1, 2, 3, 4... 6?

Best Friend 1 of 2

Nicole Mers. I met her during the end of freshman year, right after Colin and I broke
up, in Spanish Club. In all the drifting, that was the one club I stuck with for the rest of the year. I loved Spanish club. I was already in advanced Spanish for a freshman, and I wanted to study abroad in college. Something about speaking Spanish was so comfortable to me. I was good at it. But the best part was you could only say what the teachers had taught you, so no one could be mean or call you names while you were speaking Spanish. So I loved Spanish Club. And Nicole was a freshman just like me. She and I bonded quickly, probably because we both liked to be quiet. We always sat next to each other, not saying much. Everyone knows Nicole is a genius. Her math scores are probably better than her math teacher's. And she worked harder than anyone else in school. And there was only one subject she ever had trouble in. Spanish. She just wasn't good at it. So she joined Spanish Club to get extra help. I was only in Spanish club starting in March of my freshman year. And Nicole had been there all year. In May, the senior president of the club awards the "outstanding achievement" award to one member of each class. And Missy gave that award to me. To be fair, there were three freshman in Spanish club. Nicole, Greg, and me. Greg never even came to meetings, so he was out. And I was really good at Spanish. Nicole wasn't. So I got the award. Nicole laughed and said congratulations and everything was fine. Or so I thought.

You see, one week after the Spanish Club awards were given there was this big party that everyone went to at some upperclassmen's house. I was there, trying to blend in, when a junior guy and I started talking. Justin Everhart. He was a sweetheart. Still is. Anyway, then Nicole came over. And sure, everyone knows Nicole's a nerd. But what most people didn't know was that when she traded her baggy t-shirts for a tight dress, you could actually see her body. And she was hot. Like size triple D hot. But Nicole and I were friends. So when she came over in her tight black dress and handed me a drink, I took it. I knew it was beer, I'm not dumb. But I liked this upperclassman guy I was talking to. So I took the drink. Nicole chatted for a moment, and then walked off with someone. And I stood against the wall talking to Justin and drinking this drink my friend had given me. And then I collapsed. Not metaphorically. Like I actually fell to the ground, spilled my drink all over myself and Justin, and blacked out. Bet he thought I was cool then, huh?

I woke up awhile later in an unfamiliar bed. Justin was sitting at the foot of said bed. I had a killer headache. I remember the relieved look on Justin's face when I opened my eyes. He told me that I had passed out in the middle of our conversation and wouldn't wake up so he took me upstairs. I remember the awful smell in the air. When I asked about it, he said it was the drink I'd spilled. I asked him if beer usually smelled like that. He looked kinda freaked out and told me that no, it didn't normally smelled like the Devil's piss. I laughed politely, but I was scared. And the puzzle was coming together. You can probably figure it out at this point in the story. But I couldn't yet. So I went back down to the party, with Justin behind me, and found Nicole. I had to pretty much drag her off this guy to talk to her, but at that point I didn't care.

"Did you put something in that drink you gave me?" I asked her. I was starting to feel sick again. The room was blurry. But I'll never forget the look she gave me when she said,

"Just some Spanish salts. Which you should know all about, huh bitch?"

I went home after that. Justin and I said goodnight, and we never really talked again. But he treated me exactly like he should have. I was passed out cold and he could've done a lot of crap to me. But he didn't. He carried me upstairs and tucked me into bed. If you aren't Justin, you're probably surprised to hear this. I know that's not what you probably heard happened, right? You heard that I begged Justin to bring me upstairs and make love to me. Didn't you? And you believed it, right? You believed it because everyone said they heard it from Nicole, who everyone knew was my best friend. And so she would know. But if you are Justin: When you read this I want you to know that I am so thankful for how you treated me that night. I hope you never change. This chapter isn't about you, Justin. It's about Nicole. Who rescued me from my sadness after Colin, got jealous enough to drug me at a party, and then lied to everyone in order to turn me into a slut. So Nicole. You are a bitch. You are the worst kind of person because not only are you a bitch, but you pretend to be a sweet, quiet girl. And I hope you read this and realize what you have done. I hope you change. I hope you never do this to anyone else. And to the rest of you? How dare you believe her lies without question. And how dare you change how you treat me based on the rumor. By the time I started sophomore year, I was still a virgin. You thought differently didn't you? You thought I slept with Justin at the party and then continued all summer to have sex with any boy I could get my hands on. And when I came back to school, some of you thought it was okay to touch me however you wanted. Nicole was the revenge on me for getting that Spanish award worth the sixth of my life you destroyed as revenge? And as you read the next chapter, remember the only reason it happened was because you started the rumors.