Antithesis of Me

Chapter 3

"Cheers!" I replied. We both leaned back against the tree and it's other branches to enjoy our snacks.
"So what's your name stranger?" Judah asked.
"Virginia," I replied, stuffing the empty food wrapper in my pocket. Judah nodded her head in response.
"Interesting..." She whispered.
"Interesting?" I echoed. She nodded once more and cocked her head to the side.
"Very peculiar name," she answered. I threw my head back with a chuckle and stared at the stars.
"I'm a peculiar person if you can't tell," I responded.
"Well Ms. Peculiar, say cheese!" Judah cheered. I was blinded by a flash seconds later and I heard a series of clicks afterward.
A Polaroid camera...
"What was that for?" I asked, still blinking away the small dots of white from my vision.
"It's a memory," she replied, handing me the photo seconds later. "It's a weird thing I do," Judah continued,"I've always taken photos of people and places and everything new. I love to make memories." She hung the strap of the camera on her wrist and peeked at the photo I was holding between my fingers.
"You and I are so different," I said. "All my memories are in here," I stated, tapping my head with my forefinger.
Judah gave a shake of her head. "I can't believe it! You never take pictures?" She asked. I shook my head no and gave a small smile.
"Why not take the time to appreciate everything so much it's impossible to forget?" I asked, trying to prove a point.
"Well Virginia, you and I are obviously very different. Tell you what: I'll remember this meeting in my mind, and you keep the picture. Deal?" She asked.
"Deal," I answered, sticking my hand out for a shake.
"I don't shake hands," Judah said. After that, she jumped from the tree and stomped back through the woods.
What a strange occurrence, I thought to myself.
With the end of that thought, I jumped from the tree myself and headed home, tucking the picture into my boot as not to lose it.
•••
The next morning I woke to hear warblers chirping outside my open window, and I quickly closed it to lower the risk of birds flying in.
I looked at the mirror on my nightstand to see that not only was my hair a mess, but it was in the same mess the night before when I met my new friend Judah.
The picture she took less than 12 hours before was scotch taped to the top right corner of my mirror, and I couldn't help but to laugh at the way I looked both then and now.
Man life can be pretty crazy sometimes, I thought.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a series of knocks on my bedroom door.
"Come in!" I called. My mom walked in holding a plate piled high with food in her hand.
"I brought you breakfast!" She cheered, showing me my options of edible goodies: toast, a biscuit, bacon, sausage, eggs and a small pancake.
"Geez mom, that's a lot!" I giggled, taking the plate from her.
"Everything was about to expire!" She laughed. I took the first bite and thought about how bad my cooking skills were compared to hers.
"Nice room setup," she said, slowly spinning in place. "Oh! What's this?" She asked, pointing to the photo. I swallowed the food on my mouth and answered truthfully.
"I went on a walk last night and made a friend who is obsessed with photography." My mom smiled and ruffled my hair while making it worse.
"I knew you'd make a bunch of friends!" She said, picking up the almost empty plate. I nodded in response and gave her a warning look as to not get all mushy.
"Alright I'll leave you alone," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "But first, what's your new friend's name?"
"Judah," I answered,"the insomniac flower child."