How I Remember Us

The Start

Life is like a domino. One tiny decision can lead to something explosive, and that's exactly what happened.

In eighth grade, I had a religion class right after lunch that I would walk down to with my best friend, Julie. She and I had been best friends since sixth grade since we were both new to the school and we had a lot in common. About two months in, she began talking to a guy. 

And this guy was no other than Zach.

I walked into the class and saw them talking as she gestured to a book on his desk. Julie noticed me come in and called me over. She filled me in on how they were talking about the plot of Divergent, the book series that wasn't so popular at the time but we loved. It turns out that he was very into books like we were, in fact the same genre and series.

We began talking to him on a normal basis and we became fast friends.

A few weeks later, the religion teacher changed up the seating chart, and Zach and I were sitting in the back corner of the room right next to each to each other.  That seating chart remained for the next couple of months and our friendship grew rapidly. Everyday after lunch we would walk to that class together and talk about whatever was on our minds.

It turns out that we had the same study hall as well. In that study hall, we also had a mutual friend, Luke. It only took about two weeks for us to be inseparable. 

We were the three musketeers, we would go to Luke's house every Friday, talk before and after school, and we had a group message we used non-stop.

Everything felt perfect. And it was.

For about half a year anyways.

Around March, Zach and I had grown closer than any guy I've ever talked to before and it wasn't long before people questioned whether we were really just friends. Both of us would just laugh it off and scoff at the idea of us ever being together. 

But one day it all changed. Our religion teacher took us all outside for a free day where we could relax and play in the sun. I walked around with Julie and some other friends, then began to look for Zach. I saw him sitting and talking with another girl (who will be coming up later) and I got a strange feeling in my stomach. I thought it was ridiculous, until Julie confronted me about it.

Seriously, she knew more about me than I knew about myself.

She threw facts at me until I realized, I liked Zach as more than just a friend.

Shit.

It wasn't too long before school ended and summer break began. The three of us would talk daily and hang out as much as possible. Whether that meant hanging out at my house and going tubing, playing games at Luke's or seeing the latest movie together. We would attend any sports events one of us had. 

Essentially any chance we had to see each other, we took it. That also led to a few sketchy adventures.

They even got me to try video games - I mean I sucked, but I put in the effort. In exchange, I got to put makeup on them, so who's the real winner?

So life is like a domino. If he hadn't brought that book to class, or if our religion teacher had swapped his seat with someone else's, who knows? I could be writing this about a completely different person.

Careful kids, it's about to get messy.