Mon Chou

I remember the day I met him like it was yesterday…

            My 3rd grade classroom frightened me more than anything. It was the first day of school and I was the new kid. Most of the other children had grown up together so they were already well acquainted. I however was fresh meat and they were all hungry animals at the zoo at feeding time. I, the self conscious person that I am, believed that they were all judging me, trying to decide whether I met their friend standards. As I looked around the room, I found one pair of eyes that didn’t quite fit in with the rest in the sense that they looked at me warm and inviting like. As if the boy the eyes belonged to was genuinely interested in becoming my friend. I knew he didn’t care that I was a little dorky and it was obvious that all of my belongings were hand me downs. His name was Rhiley.

            At lunch time, he gave me his chocolate pudding cup (an offer of friendship in elementary school). In return, I gave him my cookies that my mom had made for me. They were my favorite, fudgy brownie. We immediately became best friends. We shared secrets in music class, made masterpieces for our moms together in art, and in gym class, he made sure that I was never picked last for a team on kickball days. I was clumsier than a teen attempting to sneak out in the middle of the night. Before I moved to Pensacola, I didn’t have anyone like Rhiley to stick up for me so I was always picked last, which was a big deal back then you know! Rhiley was the best at all sports in our class, maybe even the entire school, but he refused to play for either team unless they picked me too. We were a two for one deal. You can’t get one of us without getting the other. And that’s how we always were. Stuck together like two peas in a pod or peanut butter on the roof of your mouth.

            Because we hung out so much, even as little kids, our parents naturally became close friends. Our mothers played bridge together on Sundays and often went shopping or to coffee together. Our dads would catch sports game with each other whenever possible. Both families went out to dinner together at least once or twice a month. The parents were convinced that we were destined for each other and that we would finally realize it one day and get married and live happily ever after. We just laughed at them and thought they were crazy.

Our siblings didn’t hit it off as Rhiley and I did though. They didn’t dislike each other; they just weren’t nearly as close as us. They didn’t understand our relationship, but then again, nobody did but us.

            Of course in 3rd grade, a boy and a girl being best friends was taboo so we got our fair share of mockery from the other kids. Sitting together at lunch, “Rin and Rhiley sitting in a tree…” (and I think you get the rest) was our background music far too often. Rhiley didn’t care though. He wouldn’t exclaim that he doesn’t like me or girls have cuties as most of the other boys his age would do, he would simply take my hand and lead me away. If he could see that I was upset by the teasing, he would assure me that they were all stupid anyways and they are just jealous because I am so beautiful.           Even though Rhiley was a boy and I’m a girl, our parents allowed us to have sleepovers partly because they trusted us and we were young, and partly because they secretly were crossing their fingers for us to get together. His mother, Mrs. Davidson, was like my second mother. Their guestroom was practically my room and my family’s was practically his. Half of our belongings were at each other’s houses, left after a play date and never brought home because we figured that we would just need it the next day. Mrs. Davidson always made sure that I had a change of clothes (in case of a late unplanned sleep over came up), a snack fresh in my belly, and a smile on my face. She loved seeing me and Rhiley grow close to each other. I did too. Rhiley and I were inseparable.

            “Corina, you’re being ridiculous. Just get in the car please.”

            I couldn’t believe that he had lied to me. He blew off our Friday night scary movie tradition for her. We had been doing this for almost five years now and he bailed for that slut, Shianne! Then, after his plans with Shianne failed, he comes back to me. Well I wasn’t going to be anyone’s second choice, not even Rhiley’s. He caught up to me in his new 2008 mustang while I was walking home from soccer practice. Usually, Rhiley would drive me home, but I was being stubborn and didn’t want to wait for him outside of the swimming pool where his practice was. I had planned on going straight home to my room to pout with some 90’s music blaring in the background. I was about halfway home from my 3 mile walk when he found me. I knew that it was him when a car slowed down behind me. There was no doubt that he was looking for me. I had received 2 miss calls and 5 unanswered texts from him within the 20 minutes after he got out of practice and when he found me and of course they were all from him. He was a panicky type if you haven’t noticed. And VERY overprotective of me.