The Best Friend

            by Rebecca Hardin

 

    The cool metal handle of the biology room door slid in my hands as I opened the door for the

 

last period on my first day back from winter break.  I did my usual quick scan around the room

 

for my best friend Sadie, and shuffled across the room to the seat she saved for me.  As soon as I

 

sat down, Sadie bombarded me with questions about my trip to Hawaii.  I was about to tell her

 

when Mr. Epstein called the class to order.  He drew our attention to the new seating chart on the

 

overhead.  Groans, and mutters, gushed forth like a buzzing bee hive.  I glanced up and noticed

 

that for the first time all year, Sadie and I were seated in a way where we could pass notes

 

without passing them through someone.  As everyone moved around, I found my new table, and

 

noticed an unfamilier face sitting in the desk next to me.  I turned, and knudged Sadie, who spun

 

around a little too quickly.

 

    "Who's that?" I asked

 

    "I donno.  New kid?"

 

    "No, really," I replied sarcastically.

 

    Before she could answer, Mr. Epstein began to speak.

 

    "Hey everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful break.  We have a new student with us, as

 

many of you no doubt have noticed.  His name is Pete Aspinall, and he's a transfer student from

 

the Liverpool Institute.  I know it's been a long day, but we need to get started.  Today's topic is

 

cellular respiration."

 

     I snuck a sideways glance at Pete as Mr. Epstein launched into the lecture.  My interest in him

 

was peaked with his previous school.  After all, anyone who came from the school where Paul

 

McCartney, and George Harrison attended before becoming Beatles had to be pretty cool.  As I

 

risked a slightly longer look, I wasn't disappointed either.  With his dark brown hair cut in a mop

 

top, contrasting with his pale face, blue eyes, and an innocent air, he made my stomach squirm in

 

a pleasant way.  I fired off a note in a little book that Sadie and I used to silently communicate. 

 

A snort behind me, told me Sadie thought I was ridiculous.  I giggled, which earned me a glance

 

from Pete, who grinned at me.  I felt my cheeks grow warm.  To hide my blush, I returned my

 

attention to the overhead. 

 

    When the bell rang, I gathered together some courage, and approached Pete.

 

    "Hey," I said as laid back as I could, "You're from Liverpool?"

   

    "Kinda, I mean, I used to live in California, but my dad got trasferred to Liverpool for work. 

 

But he recently got transfered back to the States," he responded with a whisper of an English

 

accent.

 

    "That's cool," I said, beaming at the fact that I was actually talking to this guy without making

 

an ass of myself.

 

    "Hey Astrid!" Sadie interjected from across the room, "Are you comin'?  I don't wanna just

 

stand here like an idiot!"

 

    "Right.  Coming.  Well...I guess I'll see ya tomorrow?"  I asked tentitively.

 

   "Yah, see ya tomorrow."

 

     Sadie and I walked out of the big double doors of the building into the mass of bodies that

 

crowded the courtyard.

 

   "So, what do you think of Pete?" I asked nonchalantly.

 

   "Trick question?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.

 

   "No, I was just wondering," rolling my eyes inncently.

 

   "Astrid, I know you.  You never ask a question like that without some sort of ulterior motive."

 

   "Hm, well, never mind."

 

   "Well it figures you think he's cute, he's your type.  The minute I saw him, I was thinking how

 

cute you two would look together," she replied with a glimmer in her eyes suggesting a test.

 

   "Really?!?" I replied taking the proffered bait.

 

  "Hah!  I knew there was an ulterior motive," she responded triumphantly.

 

    As we walked down the street towards her house, I stared at the ground looking for the

 

crunchy leaves, listening to Sadie talk about her day.  Then, when I told her of mine, she found a

 

pebble to kick around.  After, we went through the latest gossip from school, who had hooked up

 

with who, what party got busted for making too much noise, the usual.  We reached her house,

 

she took her key out, and turned the lock on the door.  The door opened to the delicious smell of

 

garlic bread, and spaghetti sauce.  We put our bags in the hall with our shoes and Mimi, Sadie's

 

mom, stuck her head out.

 

   "Hey girls, how was your day?"

 

   "Fine," we both answered in unison.

 

   "What did you do?"

