Why am I friends with you?

Tell me about yourself

I spend today alone in my room reading. Drew has something on with his old school friends and can't hang out with me, well, that is what his text said. I am curious as to why he wants to be friends with me. I don't spend a lot of time around people and haven't had a true friend since I was 8. When she moved away the bullying started and no one wanted to be friends with me. Because of all this my social skills are somewhat lacking and holding a conversation is not my area of expertise.

My sister is quite a social person she spent the morning in her room with a friend that stayed the night, laughing and talking. And now she is on the phone to her boyfriend downstairs, chatting away. 

As the sun starts to creep down, hinting that it is getting close to 8, I slip outside into the humid air to sit on the trampoline. My sister got the trampoline for her 9th birthday after begging desperately for one. Shortly after Alia discovered she doesn't like trampolines and I am the only person who has used it since.

I don't bounce but lie on my back, on the giving black surface, staring up at the clouds in the sky. The net has a big rip in the side that no one knows the cause, I am starting at it aimlessly when my phone rings. 

I know who it is immediately, without even looking at the name. Other than him my mum is the only person that rings my phone and she has no reason to be ringing me in the middle of a dinner with her sister. "Hello Drew," I say putting the thing to my ear. "Hey what's your address," he says. I give it to him uncertainly. "Cool be there in 10, be ready to go." He hangs up before I can ask what he means and why.

I wait for a car to pull up on the doorstep of my house, wearing my sneakers and a light and comfortable outfit. I told Alia that am going out but she didn't respond. She either didn't hear of didn't care.

An unfamiliar ute drives down the street and swings into the driveway with Drew in the seat. He waves and points to the passenger door. I tug it open and slide into the empty seat. The car not too old and well looked after, on the outside. Inside is messy, the back seat is coved with a variety of objects ranging from shopping bags full of groceries to spare or dirty sets of clothes. A flower shaped air freshener produces a very feminine floral scent that hangs over the car.

I ask where we are going to start the conversation. "To Winsor," he replies

"To the river?"

"Yeah I felt like fish 'n' chips by the river with a friend," Drew says

"Weren't you with friends all day?" I question, trying to hide my panic about eating food. I have only had tea and gum today and wasn't planning on eating anything. My sister, unlike my mum, doesn't care to watch my eating habits.

"I was," he answers "but I felt like going to eat with you. I don't get to be myself around my friends, but I feel I can be real with you."

After a short silence, he asks about my friends.

"I don't really have any," I tell him.

"Nonsense, you're really nice, you should have plenty of friends."

"I don't."

He goes quiet. I stare out the window, most of the area around here used to be farmland. But developers have bought up the land and it is now a quickly growing dense suburb of close-packed houses.

"let me tell you a story," he says to me. "There was once a popular boy how had lots of friends and was happy. But as he went through school he discovered that he wasn't like his friends. This boy wants the best for the world, he loved culture and nature. His friends just wanted to muck around and have 'fun'. This boy still hangs around his friends but doesn't feel like he fits in. He doesn't know if he wants to fit in."
I know the boy in the story is Drew without him saying. I understand now why he likes to hang out with me. I don't act or like the same things as most teenagers.

We cross the bridge over the river and he pulls into a parking spot. I jump out of the car and a light breeze ruffles my hair. It is still warm outside and the glow of the evening sun illuminates Drew's face. We stroll down to a beach on the side of the river. The sand is a dark river brown and the water is brown. The beach is mostly empty except for a couple holding hands by the water and mother with two children building a sand castle.

Drew lays out a towel I didn't know he had and motions for me to sit down. When I do he plops down beside me. The water laps lightly at the shore in waves that a passing boat caused and birds chirp aimlessly in the trees across the water. "Tell me about yourself, Sam," he says, eyes glued to the water. I watch his face, unable to say anything. "come on," He encourages, "you have got to have something to you, not just a pretty face." My face burns at the compliment and before I can stop myself I say, "I like emus."

"Why? What is the point of a flightless bird."

"They can run pretty fast."

"Alright, fine. At least I know something about you now."

He smiles. "what?" I ask

"Nothing," He replies still smiling as he puts an arm around my shoulders. I shiver at the touch of another human. It doesn't bother me, but the feeling is alien. My family is not the hugging type, I think my father wouldn't even know what a hug is. I like the feeling of Drew's arm around me, I decide, I like it a lot.