FRIENDS

TIFFANY (5:56 p.m.)

        The gym looked amazing. There were stars everywhere and sweaty dancing bodies all over the place too. The song Me too by Meghan Trainor was on, leaving the guys awkwardly shuffling while their dates busted out their practiced moves. Something about black and glowing stars seemed to make the gym look bigger than it actually was. The gym looked even more packed then when we had our school pep rally.
       "This is amazing." John said. He looked cute in his suit and tie it fit him like a glove, maybe a Lil bit tighter but his arm muscles poking out made it a positive. I still loved Matt but this was right this is what I had to do. I promised myself that leaving him on that hospital bed was the last I'd see of Matt for good. I had allowed him to love me once more and that wasn't fair.
     I looked up at John who was bopping his head to the music, while still looking suave. He had about a pound of gel in his hair holding its slicked back look. "Thanks for coming with me, I know its lame but, ya know, I kinda feel like I need to be here." I was referring to the fact that I had plastered the posters earlier and had skipped school to avoid seeing the aftermath. I wonder if Khari was okay.

     "Lame? I'm just happy you asked me, just me and you forever, right?" He pulled me into a hug. I faked a smile, feeling guilty because before today it was me and him... and Matt. And here I stood in a dress and heels in the middle of a school dance, with a guy that I should be with. He was a rebel and I loved that about him. I loved John because I'm supposed to, but is that enough?
      "Hey, Tiffany!" I turned to Cece's dimly lit face under the dance lights. She wore a smug dress, smug pair of shoes, and along with it a smug grin.

     I made a strange sound so I wouldn't startle John. It was kinda hard not to panic; with the girl who knew my secret standing two feet from my boyfriend. "Heyy Cece." I tried acting casual.

     "I'll letcha talk, I'm gonna go to the snack table and eat more food than I could probably fit into this suit." He joked and straighted his collar and headed over.

     "Awe he's cute, I see why you chose him over Matt." She smiled watching him walk away.

      I pulled us away from the earshot of some slopply dancing freshmen "Please tell me what the hell you want!"

      "Woah, woah, woah. I'm here for good news so calm your attitude." She flipped her hair. I noticed her burgundy hair color, and now that she had flipped it the scent of fresh hair dye filled my nose. It almost made me dizzy. Why would she want burgundy hair thats Zailie's thing. She reached into the tiny clutch purse that she had with her and gave me the photo. "A deals a deal."
     I took the photo over to the bin that sat in the corner nearby and ripped it into pieces. And for the first time in forever I felt my heartbeat slow down, I felt like I could breathe again. I sat over the bin breathing in heafty breathes, I could finally breathe again.
    "Woah girl. Well now that thats over, I'm hoping that we can put this behind us and be friends." She smiled, I looked up at her with a quizzical look.

     "I just want to be cool from now on." She smiled at me and under this lighting, in the angle she tilted her head and the way she smiled, for a glimpse of time I saw Zailie instead of Cece. I had to shake my head in order to see Cece again. I looked at her hand that she held out in a sign of truce.

      "I need to go to the bathroom." I pushed past her maybe fake smile and hand gesture. I made my way to the hallway and pulled out my phone.
      I typed up a text to my groupchat with my three other friends.

        Cece= burgundy hair???😞💁?

       "Tiff?"I spun around and found myself into a hug. It took me a second to realize it was Khari. At least he's ok. He started weeping. Shit! "I just got done with Mr. Calvin and the head of BSTA."

      I didn't know what to say so I nodded for him to continue. He lifted himself.

     "Tiffany, they declined my application and expelled me from the school." He wiped tears from his face. EXPELLED? I said in my head, partly it had slipped out cause he answered.

      "Yes, because someone vandalized my work and posted it around the school." He shrugged mopping up his tear ducts. I would've never done it if I knew this was the outcome. This has gone too far. "And I don't even know who did it."

     We sat there for a while me thinking and him trying to collect himself. Because of me Khari was expelled from the one place that the four of us had in common. I saw him standing there all puffy eyed and I started to see the first time we truly connected; We sat in our science class after school relating on the panic attacks that we both had, the time we went to six flags and I took him on his first roller coaster, even the last day of junior high where we shouted out 'the kids in the dark' as I pulled off out of the parking lot.

      I realized that I was crying because my brain knew before my body knew that I had to tell him now and afterwards there was going to be no more Tiffany and Khari. Here's to the best friendship in the history.

    "You know what I bet you it was Cece, that bitch. Is she still in there?" He was about to storm into the gymnasium before I stopped him.

      "Listen Khari... it was me." It felt as if I were admitting to murder or stepping up for a burglary and... I was. I had murdered his chance to BSTA and stolen away the source to our friendship.

     "What?" He sounded more confused then he had sounded surprised.

     "I plastered the posters because it was either this or letting John know, and I'm sorr-" I put a hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off.

     "No."

    "Listen I'm sorry."

     "No."

      "It was a dumb mis-"

       "No."

       "Why do you keep saying no?" I wiped a tear.

        "Because  out of all of our ups and downs, I can't just say its fine and let this blow over too. I'm saying no because I can't except that."

       "Khari?"

      "No."

       I pulled him into a hug. "Remember kids in the dark, remember bitchface Barbra, remember fangirl and fanboy." I listed all of our inside jokes. He pulled away from me.

       "I don't remember because I don't know."

       "Common you know what I'm talking about."

       "I know that, but I don't know  who you are anymore." He shook his head and walked away. I would've ran after him but my feet wouldn't obey and I had nothing more to say because I was starting to doubt the same thing