“I’m so sorry Tara. I shouldn’t have shouted at you and gotten angry, it’s just James makes me so mad,” I told her truthfully.
“I know. You two used to be close, you think I don’t remember? I remember the first day you came to our elementary school and you two were already best friends and that lasted until tenth grade. You guys were best friends for over ten years, I understand that it has got to be hard,” she confided. I didn’t know she remembered. Emily had only moved here last year but Tara and I had grown up together. We only became really close friends last year, when we had a science class together. I looked her up and down, how much else did she remember? But that didn’t matter right now.
“I’m sorry.” I repeated, still feeling horrible.
“I know, I forgave you the first time you said it.” She smiled.
“Then why are you all the way over here?” I asked, confused.
“I got my period and I forgot tampons.” She blushed, embarrassed. I laughed at her red face, it was almost hiding her freckles.
“Why didn’t you ask! I have some in my bag.” I smiled as we walked to the locker room. I went back to my group once we were done.
“Hey, what was wrong?” Derek asked, coming over to me.
“Oh, nothing. Just girl stuff.” I smiled, trying not to giggle.
“Ew, girl stuff. Like shoes and shopping? Derek asked.
“Or like boys and gossip?” Lloyd added.
“Maybe it was tampons or sales,” Sam said, making me laugh.
“Is that what you guys think girl stuff is?” I asked laughing, all the guys in my group stood in front of me nodding. I just laughed harder at that.
“Well you are 95% wrong,” I informed them, at least for me they were.
“Really?” Lloyd asked surprised.
“Really.” I nodded. “Mostly it’s our way of being secretive, but when a girl asks, we just say it’s personal,” I confided.
“So, when a girl tells me it’s girl stuff and I’ll be bored?” Cody asked.
“She probably just doesn’t want to tell you and is trying to be nice, or she falls into that 5%.” I shrugged. They all stood silent, considering the possibilities.
“So, were you talking about girl stuff or did you just not want to tell me?” Derek asked grinning now, I smiled mysteriously at him.
“Now that you’ll just have to wonder.” I smiled turning away and tried to shoot for the net. Score! Yes. One out of seven, not bad. Okay it sucked but I was getting better.
Mrs. Larson blew the whistle signaling us that we could get changed now. I walked with Tara to the locker room.
“Thanks again for the…,” Tara said pausing.
“No problem, you should have come to me sooner,” I told her, rolling my eyes at her.
“How did Cody behave today?” she asked, changing into a tube top.
“Okay, a lot better than yesterday,” I told her, gratefully.
“Good. What are you doing this Friday?” she asked, dressed and ready before me, unlike usual.
“Friday, nothing why?” I asked curious, she smiled excitedly.
“Well, I wanted you to sleep over because my room is now officially finished,” she explained happily.
“Awesome, I’d love to. How’s the room, do you love it?” I asked her. Tara had been working on her room all summer. Her older sister had moved out for college and Tara had taken over the better room and was making it truly hers.
“I love it!” she said, ecstatic. “The walls are all yellow and happy, it’s perfect.” She smiled enthusiastically. Knowing Tara, it was sure to be as bright and cheerful as she was. I left school a little later than usual because I was planning the ultimate sleepover with Tara and Em and I instantly regretted it, because about ten feet in front of me, walking at his usual slow pace was James. I had become a fast walker, I hadn’t always been one but now that I was it was hard to break. Walking behind James and his slow pace was excruciating for me, I felt like a slug. I think I might have sighed a little too loudly because James turned his head and looked behind and then realizing it was me, gave me one of his signature death glares. For some reason I felt embarrassed and my face lit up in heat. I quickly turned down the closest street to me and started walking up it. I felt silly taking a detour that would make the walk an extra fifteen minutes longer, when I could get home twice as fast if I went the way I always did. He doesn’t own the street, I have just as much right to walk here as he does. I hoped he didn’t think I left because of him, that would make me seem so pathetic. Maybe tomorrow I should tell him I had to go somewhere and that’s why I left, not because he intimidated me. No, that would make me look even more pathetic than I already did. I thought about what I would do when I saw James, the whole way home. In the end, I decided I would do nothing, just continue ignoring him like I usually did. Besides, I didn’t care what he thought, he was nothing to me now. I smiled satisfied by my conclusion and started to walk across my lawn when I felt eyes on me. I don’t know how I felt them but when someone is watching you, it’s like you have a sixth sense and you just know. I looked behind me and then to the left, at the Kirk house. James’s house. I saw him sitting on a wicker chair on the front porch, the same porch and chair we used to sit at during the summer and
