The Leopard's Lair

FANTASTIC

I AM FANTASTIC RIGHT NOW!

My best friend texted me back!

Now that might not seem like a big deal to some people, but it's a MAJOR deal to me.

This eraser has so much meaning to me. I kept it ever since she gave it to me two years ago, in 2014.

We first met when we were partnered up in 2012 for a Pre-Algebra class assignment.

That day was November 6, 2012, Election Day.

I came up with an idea that we should bet on what candidate would win the election; she bet on the second one and I bet on the first one.

We wouldn't bet money, so I came up with betting on an eraser she had that we talked about.

The picture above is that eraser.

She won that bet because the candidate she bet on won, so she kept the eraser. That event, as I call it, was the Eraser Bet of 2012.

Since then, we have been close friends—best friends—and in 2014, she gave me the eraser to keep for the Eraser Bet of 2016, as I liked to call it, and I still keep that eraser with me to this day—March 4, 2016, Friday.

The Eraser Bet of 2016 is still a possible event we will have.

I thought we never would because I was a jerk to my best friend one day and I thought she blocked me because I couldn't call her or text her and get a response.

I wasn't following her on Instagram and she wasn't following me.

I was heartbroken since the late summer to today before this evening.

I never thought that she would text back; I always thought she was angry at me since I said things I shouldn't have and never would have; things I never wanted to say to her, but I did; things I would never say even to myself.

But this week was the week of her birthday and I was determined to do something about it.

I texted her mom, requesting her to tell my best friend that I said happy birthday.

Her mom said she would tell my best friend after my best friend got home from school that day.

I was hopeful.

I hadn't gotten a response since that day and then today, I decided to take the initiative and ask her mom whether my best friend responded.

Her mom said that my best friend thanked me.

My eyes lit up with the faintest of joy.

I told my best friend's mom that I thought my best friend blocked me, but her mom stated that my best friend said she did not block me.

I was confused, but eager to text my best friend.

After texting the following:

(My texts are in bold, my best friend's texts are in italics)

Checking
Test 1
Hi, (best friend's name). It's (my name).
Hello
OHMYGOOOOOOOSH

I yelled, "OH MY GOOOOOOOOOSHHH!" when I saw that text and typed the last text on that example while doing so.

If hearts were actually the source of love, I would say my heart skipped a beat.

But in reality, my mood changed dramatically.

No, my life changed dramatically.

The explanation for why my best friend never told me what she was bothered by last year was found when I was texting her mom: my best friend had recently blocked a bunch of jerks and was no longer friends with a girl who I disliked in 9th grade and was in a love/hate relationship with one of her other "best friends" who I had asked to tell my best friend that I was sorry for my behavior.

I realized that through all the struggles that my best friend and I dealt with, we managed to reach each other and she never hated me or was ever angry.

I am fantastic.