problematic bestie

chapter 1

I never really had many friends, but I've always had one that I wouldn't trade for the world: Trevion. I've known Tre for the longest time; his mom is my mom's best friend. I'm a few months older than Tre, and we have so many memories together. I remember trying to push him at the park, even though our parents told me to stop. I didn't listen, which resulted in me getting smacked in the face with a swing. There was also that one time when Tre dared Kyla and Irvin to kiss, then dumped a bucket of dirty pool water over their heads. We became real close with Irvin and Kyla, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. They were all I knew.

Middle school flew by so fast. Tre was my bestie out of school, but my enemy during school. Middle school was tough for me, and high school was even tougher. Tre was close to people who would pick on me, and I remember not wanting to be friends with him when he didn't defend me. He would always say, "They're just playing around," or "It's just jokes." I hated who he had become because I knew the real Tre. At least, I thought I knew the real him. I would sit with Kyla and Irvin at lunch, even though Irvin was popular too. He never treated me or Kyla any differently, and he always defended us.

After school, we would hang out at the school playground. I remember feeling jealous for the first time when I saw Tre and this girl named Jela together. She would be at the playground with us, but she and Tre would always sit on the other side of the park. Irv would always walk Kyla home because he lived down the street from her. We would give them hugs and say goodbye, and Tre would hug Kyla and dap up Irv, and we would go our separate ways. The walk home would be so awkward. I would walk ahead of Tre and Jela because we would walk her home. Tre would ask me to wait for him while he walks Jela to her door. I always say okay, but I always walk off anyway. He would run to catch up with me, and all of a sudden, he wants to be my bestie. But I was tired of him doing that to me.

"I feel like Irv is really my best friend. He defends me, he doesn't laugh at those humiliating jokes, he doesn't change, and he sits with me and Kyla," I say as I stop walking to turn around and look at him. His face was red, and I could tell he hated to hear the truth. "Tasia, if you would just take time to get to know them, you wouldn't think they were that bad," he says, walking closer to me. "I don't want to get to know them, and I wish I didn't know you," I say as I walk off. "C'mon, Tassy, don't be like that. Just trust me this once and get to know them," he says, following behind me. He had the nerve to tell me to get to know the people who love to humiliate me. I would never become friends with them, and I literally don't want to be his friend anymore just for him even saying something so stupid.

We get to my house, and I go straight inside and drop my backpack. Tre soon follows behind. I hug my mom, and she asks us how our day was while she's prepping dinner. Tre says it was great, and I say it was okay. We go upstairs, and Tre tries to enter my room, but I close the door in his face. He stays over at our house until his mom gets off work, which now annoys me since he's a different person in school versus out of school. I sit on my bed, hearing him sigh from the other side of the door.

"Can I please come in? I'm sorry, Tassy," he says.

"You're not allowed to call me Tassy or Tasia. It's Anastasia to you," I say, folding my arms.

"Anastasia Monae Jackson, I'm sorry, Tassy. I'm sorry," he whines and sighs loudly.

I laugh at how slow he is. I get up and open the door. "I forgive you, I guess, but I won't keep accepting your apologies. This will be the only and last time, so you better straighten up, or I swear on your life, I'll never speak to you again," I say as I get ready to turn around and walk to my bed to sit down.

He grabs my hand, and I turn and look at him. He grabs my waist and kisses me..