 

   "Mom," Sadie interuppted, "I don't mean to be rude, but we got a lotta homework today."

 

   "Oh, ok.  Well, if you guys get hungry, I made some cinnamon bread."

 

  "Thanks Mom," Sadie replied, as we grabbed our stuff, and headed  for her room.

 

    Sadie and I had met on the first day of high school.  I had switched into honors geometry, and

 

had no friends.  She was the only person kind enough to include me in her circle.  Over the

 

course of the school year, Sadie and I had bonded, and become best friends.  The summer only

 

strenghened our friendship, as we spent most of it hanging out together.  Everyday after school,

 

we went to either my house or hers to do homework, then walked to the other's house.

 

   "What do you wanna hear today?" she asked standing by the stereo.

 

   "Hm, how about the Revolver, in honor of Pete?"

 

She looked back at me with eyes rolled, then put the CD on.  To the backdrop of "Taxman,"

 

we started with English, the other class we had together, and proceeded in the order of our

 

schedule, ending with biology.  The voice of John had just faded when we took our first break. 

 

We triapsed to the kitchen, where slices of gooey brown cinammon bread waited for us.

 

   "Hey Astrid, good Bio class huh?"

 

   "Yah."

 

   "Hey Astrid, how's the new table?"

 

   "Amazingly awesome," I replied with a huge smile.  "What's up Sadie?"

 

   "Nothing, I was just trying to bring up the subject of Pete.  So, you like him?"

 

   "Yah.  I mean, c'mon.  He's almost English.  That falls right into the category of the Beatles, my

 

favorite band."

 

    "Haha, and his name is Pete."

 

    "I know, I almost flipped when I heard that.  His name is the same as the former drummer for

 

the Beatles, and he went to the Liverpool Institute?  It's almost too good to be true!"

 

    We laughed all the way back to her room, where we cracked open her biology book.  After we

 

finshed, I packed up my bag, and we walked over to my house.  I opened my door to the smell of

 

roast chicken.  Turning around, we smiled at each other, and I stood by the door to watch her

 

walk back down the block.

 

    "Hey Astrid," Mom said, walking out of the kitchen.

 

    "Hey Mama."

 

    "How was your day?"

 

    "Oh, Mom, there's a transfer student from the Liverpool Institute, named Pete Aspinall!"

 

    "Lemme guess, he's attractive to boot."

 

    "Pretty much," I replied with a giggle.

 

    "Well, remember, school comes first."

    "Yes, Mother."

 

    I dumped my bag on the floor of my room, and tapped a key on the keyboard to wake up the

 

snoozing computer.  As the computer screen brightened, I crossed the room to put on Rubber

 

Soul,  then crossed back to check my email.  As I scanned through the various email alerts from

 

Facebook, about the various postings and messages, my eyes came to a halt on a friend request

 

from one Pete Aspinall.  My head felt lightheaded with glee as I logged on and accepted his

 

request for my friendship.  I then clicked on Sadie's profile, and left her a message regarding the

 

new friend I had.

 

 

    As January passed, Pete became more and more an integral part of mine and Sadie's lives. 

 

Soon after our first conversation, Pete and I began to talk and flirt a lot.  He would ask about my

 

day and work in double entendres in his responses to get a laugh out of me.  Soon after, we

 

bonded so much that he joined our homework group.  My life was shattered a few days later

 

when Sadie told me he had a girlfriend.

 

    "How do you know?"

  

    "Remember when we met downtown that day for the movie?"

  

    "Yah."

  

    "Well, I got there a little early, and I saw him holding hands with her.  I'm so sorry Astrid."

  

    "It's okay, it's not your fault or anything..." my voice trailed off as my eyes watered.  Sadie just

 

hugged me, and helped me calm down.

 

    Soon after that bombshell was dropped, I had gotten over the incident but not him.  I began

 

talking to Sadie about him possibly breaking up with her.  She soon got bored with the subject,

 

and would often change it as soon as it started.  That's how much of February went by, until on

 

fateful Thursday.  Pete, Sadie, and I had lab, as usual, but instead of talking during the short

 

break we had between class and lab, Pete mumbled something about using the bathroom.  As I

 

turned to talk to Sadie, I saw her black ponytail swish out around the door.  Somehow the little

 

voice in my head knew exactly what was going on, but I just brushed it off and told the voice it

 

was wrong. 

