Mindy Kay was my best friend or so I thought. I watched her at her table across the cafeteria and I start to wonder what ever happened to us.
Mindy and I are neighbors and when she first came into my neighborhood when we were in seventh grade, I became her first new friend. We did everything together. We painted each other nails, watched scary movies together; everything that little teenage girls did. During eight grade graduation, we made a vow never to separate from each other when we went to high school. What a lie that was.
Mindy has long blond hair, blue eyes, long legs and a curvy body. If you sprayed her with tanning spray, she could pass for a Barbie. I'm a red head with a fairly good body but very tall, and my eyes are hazel brown. I thought Mindy was gorgeous but now as I watch her across the cafeteria, she must be the ugliest person I have ever seen.
Freshman year, she only stayed with me the first day. The second day, she managed to make friends with a whole lot of sophomores and juniors. Whenever I wanted to join into this older group fun, she would always tell me, " Nyla, it's really not your thing. You wouldn't like to be somewhere where you're not comfortable, right?"
It was such a line I heard so many times that I actually could recite it to her face.
Mindy would usually come to my house after school freshman year, but whenever we were in school or in public actually, she would brush me off. It stung and it made me furious. I didn't deserve such a fake friend. By the end of freshman year, I confronted her about this during lunch.
"How come you're ashamed to be friends with me in public?" I asked
She was around her older friends so she looked at me as if I was crazy. "Like what are you talking about? I don't even know you like that."
I have never heard such trash come out of someone's mouth .
"179 days ago, you did."
She started chuckling to her friends.
"Who is she?" one of her friends asked.
Mindy shrugged but when she looked at me, she quickly looked away.
"A fake friend wouldn't know what I look like, since they find it hard to discover what's real and what's fake."
They all looked at each other in confusion and started laughing, except for Mindy. She was looking at me in both anger and shame. I looked at her back with twice the amount of anger.
Sophomore year, all hell broke loose. From stealing my bra and giving it to a perverted teacher with a note that said "Call me" to telling every boy I had a crush on that I had herpes, Mindy had made me a social outcast. She would put negative posts and comments on my Facebook wall, send me messages that said that things would be better without my existence, all that trashy stuff. I shed tears and I punched walls and screamed in pillows. I did nothing to this girl and yet she thought she still had the right to make my life a living hell. She would make websites about me and push me to lockers at school.It brought me to tears that a girl could do this to someone, especially me who had nothing to do with her. If it wasn't for my friend Kara, I would have committed suicide.
Kara was the best friend I could ever have and she was cool. She had straight black hair with hazel green eyes and a wonderful sense of passion. She was also a pacifist. She was the reason I managed to get through sophomore year. Kara gave me hope about things and whenever there was a day I got teased by the bullies at school, she would always be the shoulder for me to cry on.
"Haters are your escalators" She always told me which always brought a smile to my face.
But then she moved to California for junior year. I was left alone.
Mindy saw more and more opportunities to attack me but I tried to not let them get to me. Her friends would throw trash at me since I had "herpes" to emphasize that I was dirty. The girls in my gym class would stay far away from me. Even the teachers looked at me differently. This was pushing me to the limit so I finally made my decision. I was going to graduate early.
My guidance counselor doubted that I could get into university at sixteen and she doubted I could handle it. I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of the battle field.
Word that I was graduating early got around.
"You will never get accepted." some of my classmates said. "You're not the successful looking type."
"You're wasting your time for nothing"
"You're a coward. You just can't handle the 'crap' people are giving you"
Yes, they stung. But soon these needles of hatred turned to icy cold water and than only the cold air that blew in your face. I ignored them all. I stayed up late studying and doing homework. I took classes at community colleges. I worked my butt off and it made my mind and heart stronger. The day before SAT's, Mindy confronted me.
She slammed a pregnancy book on my desk and had a alcohol tester with her. I looked up from my book.
"What's this?"
"It's to get you ready. See this is what's going to happen. You're to be a drunk who got pitifully knocked up by her husband. He's going to leave you and than you guys are going to be living off the streets. Just getting you prepared. They always say to be mindful of the less fortunate."
I slid the book off my desk and let it slam on the ground and I slapped the tester out of her hand.
