You and I

             The bell rang and it was time to get to freshman first period. Surprisingly, I was really excited for this year. When I got there, everyone had a sticky note with their name on a small desk. I found a sticky note with the name Hazel on it. I got all of my new school supplies out. I went to Target last night to get my new pencils and pens. My stomach growled and I began to realize that I didn’t have breakfast this morning. I took out my new lunchbox to see if I could grab a quick snack before the bell rang. I unzipped the pink zipper and took a peek inside. I had IKEA meatballs from the night before in my container. On top of it was a big back-to-school sticky note from my mom. I went to grab the strawberries that I picked the night before from our garden. 

Suddenly the teacher came up to me and said “Your Hazel Grace right?”. 

“That’s me, hi,” I said taking the bag out of my lunch. “ Well Ms. Grace, unfortunately, food is not allowed in my classroom,” he said glaring at my strawberries. “Oh. Ok, I will put them away. Sorry for the disruption”  is what I should have said but instead, I asked, “Why?” Big mistake. 

Before I knew it he kicked me out of his class and told me to go to the principal’s office where I would be getting a call home. I walked down a long hallway until I came across a big red door with a black plaque on the front. It said PRINCIPLE in bold white letters. I knocked on the door when I heard a shy voice and a loud adult male. I knew the principal, John. He wasn’t a mean guy and would never raise his voice. I decided to wait on the blue chair outside the office until he was done so I wouldn’t get in more trouble than I was already in. 

Inside there was a tall and thin blond. Principal John addressed her as Maggie. Maggie was wearing a tight black tank top and hot pink shorts. I assume she was in there for the dress code. Our school has a strict dress code with shorts longer than 2.5” Lululemon shorts. When Mr. John saw me he frowned. “I didn’t expect to see you here on the first day of school Hazel,” he said with a smirk on his face. “It’s not my fault. My mean teacher wouldn’t let me eat dang strawberries.” I said sourly. “ Is that what happened?” he asked curiously. “Yes,” I said stiffly. “Well then, I suppose you’re excused. But since you’re here, I would like you to meet Maggie. ” He introduced me. 

“Hi, I’m Hazel. Nice to meet you.” I said I was trying to be friendly even though I was still annoyed. And by the look on her face could tell she knew. “Hey,” Maggie said stiffly. “What type of trouble did you cause?” I asked playfully. “Oh just a personal matter,” she said closed off. I didn’t want to push any further because obviously, I had already gotten too far. I was about to go back to class and headed for the door still thinking about how awkward that encounter had been. 

I was roaming the hallways the next day and saw Maggie again. “Hey Maggie,” I said looking at the ground. She turned back around and replied, “Hi Hazel.” Turns out, on the second day, we had two classes together. Math and Science. In our science class, of course, we got partnered to do a lab together. The lab was anything that we desired but it had to have a chemical reaction. Now, I don’t know about Maggie but I excelled in science and was really excited to do this project. 

“So, do you wanna work at my place after school? I was thinking about doing elephant toothpaste.” I said endearing. “Yeah, I guess that works.” She said frowning. “ Ok great. How about right after school? We can walk back together. Meet me in the girl’s bathroom when the bell rings.” I was excited. I’ve never really had a friend come over after school. This way, my overprotective mom can finally see that I have friends. 

Without saying a word for the rest of the class, she did end up going to our meeting spot at the end of the day. The walk home was silent but for some reason I was scared. I wanted Maggie to like me and my mom. I’m a huge people pleaser and want to get along with everyone. I gave her a quick tour of my house before I got my supplies. A beaker, toothpaste, and baking soda. “Are you sure we should be doing this in your room?” She said looking around. “Good point. We can go into my backyard and enjoy a popsicle in the shade.” I said as I gathered the supplies on a tray. We probably worked for hours on end. By the time we were confident in our project, it was getting dark. We had big blue, red, and white paint all over the grass. My dad wasn’t gonna be happy when he got home to dead and stained grass. But it was all good because, for the first time, I had a friend. We had to present the next day and instead of being scared, I was excited. 

Mrs. Doman called us up and we were so ready. I had bought all the new supplies so we looked presentable. After the toothpaste erupted, we got an A + for creativity. I was beaming. Not only did I get a good score but I got a friend along the way.  The phone rang and it was for Maggie. I could tell Mrs. Doman was concerned by the expression on her face. “Maggie come see me in the hallway.” Mrs. Doman said, puzzled. “Bring your stuff please.” “Well, bye Hazel.” She said concerned.

I got home that night and called Maggie. No answer. I waited an hour and called again. This time straight to voicemail. What was going on? Is she OK? Was she mad at me? I didn’t sleep much that night but the next day I woke up early and got ready on my way to school, I stopped by her house like I did every morning. On her lawn was a big wooden sales sign that said SOLD in big bright red letters. 

Maggie was nowhere to be seen. The driveway had new cars and the door had a new reef. I wouldn’t be able to ever see my best friend again.