 

    As the bell rang and I gathered my stuff together, Pete came up to me.

 

    "Hey, what are you doing right now?"

 

    "Oh, you know, I'm going home and doing homework."

 

    "What?  Lame, you're not going to hang out or anything?"

 

    "Hm? Oh, no it's thursday; if I want to watch Grey's Anatomy, I hafta get my homework done

 

first."

 

    "Oh, well, I was thinking you me and Sadie could get something to eat."

 

    "Thanks for asking, but you should really go without me."

 

    "Well, later then, Astrid."

 

    The next afternoon, after class Pete waited with me for Sadie with a triumphant grin on his

 

face.

 

    "Hey Astrid!  Psyched for the three day weekend?"

 

    "What?  Oh, right, I'm just haning around.  What are you doing?"

 

    "Donno, but we should definatly kick it sometime.  You don't mind right?"

 

    "Mind what?" I asked curiously.

 

    "Well, I mean, you don't mind being the third wheel?"

 

    "What are you talking about Pete?"

 

    "Well, being the third wheel to me and Sadie," he responded slightly puzzled.

 

    "Oh, that," I said trying to sound as laid back as our first conversation. "No, I mean, I don't

 

mind."

 

    "That's good.  I meant to ask earlier, but Sadie said she didn't think it was a good idea to bring

 

it up.

 

    "You know what?  I totally forgot, my mom wants me home early today.  Tell Sadie I left," I

 

responded blinking back tears of anger and betrayal.

 

    "Oh, okay.  Are you alright?  You look a little pale.  Do you have a cold?  You're eyes look

 

watery," he responded looking very concerned.

 

    "Yah, I'm fine," I said with the best fake smile I could manage.

 

    "Well, I'll call you later.  Bye Astrid."

 

Bye Pete.

  

     "Astrid!" yelled Sadie once I had made my way down the stairs and out the main doors.  My

 

feet kept pointing foward, towards my house, and I just followed them, ignoring her. 

 

    "Astrid, wait!"

 

    "Oh, hey Sadie.  When were you planning to tell me?"

 

    "Tell you what?" she asked confused.

 

    "About you and Pete?"

 

    "He told you?" she managed weakly.

 

    I just turned around and walked home.  Tirades of hateful speeches against Sadie ran through

 

my head.  As soon as I managed to open the front door, I dragged my bag up to my room, and

 

grabbed The White Album from my wall and stuck it in my CD player.  John Lennon's words

 

comforted me more than the stream of jabbering that was going through my brain was.  You have

 

two paths to choose between: you could make up with her or you could ditch her.  While no one

 

would blame you for ditching her, your friendship will last so much longer than the relationship

 

with Pete Aspinall.  Besides, how can you just throw away a best friend that easily?  I wanted

 

pity, and all my inner voice could offer me was advice I didn't want to hear.

 

    Monday afternoon rolled around.  As Pete and Sadie walked into the room hand in hand, I

 

turned in my chair, and acted like nothing was wrong.  Afterschool, Sadie and I had a long talk.

 

    "How could you do that to me?  You know how I felt about him."

 

    "Astrid, I'm so sorry.  It's just when he asked me out...," her voice faded.

 

    "What, you just forgot about me, about your best friend?!  I can't believe this."

 

    "It's not that I forgot about you, it's just that I liked him as much as you did," she tried to

 

explain.

 

    "You did forget about me.  You could've told me how you felt, you could've even told me he

 

asked you out.  There were many things you could've done."

 

    "All I can offer is my apology.  Do what you want with it.  Astrid, please just remember you're

 

my best friend."

 

    "Not any more." 

 

    I must admit, it was hard without Sadie for the first week and a half.  But then Pete broke up

 

with her.  Not a hey-that-was-a-good-try-but-it's-just-not-working-out breakup, a full fledged

 

near war breakup complete with rumor spreading on his part.  He alleged that Sadie cheated on

 

him with ten other guys, and she forced him to hang out with only her.  I was there when she

 

came to me and dropped in the chair next to me the day he broke things off.  I hugged her, and

 

took her back.  I just couldn't help but think that in the end she got hers.