"Mindy, I wish you tremendous luck in life. I really do. It was good knowing you. I hope you're filthy rich and have tons of kids. Just be aware," I got out of my seat and walked to the door " That you won't be the only one."
Those were the last words I said to her.
I took the Winter Sat's and applied to 6 universities. I applied for scholarships and wrote letters to headmasters and prayed like there was no tomorrow. I knew it was early but as the days went by I somehow kept feeling less hopeful.
After weeks of waiting, my parents announced that the mailman had come with letters from colleges and my scores had come. I didn't ask for details because of the reality that I must have failed.
I got home from a long shift of work and got a call from Kara.
"Hey girl. So how's early graduation coming along?"
"It's exhausting."
"I think what you're doing is brave."
I chuckled to myself.
"What's so funny."
"It's not brave. It's cowardly. I'm going to fai-''
"Nyla, my mom gave me this life lesson. I know that kids have been giving you a hard time but you got to remember this one fact."
"What?"
"High School is a bridge that's full of many obstacles. Most people get through them easily because they know how to trick the obstacles. Hence the word trick. Some people have tough times getting through the obstacles but unlike the tricksters they actually defeat their obstacles and they get beyond them."
"What happens to the tricksters?"
"Sooner or later, their time is up and they end up under the bridge."
"Great advice" I said, sarcastically.
"You'll get it Nyla.I know you will."
After a long time of talking about nonsense, I hung up and woke up to a sunny day. The bright light radiating from the sun showered my house and my parents were standing in the kitchen looking at me, with wide smiles on their faces.
They held my letters in their hands, unopened.
"Nyla, it's time."
I took my letters in my hand and then I was surprised at the weight. Wait....the weight! Fat envelopes are said to equal acceptance. I opened each one and they all said the my favorite sentence.
"Nyla Jones, we congratulate you on your acceptance into..."
I screamed with excitement. I had gotten accepted to all of the universities I applied to. Especially, Columbia University. . This was a happy day.
I walked to my guidance counselor on Monday and slammed the envelopes on her desk.
"And you said I couldn't do it."
Thirteen years later
"Dr. Jones, do I get a lollipop for being such a good patient?" Stacy asked me
I took out a lollipop from my lab pocket and handed it to her. She smiled at me and went to hug my leg. I led her mother and her out of the room to call for the next patient.
"Suzy..." I looked at the last name in a disbelief "Kay"
"Suzy, the nice doctor called your name. Get over here!"
A slight chill went down my spine as I heard the familiar and icy voice. It couldn't be.
Mindy stopped right in her tracks when she faced me. We stayed looking at each other and I didn't know whether to laugh in her face or just have my small victory dance in my head but stay modest.
"Nyla, wow," she said, trying to fix her frail hair. "I never thought I see you here. What are you doing here?"
I pointed at the name tag that said "Dr. Jones"
"What, no husband?" She said this with a chuckle.
I lifted my clipboard to reveal the diamond ring on my finger.
I studied her. She could only be twenty nine years old and yet she could pass for fifty. Her hair had strays of gray hair and it didn't looked washed. She had dark bags under her eyes and I noticed wrinkles around her lips and eyes.
For once, I actually looked better than Mindy Kay.
"You've been hanging out places that consists of alcohol and cigarettes?"
She looked at me in surprise. "Let's focus on my daughter."
Her daughter was thirteen years old. The things that happened when you leave.
"Okay Suzy-"
"Suzanne" she corrected. Wow the same venomous attitude like her mother. She looked like Mindy, well what Mindy used to look like.
"Okay, Suzanne. Take off your shoes so I can weigh you."
She did as I said and from the corner of my eyes as I weighed Suzanne, I saw Mindy watching me in amazement.
"Okay Suzanne. Looks like you're going to have to work on your diet. Your weight is a few pounds under the average weight for a girl your age."
Suzanne scoffed.
"Well go to Room 4 and a nurse will be with you." She took her shoes and went to Room 4.
"I thought...junior year...."
I looked back at Mindy. "What?"
"I just thought that..."
I smiled. "You thought I was going to fail?"
She looked away in shame.
"Well who's the dumb one, now."
I said this in my heart, trying to hide my smile but I knew she saw the words in my eyes, on my name tag, around my lab jacket, and shining off my ring.
And she said I couldn't do it.
