The Best friend

High School

Delilah's P.O.V

At the beginning of freshmen year Tomas and I kept in contact with one another, Cara and I fell off track during the summer, so I only had one friend. But as the year progressed he started playing a lot of sports and we eventually couldn't find time to talk to each other.

He would always tell me about his friends and also his girlfriend, he'd send me pictures and tell me stories about how his mom would almost catch them making out. I was glad that he was having a great first year, but I on the other hand was falling victim to depression.

The place we moved to was populated with girls who had long flowing hair, fair skin, and boys who were designed to only follow them. This fed my insecurities. I straightened my hair every day but it was growing slowly, so my hair was still barely at my earlobe. My hair would never flow. My skin was still as dark as dirt and here I was like an oil spill in the snow and I was still short.

I was always sad, always thinking of scenarios in which I could kill myself or get killed. I didn't feel adequate, I was never enough. One day, I vowed that if things weren't better by mid first semester of my sophomore year, I'd do it, I was going to kill myself.

It's actually funny how things work out, here I was mid first semester, planning my death and in bobs this tall skinny pale girl, it was like had her sights set on me because as soon as her crystal blue eyes locked with mine she made her way over to the table where I was sitting, alone.

"Why are you sitting all alone?" She asked as she sat in front of me.

" I've been sitting here alone, since last year." I replied.

"That doesn't answer my question. You know this is high school, these will be the best four years of your life." She said

" Well I have yet to see what's so great about high school, it just seems like everyone wants to be the same." I replied.

" You are most definitely right, and that's why we have to stand out." She said pointing in between the two of us.

"We?" I asked mocking her movement.

"That's right. We. Us. Jessie Cartwright and ?"

"Delilah Hardaway."

" Jessie and Delilah. Sounds pretty infamous to me don't you think?" Jessie asked.

Before I knew it I was in a full fledge friendship. Within a matter of a month Jessie had turned my sophomore experience from depressing to a whirlwind of fun.

"This is your closet?" She asked inspecting all of the black oversized garments.

"Yeah. Why?" I asked.

"Why? It looks like the wardrobe for a freaking funeral in here, D. You know what, woosah." She exhaled and walked out of my room into the kitchen where my mom stood making dinner.

"Hey Mama Hardaway." She greeted my mom.

"Hey Jess, Lilah. What's going on?"
She asked.

"What's going on is D's wardrobe looks like Adam's Family reunion. How come she doesn't have any color in her wardrobe?" She asked climbing onto the stool.

I knew my mom was going to say it but I was hoping that she didn't because knowing Jess, I'd never here the end of it, but she said it anyhow.

"Well Jess, Lilah has a credit card of her own, I don't buy her clothes for her so you should ask her."

My mom's job was paying really well and by this time she'd been there for a year. She was making so much that she felt like she didn't have any choice but to give me a credit card and "share" with me. I rarely used the card but money was deposited on the card every time my mom got paid so the balance on it was enough to rent a house.

As soon as my mom said that Jess hopped off the stool and demanded me to show her the credit card and as soon as I did, no less than thirty minutes later we were walking around the mall, "refreshing my wardrobe" as Jess put it.

After that I sparingly wore black, my favorite color became fatigue green because it went so well with my skin tone, but I had so many new colors to try and Jess made sure they were in my closet. I bought mainly sweaters and skinny jeans because that was me, no dresses or skirts.

It wasn't long until, I finally realized that with my new wardrobe, I needed a new look, so with Jess' company and my mom's permission, I'd done a big chop and went completely natural. Yeah, my hair was really short, but I actually felt somewhat pretty.

By junior year, I had made enough new friends to fill my lunch table, which was only five seats, so I never went back to being that girl who was sitting in the corner planning her death sophomore year. I hate thinking of what could've happened if that pale raven haired girl didn't lock eyes with me in the cafeteria that day.

Tomas's P.O.V

Freshmen year was the start of some really big changes for me, first I'd lost a lot of weight, thanks to all the sports I played, after the weight loss, I worked out frequently so I was toned and muscular. I didn't want to half do it so why not?

Second, I got a girlfriend. Her name was Katie Highland and boy was she something. Blonde hair, blue eyes, cheerleader. I was still surprised when she'd accepted to be my girlfriend.

And third, Delilah and I drifted apart. It was like we were so close at the beginning but by the end, she was somewhere completely different. She'd told me about how she and Cara didn't speak anymore but , I didn't see Cara either seeing as I moved freshmen year. Middle school was majority black but now the majority here is white.

I fit in kind of because I look white and I only speak Spanish when I'm home. The guys that I hang with on the football team are actually the only people that I hang out with, it was like being a football player was like joining this exclusive club.

"Dude, when are you gonna cut this?" Teased Jeff.

"I told you man, I like it and Katie loves it so I'm not cutting my hair." I replied shutting my locker.

Oh yeah, that was another thing. My hair was longer. So now here I an in my sophomore year, my skin no longer as pale, my eyes greener and my hair longer. I was practically irresistible. But, the girls didn't try with me, because they all knew Katie.

She was popularity everything and whatever she says goes and whoever she gates might as well die because that kind of heat from Katie was enough scorch the sun. No one tried it, she was just a scary girl.

"Hey babe." She said as she pecked my lips.

I always had to refrain from deepening the kiss because she'd always complain about ruining her gloss.

"Hey, practice today?" I asked looking down at her cheer uniform.

"Yeah, sorry. I know you wanted to hang out, Tommy." She replied playing with my shoulder length hair

You didn't read anything wrong, she called me Tommy, she didn't like how my name " felt on her tongue", so she shortened it. After a while everyone is going to be calling me that.

"Oh, it's fine baby. I'll just go grab a bit with the rest if the team. I'll catch you later, yeah?" I responded.

"Yeah," she replied standing on her tires to peck my lips and running back to practice.

I actually enjoyed this routine, wake up, school, practice, Katie. It all seemed regular to me and I fit in somewhere. I was sure to hold on to that, the popularity, the girlfriend, and the normality. Something, I never had in middle or elementary school, all I had was Delilah and she was picked on too, so that made it worse.

By junior year, everyone had known who I was and who I was with. The football team was like my second family, I didn't have to worry about anything. I never had to go back to being the little fat boy who had to hide behind everyone else to feel safe, because now I was the alpha dog, I was at the top of the food chain.