That Was Then

9-Then

For kindergarten and first grade Kya and I were in the same class. We had the same teachers, the same friends, the same homework, and were invited to all of the same parties.

In an attempt for inclusivity if one person in the class was invited to your birthday party, everyone had to be invited per school rules. Kya's birthday is in December and for her birthday party in first grade we went ice skating and had the best hot chocolate I'd ever had. Everyone in the class came except for one girl. I don't even remember her name, but two days before the party Kya told the girl that she only invited her because she had to. The girl cried. I remember feeling bad but I didn't say anything. I should have said something.

In second grade we were in different classes. We tried to get our parents to intervene and talk to the school. Surely, our parents could fix this for us. We were outraged that they wouldn't even try. Eventually we accepted our fate that we had different teachers, different classmates, different homework.

We still had our Friday tradition; dance class, hot chocolate or ice cream depending on the weather, and a sleepover. By then we were staying at my house nearly every Friday, we didn't know why and we were too young to care. A few weeks into the school year I received an invitation to a birthday party for a boy in my class. I was excited, his parents owned a theater and we were going to get to see a private showing of a movie I had been dying to see. I had been just about to tell Kya about the party when she snatched the invitation out of my hand. She read it and then handed it back with a shrug.

"Too bad it's on a Friday." She said dismissively and I thought she was bummed that I would be missing out on our sleepover night. "I know you'd never ditch me for a lame party." She slung her arm over my shoulder and I deflated. I never even gave my parents the invitation or asked to go.

Two weeks later Kya wasn't in the spot we always met after school. Mama pulled up and I slid into the backseat, worried that Kya wasn't out there. "Oh, she's got a birthday party to go to tonight for one of her classmates."