“Doesn’t matter, it was boring, and now I’m graduating so it won’t happen again,” Tyson replied. “And I didn’t sleep with those girls. We were just hanging out.”
“Whatever,” Katie said. “I wasn’t there and whatever happened, happened. I’m over it, Tyson’s over it, so let’s just all be over it. If that old shrink from the school hears us, he might stalk us until he diagnoses us with gossip syndrome or something.”
Emily and Tyson laughed. Nobody at the school liked the psychiatrist that worked there. There had been a suicide a few years back, and he insisted that he saw each student about it.
They later discovered that the student who committed suicide was the only student who was seeing the psychiatrist at the time and was on medication.
“He might be crazy, but he helped me when my brother died,” Emily said.
A little over a year ago, Emily’s youngest brother died in a car accident. Emily was driving at the time, so she felt responsible, even though it was the other driver that caused the accident. They sentenced the driver to twenty-five years in prison for child slaughter. During the ensuing months, Emily rarely talked and the closest thing to a smile on her face would be a grimace when something reminded her of her brother.
Katie and Tyson supported her as much as she would let them and were only two of the many who were worried that Emily wouldn’t make it through. But about four months ago, Emily arrived at school almost as if she were an entirely different person. She was cheerful and full of determination. She wanted to live again. When asked what had happened, Emily replied by saying she had “found a way to move on”.
When pressed further by her friends, not knowing if she was all right, wondering if she was sick or if it was some new coping mechanism, she started to joke around about feeling depressed. Now and then she and Tyson would joke about it, but Tyson didn’t press further, which seemed to make Emily happy.
“I have to go,” Katie blurted, looking down at her phone. “Sorry, but my dad wants me home early today. He says he has a surprise for me!” she said excitedly. “Probably a graduation present!”
“Little princess gets a new car?” Emily asked.
“I doubt it,” Katie said, “My parents may have money, but they would never let me become some spoiled rich brat, even if I wanted to be, which I don’t. That’s Tyson’s job.”
“Hey!” Emily laughed and put her free hand on Katie’s shoulder, more serious for a moment, “You know, I was only joking.”
“I know you were,” Katie replied, “But others don’t. I hear them saying things now and then. Not even about Tyson, just about me.”
“Well, who cares?” Tyson asked. “You’ve made it this far, you don’t need them anymore. You have us.”
Katie glanced at him and smiled. “I know, thank you,” she hugged Tyson. “I’ll see you two tomorrow for breakfast at the diner,” and with that, she walked away towards her car, climbed in, and drove off.
Tyson and Emily continued to walk through the parking lot, which was packed with students, but emptying by the minute.
“God, that friend-zone must really suck!” Emily said in a mocking tone.
Tyson looked at her, confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Seriously?” Emily stared at him with such annoyance and arrogance that Tyson almost felt as if he were looking up at her, even though she was inches shorter than he was.
“That obvious?” he asked, looking away, defeated, and sighing. He wondered why she sounded so bitter but brushed it off.
“Yeah,” Emily laughed. “For over a year now, at least. Why haven’t you asked her out?”
“I don’t know,” Tyson said. “I don’t want things to be awkward, I guess.”
“But if you two were dating, you would have been Prom King and Queen,” Emily replied.
“We’re not that popular,” Tyson said in disgust.
They were almost through the parking lot. Tyson didn’t live far from the school, so he never took his car there and Emily didn’t have a car, and hated the bus, so she always walked home.
“What are you talking about?” Emily asked. “You two are the most talked-about people at school. Sure, you don’t hang out with any of the guys on the football team because you think they’re jerks. And the only reason anyone says anything bad behind your back is because they are jealous.”
“People talk behind my back?” Tyson asked, genuinely surprised.
“Never mind,” Emily said quickly. “All I know is that you’re super cool and Katie is one of the most beautiful girls at the school. You two are perfect for each other.”
“I haven’t let myself think much about it,” Tyson confessed. “We’ve been friends for so long, it would be weird if we started dating. Yeah, I would probably like it. But would she?”
“Uh, yeah!” Emily said with an exaggerated nod that nearly caused her to drop her books.
“Here, let me carry these for you,” Tyson said, grabbing the books out of her hand. Tyson was already carrying a backpack and a large gym bag over his shoulder but carried Emily’s books with ease.
“Katie’s dating Edgar now,” Tyson said. “And she’s dated other guys before. She’s obviously not interested.”
“She would say the same about you,” Emily replied. “Besides, Katie isn’t dating Edgar anymore.”
“What?” Tyson asked. “They were dating yesterday.”
“And last night Katie caught Edgar cheating on her with Monica. So they are never getting back together. Like ever,” Emily said.
“Is Katie alright?” Tyson asked.
“Yeah, she said that he wasn’t treating her well before that, anyway. She also wasn’t sure if she wanted to date him again after they broke up the first time,” Emily said. “Katie basically found out why
