“So… Unavoidable.”

J is my best friend. We’ve known each other for over 4 years now. 

Me and J spend every morning together, usually in the auditorium but today it wasn’t open so we stood in the lobby admiring the weird art piece that hung on the wall in the corner. We set our bags down next to us and read words aloud we thought were funny. Looking back, none of them were funny, most of them were just words, or sometimes names, either way, not really funny. 

I told her how tired I was which, frankly, was unfair. 

“I went to bed early,” I expressed. 

J didn’t hesitate to say “I went to bed at 1.”

I gave her the look I always do, the look of parental disappointment and frustration, she could sense I was about to chew her out.

“Wait, wait,” she halted. “This was unavoidable.”

“Really? Going to bed at 1 was unavoidable.”

She shook her head, “I was going to do homework in the morning and then Michael’s called me-”

J has officially been working at Michael’s for around 2 weeks, she complains often about the long hours, which I warned her about. I worked 8 hours 3 days a week over the summer- at a daycare- and I was exhausted. That was on top of a book I had to read, but other than that, nothing. I knew how tired she’d be. 

When I first heard of J I was in 6th grade, almost 7th. My best friend A had been sitting with some girl on her bus everyday and after A suggested they listen to out favorite musical they had become friends. I wasn’t super impressed.

I never talked to J but we could acknowledge each other existed. A was our link and beyond that we didn’t have much in common. Eventually though we all attended an open house where we were given our schedules for 7th grade, I was disappointed to have no classes with A (as I had become accustomed to having each class with A from 5th and 6th grade) but me and J compared schedules. Ours were identical- down to the UA schedule we were given. Suddenly we were united: gym was not something you went through alone. 

Now, J is my best friend. We talk everyday, in and out of school. We know each other better than anyone and we drop multiple classes to have at least 1 together. We’re tight. I can’t remember the exact moment it all fell in place (other than, I suppose, that Open House) but I know our friendship was fast. We both liked Hamilton (some of us a little too much) and we immediately took that and ran with it, creating a friendship that even now doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. 

“I had to do all my homework and I was up until 1,” she said. “So, unavoidable.”

We kept going around and we discussed my class changes. We both were trying to get me to have a class with J and after some investigation of the sheet next to the library we discovered I could switch my chemistry and US History. 

“Let’s go down here,” she led us towards the art room. 

“Does your art class have a seating chart?” I asked.

J shook their head, “No, but everyone kind of has their own seat.”

J: We pretty crazy I mean we weren’t friends then we bonded over hamilton and all our classes were together

– Then I became your slave/secretary

A: Look now [j] is confused and scared and alone

J: Pardon

A: that sent late

– very late

– i’m so sorry

J: That’s really funny actually

. . .

J: I hate religion

– I could talk about that

Gerald: Mr Young would love that

– Maybe

J: Oh em g

Gerald: I don’t think he’s Christian

J: Well if he is I think a lot less of him

Gerald: My essay is about how the main character of my book is Jesus so

J: Religious people that follow a diety are stupid sheep

J talked about religion for a long while after that, I was too busy typing to actually pay much attention. J was never confrontational and it was hard to get them to talk about anything remotely controversial. This was, to me, a surprise. Her parents were pretty conservative but never religious, they often mocked people who were religious but J almost never agreed with them. She had never brought religion up much before this.

J: Maybe religion was a good thing in the old times because they had nothing to work for or acheive so working towards a happy afterlife if you were good kept people going

– Run on sentences? Couldn’t be me

– Anyways

We ended our conversation there, mostly because the bell rang and I was obligated to go to Raider Connection where I would see J in person. That interaction was cut short with the PSAT meeting and I sat alone in my Raider Connection.

I never expected much from J since, well, I knew them well enough. They were quiet around people they didn’t know and more open with me, as they always had been. Maybe I should expect more or possibly less, what really is a friend supposed to expect? A shoulder to cry on? A person to goof off with? A funeral attendee? A person to sit next to in class? Earlier we were perusing the library and I was telling them about my impromptu bible study I had the night before, she breathed.

“I think I should read the bible,” they said. “So I can hate religion and, y’know, actually be able to back up my reasoning.”

Featured image: “Hard Work (Vicios I)” by Eneas is licensed under CC BY 2.0.