These Dreams

1984

STEF POV

The year was 1984 and Tess and I were just starting our junior year at Hoover High school. What was meant to be an easy year of prom, SAT's, trying to get my grades up, hanging out with friends at the arcade, getting drunk and high occasionally, and going to concerts turned into something else entirely. Tess had been my best friend for as long as I could remember but things started to change the older we got. What it was I had no damm idea at all for while she was checking out the football and basketball players I was checking her out. Most of the time I had to catch myself  because I didn't want to creep her out or anything and I didn't even get what my feelings were. They weren't normal that was for sure but I would often get insanely jealous whenever she went out on dates and they sometimes caused me to act mean and ignore her.  We started to drift apart at times but it wasn't just that. It wasn't just her going out on dates that caused our friendship to change. What really caused it to change was when her cousin Lena came to live with her.  Lena had changed my life, she had changed me, and she had turned my entire life and world upside down. Things would never be the same and as scary as it was to admit that at 17 I didn't want them to be. So here is our story the story of how we met, how we became friends and how we fell in love at a time when our relationship did more then just raise eyebrows. It was something you didn't speak about.

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September, 1984

STEF POV

"You don't like your cousin or something?" 

"She's ok. We just never got along and now she's coming to live with us. I mean just shoot me." Tess said as she rolled her eyes and munched on a few potato chips as we attempted to study for Math. Junior Year of high school was definitely challenging for us but we were dealing with it so to say. Tess was way smarter as always while I struggled to keep up with a C average. Putting my feet up on the chair with L.A Gear sneakers  which I knew my mother hated I downed some more cola while trying to make sense of trigonometry. With Madonna blasting on the record player the background and biting on the eraser of my pencil I scribbled down whatever number made sense while Tess went on and on about her cousin.

"Stef are you even listening?" She asked snapping her fingers in front of me."

"Of course. You hate her." I laughed.

"I don't hate her. Ugh you know what it is? She's a know it all. She acts privileged and she's a snob. To be honest I really can't stand her." She blurted out downing some cola as I couldn't help but bust out laughing. Tess had no idea she was basically describing herself. "What's so freakin' funny?"

"Nothing." I snorted. "Maybe she changed T. You never know." I shrugged.

"Doubt it. I just saw her over the summer. Remember when I had to go to Ohio and miss the Jets concert with you?"

"Ahh shit. So that was her fault?"

"Yeah. We had to stay an extra week for her award ceremony."

"Why? Where are her parents?"

"Well it's just her mom. Her dad died a few years ago which was terrible. He was super nice."

"That sucks."

"I know and I feel bad even if it was years ago and I'm not trying to be insensitive at all. But she just acts so fragile and now she will always be latched to me. Like a growth. It's our junior year Stef. I mean the prom and SAT's and I'm still working on Eddie. How am I suppose to get a date if she's tagging along?"

"Ha! The asshole football player? I don't know what you see in him Tess. He's so full of himself." I said rolling my eyes and looking back at my math for every time she mentioned him I just wanted to scream. What was so great about him anyway? What was so great about any of the guys at my school that she liked I had no clue. Whatever it was it was annoying.