“I guess I did overreact a bit. But I was just so frustrated. It hurts even more because she used to be my best friend, I never honestly thought she could be so indifferent. If I ever thought things would come to this I would have never hung out with her in the first place.” My words came slower as I slowed to a halt, leaning against the door of my car.

“She is just a really selfish person.” Megan spoke up, fingers drumming against the black exterior. “We should get back, the bell is going to ring and we’ll be late.” She suggested, able to tell I was now calm enough to return.

“Yeah, I guess your right.” I agreed, grateful she’d been here to let me talk it out. It felt so good to voice my thoughts and have someone around to agree with me. We made our way back towards the place under the stairs where we sat and ate lunch, only for the sole purpose of retrieving my back pack. I hoped and prayed Madison wouldn’t still be there, I wasn’t sure I could take another argument.

For once my prayers were answered as I arrived beneath the shade and slung my bag over my shoulder. I heard Megan inquire about the whereabouts of Madison and was relieved to hear she had left to go to the restroom.

“You alright?” One girl inquired of me sympathetically, earning a weak smile from me as I heaved a sigh.

“Better.” I replied, shifting the weight of the bag to my other shoulder.

“You were totally right by the way. She was out of line.” A girl by the name of Sarah piped up, much to my surprise and pleasure, “I always hated how she said that.”

I smiled once more, looking down at my feet. I was a bit embarrassed everyone had been witness to my little rampage, which was amplified even more so by how I was being studied like a specimen by just about everyone within earshot of the argument. I imagined their surprise was probably spurred by the fact that I was always the person everyone got along with. Thankfully, the awkward silence that hung over everyone was broken by the shrill call of a bell, demanding our presence in class. The thought then occurred to me that Madison was in my next class, seated beside me. The arrangement had been a delight when it had first occurred at the beginning of the year, but now it seemed much more like a curse.

Megan, ever acute to my thoughts placed a comforting hand on my back, offering a smile, “Hey, your going to be fine.” She soothed, smiling as I gave an uncertain nod and we both made our way towards my next class. I wish she shared English 12 with me, but that was not the case. As we arrived outside the door we exchanged good byes before I slipped inside, avoiding eye contact with Madison as a slipped into my seat. If she didn’t want to behave like a friend, I had no intention of treating her like anything more than a stranger.

I could tell by the acute silence around us that word had quickly traveled about our little scene. God gossip moves quickly in high school. I imagine their suspicions were confirmed by the tension between us and the way I stared straight ahead at the board like I expected Jesus to appear at any moment. I knew Madison didn’t have the balls to talk to me in person, I assumed I would be receiving a text from her tonight with an apology and list of excuses for why she is like she is. But that wasn’t going to work this time. Now the damage that was done was irreparable, and nothing short of walking on water was going to gain her my trust back. And, knowing Madison like I did, I knew she wasn’t willing to go to such lengths.

The class felt abnormally long, each second dragging on at painfully slow rates. This was excruciating. A few people had bent towards me, enquiring if I was alright, hoping to pick up some kind of fact from me that they could relay back to their friends. I would just smile a fake smile and nod, occasionally uttering a “Fine. Thanks.” Soon the hint was taken and I was left alone, my thoughts going negative. By the time class had ended I was ready to lace into Madison again, although the idea of causing even more gossip was enough to hold me back.