not everybody can be trusted and not everybody is really a friend.