Friends Till The End

Andrea and I met when we were just six years old. Both of us were two lonely girls on a playground full of strangers at a new school. Everyone had their own friend groups, and we were both pretty shy at that age. I remember the moment we met like it was yesterday. We’d both had the same idea to sit underneath the slide, but when I crawled under and into the tight space, I wasn’t expecting to see somebody already there and she wasn’t expecting anyone to come crawling in. Her green eyes stood out in the dim light, they reminded me of my mom’s green eyes, and before I could apologize and scoot out Andrea made space for me among the woodchips. In that moment I knew we were going to be friends forever, and maybe some kids made that judgment flippantly, but not me. Not us.  

We would meet there in that cramped little space all through elementary school until we literally grew too big to squeeze into the cramped space. Even then, we would still sit right outside that spot, out in the open, all throughout middle school. We talked about stupid book reports, boys, and our parents (or lack thereof.) We even held a small goodbye ceremony for our precious spot when it was time to set off for high school, which would take place in a new building across the highway. Mean girls teased us, and a lot of kids thought we were weird, but we didn’t care because we always had each other. It was your classic best-friend tale.

I’d be lying if I said that high school didn’t impact our friendship. It was something I knew was coming since I’d done some pretty extensive research leading up to that integration. I wanted to be prepared to handle the stress on our relationship, which was something I’d always struggled with. Of course, with us being so close, teenagers would tease us about being a couple. I took in harder than Andrea, but she didn’t let it bother her. She even walked into class one morning wearing a hand-made t-shirt that had both our names, Andrea and Izzy, in a heart. She was daring somebody to say something, and when this blonde girl started whispering and giggling during lunch, Andrea marched right up to her little group before turning and planting a kiss on that girls boyfriend.

That was one of the moments I realized our dynamic was changing. Andrea was getting bolder, more daring, and a little rebellious. Not rebellious in a break the rules way, but in a challenge the status quo way. She started taking up more space and her voice got louder, and I was content sitting in her shadow, except that it didn’t end there. She started making more friends and people flocked to her. It was something I hadn’t accounted for since I just assumed that we’d both stay the shy kids we grew up as. I almost feel like I was the catalyst for her change in behavior since it started as a way to protect me. She had boyfriends, and would set me up with their friends, but it was never anything super serious. She always put me first, and I always conveniently made sure that those boyfriends didn’t stick around too long.

Then came graduation, and I was so relieved that despite how our friendship had evolved, it never dissipated. In my eyes, we were just as close as we’d ever been. I stuck it out through every break-up, every cat fight, and any other drama that came our way. It proved that Andrea and I were destined to be friends forever and always. Nothing could come between us. When it came time for college, all those surface friendships disappeared, but I was still there. So, we scouted out a little apartment and decided we would move in together away from home. It was every best friend’s dream. Just Andrea and I against the world as we became educated and independent women.

It was perfect. At least, it was, and then Cody came along. He was tall and handsome, and Andrea swooned over him. I tried not to let it get to me considering all the boyfriends she’d had in high school. I figured this one would only last as long as those had, if not shorter. Slowly but surely he started coming around more and more. My spot on the couch became his spot on the couch. His name would come up in conversation every two minutes if not more. She was falling in love with him, and he was going to take my place in her life. I couldn’t just let that happen, I mean, we were supposed to be best friends forever. Things weren’t going to be the same if I sat back and let myself get edged out.

I thought it would be simple, like it had been with the high school boys. I invited Cody over on a night Andrea was busy studying at the library. There was a big final coming up, though that was the least of my concerns. He showed up right on time, calling out when he showed up at the apartment. I slipped off my robe and took one last look in the mirror. I was pretty, I’d developed curves in all the right places, and I was always willing to do whatever it took for those stupid guys to cut ties with Andrea. I called out to him in my sweetest voice and posed as seductively as I could while I waited to him to stumble upon me. His eyes widened when he stepped into the bedroom, and I reflexively smiled.

I wasn’t expecting him to back out and slam the door shut, screaming at me. I threw on my robe and followed him as he walked back towards the front door, I didn’t understand, and I told as much. His face was twisted in disgust as he told me he was in love with Andrea and that I was a horrible friend for even thinking he would be with me behind her back. My chest tightened as he pulled on his shoes to leave. He loved her and she loved him. Where did that leave me, especially if he was going to run and tell her what I’d done. I didn’t anticipate that he would tell her, and I had no idea how she would react to it if he got to her before I did.

I panicked at the thought of him telling her without me there to explain. His hand was on the doorknob, just about to storm out, when I picked up the ceramic vase off the counter and slammed it into the back of his head. Dirt spewed everywhere as he cried out in pain. He hunched over slightly, reaching for the back of his head, and before he turned around I reached forward and pushed his head into the door as hard as I could. That seemed to do the trick as he slumped to the ground, out cold. I didn’t waste any time binding his hands and gagging him before dragging him into my closet. I needed a plan, and quick. There was no way we could stay here with Mr. loudmouth ready to expose me.

It wasn’t how I wanted it to go, but it would work. Andrea would see that there was no other choice, and we would go on the run together. She would choose me like she always had, I just had to corner her and give her a little push. Whatever love they had couldn’t possibly come close to what she and I had, the promise we’d made to be best friends forever. I packed as much as I could into my duffel and then moved on to her room, shoving as much as I could into a bag for her. Cody woke up sooner than I would have liked, and when Andrea finally got back his muffled cries were loud enough for her to push past me, in search of the answer to what was going on.

I didn’t let her open the closer door, I knew it would only freak her out, but Cody’s muffled voice was still familiar enough that she knew he was behind the door I was guarding. I told her that we need to leave, that I’d packed her a bag and we just needed to run before it got any worse. Her eyes darted back and forth from me to the closet, and it felt like a punch to the gut as she looked at me in fear. She tried to make a run for the door, but I saw this coming. I knew she might have a knee jerk reaction, and I was prepared.

Now, her head is limp against my shoulder, jostling as the bus hits a bump. She’ll wake up soon.