Different Kinds of Love

Chapter One - Best Friends Forever.

        As far as I know, every girl has that one friend that leaves an impact of them. A true best friend forever. And it's not because you've known them the longest, or because they tell the best jokes; it's because you have shared so many expieriences with them that they become significant. Like a family member..kind of like a sister. Sure, you might not remember that fishing trip with your uncle two years ago but you do remember that time you and your sister got milkshakes when you were four. The memories that you make with that friend shape who you become. ..That's who Haley was for me. My absolute best friend forever.

        I met Haley Beatrice Chanel Freaman in eighth grade. I'm not going to say we made eye contact across a crowded room and I just knew because that's never really how it goes. It was eighth grade so every one had just started a new school and we were all about ready to pee ourselves. Even the people who already had friends were because the twelfth graders were giants. What was a couple ants gonna do against all those honey badgers? And all that fun stuff.

        Anyway, it was second period and I just rushed into gym, hoping that I hadn't gone into the wrong class again. My sister had been helping me find all my classes but I was still pretty clueless when it came to remembering her directions. After nearly tripping over my own feet I stumbled up to the first bench I saw and sat down. I knew there was a girl next to me but I didn't dare make eye contact or even look at her. For all I knew she could be snobby and ruin all my hopes of every single person being nice.

        Out of the corner of my eye I realized that this girl was actually looking at me. Observing me, actually. Her eyes seemed to be scanning me and I immeadiately started jumping to conclusions in my head. Oh my god, she's judging me. Does my hair look stupid? I knew I should have worn that other shirt. God damn it! Why is she still looking at me? Before this could escalate any further, mystery girl looks over at me and casually starts conversation. "My cat ate my breakfast this morning." she stated like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Well, that's a new one.

        Laughing a bit, a looked over at her. Was she insane? She just looked back at me like she was expecting a reply, like she had said something about the weather. I raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she just mimicked my movement. She actually wanted me to answer. This wasn't a joke and that was actually her attempt to break the ice. ..Actually, that was quite smooth. If this was bait, I was biting. "What did you have for breakfast?" I wondered, the line between my brows wrinkling. I'd never heard of a cat stealing cereal.

        "Fish." she answered, not skipping a beat. Wrinkling my nose, I made a noise of digust. I had yet to discover vegetarianism, but I wasn't a fan of fish. 

        "Who the heck eats fish for breakfast?" I demanded to know, more friendly now. This girl was interesting. Different, even. She didn't seem to be faking anything, and that was definitely different. The entire gym was consumed by chatter because the teacher was late, so the small break in conversation wasn't awkward. 

        "I do." she retorted, raising a challenging eyebrow. Touche. Sassy, much? I smiled, biting my lip. This girl actually seemed pretty cool. I wondered if she had any friends here, or if she was one of the more popular girls. ..She didn't seem like it.  Her dirty blonde hair was long and wavy, different than the popular straightened ombre. It was pretty simple to figure out who was who if you knew what to look for. This year I decided to be a little different and get a pixie cut. Ironically enough, my Mom called it a lesbian hair cut. 

        "What's your name?" I asked, starting to feel a little like an interrogater. It was like I was interviewing her for the role of best friend.  I held out my hand politely for a handshake, doing what my Mom had told me to do when I met someone. "I'm Alfreda. ..Alfie, though. Calling me Alfreda could result in injury." I figured we were to the point of jokes, but my social skills were a little poor. 

        The mystery girl suprised me by taking my hand, and I suprised myself by not pulling back. She held my hand with both of hers, not breaking eye contact with me. I swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous. ..Why was she holding my hand? It was few seconds before I realized that she was shaping hand into a fist. With a small smirk, she bumped her fist with the one she had created.

        "Hey, Alfreda. Er, Alfie." she smiled apollegetically, looking shy for the first time. "I'm Haley. Let's be best friends."