That night, C and I lay stretched out on lounge chairs overlooking my pool, watching the stars slowly pop up into the sky. We liked to dream that every time someone died, a new star was born. We had been out there for over 2 hours, talking softly to eachother, our words catching on the wind. "Golden girl, huh?" smiled Clara, her green eyes illuminated in the darkness. "Everyone's one and only...?" I replied jokingly. "Looks like we won the perfection award, once again." C sighed, and I could immediately tell something was up. "Talk to me," I pressed, rolling over onto my side so I could listen better. Clara got this far away look in her eyes. "Dont you...hate this, Linds? This perfect life we live..." "I...I don't know," I stammered. I had never thought about it much before. This was how it had always been, glamorous and carefree and perfect. "I mean," C continued, "just think about it. EVERYONE looks up to us. Mostly to you, of course..." "But-" "Just hear me out." She interrupted. "You're the captain of every team. The leader of every club. The smartest and most popular girl in school. The most pretty, might I add," she pointed out with a smirk. "That's not-" I pushed in, but she cut me off again. "Oh but it IS! And it's a wonderful life to live, Linds. But lately....I feel scared. Afraid." "Afraid of WHAT?" I questioned...though I already knew the answer. Deep in my heart, I had always felt the same way, though I had pushed it aside. I didn't want to feel ungrateful. "One move...one wrong move... And we let them all down," Clara answered. Tears filled up her emerald eyes, and they glistened in the moonlight. For that one moment, we were completely and utterly vulnerable. And then that moment passed. "I'm going to change it." "What?!?" I replied. "You can't change your life Clara. What do you think you're gonna do?!?" "Find it. Something imperfect about me. And I'm going to change it," she said, a smile growing on her perfect face. "C you're being ridiculous!" I laughed. What could she hate about herself? Everyone wanted to be her. Everyone wanted to be US. "I'm fat." She said brightly. "I'm fat as a pig!!!! As fat as...Ryan Gordon from algebra!" The idea made me laugh out loud in disgust. Clara and I were nothing if not fit and in shape. "Ryan's like...500 pounds, Clara. You're like 105!" "That's too big Linds," she said distantly. "So what are you gonna do?!? STARVE yourself?!?" I shot back. I was getting upset. I had no idea Clara thought this way. It was too much to handle all at once...
"You know I wouldn't do that. I eat like a horse!" Clara giggled, a bit of he old self coming back. I felt relieved...she must've been kidding. But I somehow felt that the worst was yet to come. "Speaking of food...wanna head in the pool house and grab an apple?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "You betcha," C answered.
Once inside, Clara grabbed an apple from the basket on the island counter and began to slice it into 4 equal pieces , and I went and examined myself in the mirror hanging on the back of the cabana door. For some reason, C's words from earlier rang in my ears. "I'm fat...fat as a pig..." I caught a glimpse of my beautiful best friend in the mirror as she sliced, and everything seemed to change. "If you're fat, I'm like extremely obese," I remarked. "Nuh uh," she said absently. "Yuh huh." "You're stupid," C rolled her eyes. "You're mentally insane," I replied, in a light hearted tone."You're-cráp!" she gasped. "Gee thanks. Love ya too." "No...I cut myself. Ow..." she moaned and grumbled for about 30 seconds...29 more than necessary. "On the bright side," I began jokingly, "you have that imperfection you wanted." Clara's eyes lit up as she gently picked up the knife and looked at herself in the blade. "That's it, Linds." The moonlight shone in through the window and cast an eerie green glow on the floor as the hands of fate seemed to fray our strings. C grabbed my hand, taking me by surprise, and looked me straight in the eyes. In a whisper she said:"They never have to know."
