A Friend Indeed

There I was, heading South on I95 going into Auburn. I was about to go on a date with a boy. I was prepared. I had turned off the cellular data on my phone, my cover story sounded legitimate (I was spending the night at M. Fletch’s house), and I was feeling good. This was going to be a wonderful night. I would enjoy my time with him, leave Auburn, wait for M. Fletch to get out of work, and we would head to her camp in Winthrop. I had done this similar act before, and nothing had ever fallen out of plan. I was having the summer of my dreams. No problems had seemed to wonder my way. I was bent on keeping it that way. Little did I know that something big was coming my way. 

That night, I told my parents I was heading straight to M. Fletch’s camp after dinner. She would not get out until eight, but that wasn’t a problem. I had other plans. So, I picked up my then boyfriend, and we headed for our date. Honestly, it was lousy. It definitely was not worth what was coming my way. Nonetheless, we finished eating and I dropped him back off at his house. This is when things started to go down. The first sign of trouble came when I got a text from my parents saying “where are you” as I was headed North on I95. My stomach dropped, but I still had hope that I could play it off. I texted back that I was at M. Fletch’s. The next text read “turn on your data”. See, I was smart turning off my data. My parents were not able to see my location on their phone. It simply read “location not found”. Obviously, this looked sketchy though. There was nothing else I could do besides turn it on. As I turned it on, I accepted my fate. They would know I was lying. I felt like I was going to puke. The next text I received was orders to come home immediately. I could only imagine what I had gotten myself into. 

Prepared for the absolute worst (getting kicked out of the house), I entered my home with caution. There was my parents sitting on the porch, eyeing me down. I was ready to break down crying. This had to be the worst moment of my life. My heart was racing, my palms were sweating, and I was shaking. I couldn’t lie myself out of this one. They asked for the truth, and I gave them it. Through all my tears and hysteric crying, they told me how disappointed they were with me. This felt like a knife in the chest. I was supposed to be better than this. I wasn’t supposed to create trouble. But, I accepted my fate. I knew nothing good would come from this. They told me I was grounded. For two weeks. This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was expecting a lot more. Still, it sucked. I had gone from hanging out with M. Fletch close to every day. Now, I would have to wait two whole weeks to do anything. It was also emotionally draining. I knew what I did was wrong, and I was constantly reminded of this. I was a mess. I cried every night and longed to be comforted. Although I wasn’t physically with my friend, she was still there for me. She helped me out when I needed someone the most. She kept me anchored when I was about to lose my mind. She reminded me that everything would be alright in the end. I would survive. These facts kept me going every day. When I thought I couldn’t face my family because I was so humiliated, I remembered these words. I would make it. 

Once my two week house arrest was up, I was back to seeing my friend. The summer of my dreams continued, though I still reminded myself to keep it in check. We would hang out at the camp, go to Starbucks, go thrifting, and play summer soccer. We were back to a carefree summer. Things were finally smooth again. That is until, one morning, crap hit the fan for M. Fletch. I had already arrived at summer soccer practice, but my friend was nowhere to be found. This was not like her. Usually, she was one of the first ones there. She would never skip an early morning practice. Soon, one of my other good friends arrived to announce the news: Macie was pulled over on the side of the road, around fifty feet away from the school’s entrance. Her car broke down. All I could think about was what a sticky situation it was. There were so many problems she would have to face like: How would she get her car to a safe spot? Would she make it to practice? How much would this cost her? What was wrong with her car? She ended up pushing her car to safety with the help of others and even made it to practice. The other challenges were coming her way, though. She soon found out her engine blew and it would cost a pretty penny to fix it. She was better off just buying a new car. This is where I came in to save the day. I was now her emotional support and personal taxi. I reminded her of the advice she previously gave me: She would be fine in the end. In the meantime, I would help her to reach her destinations. Whether it was practice, games, or work, I was there. Everything turned out fine.

This is what friendship is. It is being there equally for one another. M. Fletch is a person I can always count on to help me with whatever I need. Sometimes, it is a situation where you think you’re going to die. Sometimes, you simply need a ride. Either way, I know I can count on her to be there for me. She is a friend indeed.

Photo by cindy47452 on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA