Almost Friends

Almost Friends-Prologue

They say you can choose your friends but when it comes to best friends, life chooses for you.

-Anonymous

Prologue

Mia

Drama Classroom Drama

August, 2014

There's nothing suckier than spending the last moments of your summer vacation inside of a classroom.

And here I sit in a musty classroom listening to our drama teacher ramble about how excited she is to become our new cheerleading coach.

So, Ms. Karin Greenich is head of South Louisiana High's Drama Department and I actually heart her. She's a nice enough woman. But nice or not, she's tap dancing on my last nerve and I'm, hand to God, seconds away from strangling her.

She's perched on top of her large desk at the front of the classroom, just yapping away. Meanwhile, my best friend Kyle and I sit across from her. We're sharing the top of one of the student desks.

"As you girls know, I'm not from here and when I moved to Louisiana, I, um ..." Ms. Karin's voice trails off and she frowns.

OMG. Can she quit with the pausing and get to her point?

The pause continues while Ms. Karin tucks a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. My gaze goes to the messy bun on top of her head.

Why does she always wear her hair like this? Even a ponytail would be cuter. And why, for God's sake, are we still in here?! She promised she'd only keep us for fifteen minutes.

Beyond annoyed, I reach into my purse and send my boyfriend a quick text.

Mia: Hey, wanna ride to school together tomorrow?

I drop my phone back into my purse. He won't text me back for at least a half hour. That's a guy for you... well, that's my guy. Sometimes it takes him a full day to text back. I swear, if he weren't hot and rich I wouldn't put up with him.

I sigh and make myself tune in to what Ms. Karin's saying. "... and I have to admit that I expected Louisiana to be a carbon copy of every other state in the south. But it isn't! When I moved to Swamp Rose I found a town so rich in culture and diversity that it was like stepping into another country. Not only do we have a strong Italian community, Vietnamese community, and rich Afro-Caribbean heritage, but ..."

Oh.My.Gwwaaad! What is she even talking about?! I literally cannot take this.

For the sake of my own sanity, I give up listening to Ms. Karin's Colors of the Wind rant and grab a lollipop from my purse. As I unwrap it, Kyle glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

I stick my hand in my purse, grab a second lollipop and shove it under Kyle's nose. I don't know why I'm even offering, she's just going to shake her head.

Kyle shakes her head no.

Called it.

I haven't seen Kyle eat a single bite in, like, two months. Not to mention that she's gotten so skinny she'd make a skeleton look healthy.