Childhood Friends Ch. 2

The Late 2000s

“I dunno, O,” Sarah said nervously. “I mean… I’m not really into boys like that, y’know? I mean, most of my friends are guys. But I don’t wanna date them.”

“It’s not like a real date!” her friend O tried to explain. “It’s just kinda lame to go to the dance single, y’know? Also…”

“Yeah?” Sarah asked.

O sighed. “I heard Zach saying you were a lesbo.”

“What? That little asshole!” Sarah said. “I hate all the girls around here. They’re all so, like, vain and shallow and obsessed with Twilight. Boys are just so much less drama.”

“Look, I’m just saying this might help both our reputations,” O said. “I mean, he also called me gay.”

“He’s such a lame prep,” Sarah said. “I think it’s cool that you have black nails and eyeliner. You look better than Zach does, for sure.”

“Thanks,” O muttered, scuffing at the ground with the toe of one shoe. “I think your hair looks cool. It’s like people I see on Tumblr.”

“Wish my mom agreed!” Sarah said. “She was like so mad when I came home. Said I looked like a boy. She, like, made me wear a wig during Thanksgiving when my grandparents were visiting and during my piano recital.”

“God, that blows,” O said. “Parents are the worst. Mine definitely don’t get the emo aesthetic. My dad said I look like a girl.”

“I mean, if I was a lesbian, I’d rather date a girl more like you than any of the preps around here,” Sarah said. “You know, someone who’s cool. Someone who gets it.”

“Yeah, I can’t see myself with anyone around here either, but if I knew a girl who was cool like us I’d consider it.”

“I’m a girl who’s cool like us,” Sarah pointed out.

“Yeah, but you’re not, like, a girl girl, y’know? You’re more like one of the guys.”

“Aw. Thanks,” Sarah said. “Anyway, any chance your parents will let you go to the midnight premiere?”

“I wish!” O said. “The only time they’re okay with me staying up that late is on New Year’s. My dad always says I’ll stunt my growth if I don’t sleep enough. What if I don’t care about being tall, huh, dad? So materialistic of him.”

“Totally,” Sarah said, even though she wasn’t really sure what the word materialistic meant. She didn’t wanna sound dumb. “Maybe, uh… you could sneak out?”

“Heh. Maybe. Although if I get caught I’d be grounded, like, forever,” O said. “I’ll try to figure out a jailbreak route.”

“Let me know if you need any help with that,” Sarah said. “I could, like, try to catch you if you jump from the window.”

“Yeah, like you could pick me up,” O said. “Like, you are still a girl.”

“Fuck you!” Sarah said. “I bet I’m totally stronger than you are.”

“Arm wrestle?” O said. A moment later, the battle commenced.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” O loudly objected as he lost. “You went before I was ready. We should do it again.”

“Yeah right, dude. Don’t be a sore loser. It’s not my fault you have little girly arms.”

“Take that back!” O said.

“Never!” Sarah yelled. The two started wrestling to establish dominance over the old, shitty couch.

A moment later, footsteps sounded down the stairs to the basement rec room. “You kids okay?” O’s dad asked breathlessly. Sarah tried not to be grossed out by his hairy chest and beer belly sticking out above his boxers.

“We’re fine, dad,” O said, sitting up. “We were just messing around. Jeez.”

“That reminds me, we might need to have a little talk.”

“Dad!” O said. “We weren’t, like, doing anything sexual. That’s so gross you’d even think that. Ugh. I already know about stuff anyway. We have health class and everything.”

“Well, just try and keep it down, alright?” O’s dad said. “I’m trying to watch the game.”

“Well, he ruined that,” O said as soon as his dad had left. “Uh, you wanna play something?”

“Yeah! Halo!” Sarah said excitedly.

“You always say that,” O said. “I wanna play the Sims.”

“Why did you even ask me, then?” Sarah retorted, annoyed.

“Look, I just don’t feel like shooting shit right now,” O said, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’ll let you make all the Sims.”

“Ooh, I wanna make Edward and then kill him. You have the vampire expansion, right?”

“Nice! Yeah, I think I have that one. We should make and kill Justin Bieber too.”

“God, yeah, I have no idea why all the girls at school like him. If anyone looks like a lesbian it’s him.”

“Yeah,” O agreed. “I really don’t understand girls.”