"Russ!" I could hear Corine's voice calling from behind me. When I turned around, I saw her running toward me, her tangled, dark brown hair bouncing after her. I had no idea why she would want to talk to me, and I was already afraid of what she would say. After all, any time Corine has something to say, it's usually some form of gossip.
"Yeah?" my voice was rather weak due to my most recent bout of the flu.
"Lenni doesn't want to go out with you!" Corine replied, a smile standing boldly across her plump face, the corners of it reaching her chilled, rose toned cheeks.
"What?!" Why would Lenni even think of going out with me? She's been my friend forever! Her parents used to babysit for me, and mine would do the same for her! "Whoever said I wanted to go out with her?"
"You did!" Corine informed me as if she were telling the truth. I knew she was lying. I had never even suggested...
Suddenly, I thought of the conversation I had had with my friend Carla about three days back. She had asked me to imagine what it would be like if I went out with Lenni. It was a ridiculous conversation, but I had thought nothing of it. Had Corine somehow heard this?
"You told her I asked her out?!" I exclaimed, totally in rage. I was so angry that I was considering throwing her off the Empire State Building. How could she do this to me? "Corine!"
"Well, I, I," she stuttered as she tried to justify her actions, cover up yet another wrongdoing of hers. "I thought you wanted to date her!"
"I've known her since we were little!" I squeeked, (my voice usually does when I'm aggravated). "Why would I possibly want to..."
"Well she said no!"
"How could you do this to me?"
"I thought that..."
"Just get out of here," I whispered as I turned from her. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."
When I heard the crinkling of her jacket grow faint, I glanced back at her when she wasn't looking. She was still smiling, like she found great enjoyment in messing up my life. Why does she do this? Maybe if she were a bit nicer, people'd actually like her.
I noticed Lenni was watching me from inside her parents' car. When she saw me looking at her, she gave me a slight wave with a small, meaningless smile. I knew that she thought that I had a crush on her; that action had proved that she was trying not to hurt my feelings. It was too late for that. I was hurt! I mean, this incident meant that I had lost another really wonderful friend. We'd never again be as comfortable around one another as we once had.
I'm getting sick of this, sick of losing friends. I used to be so strong, but that was before I lost Kurt because he moved, and Jamal because he decided I wasn't good enough for him, and Brandy because of his brand new friend Patrick, and I had never gained Patrick as a friend, not one that I could trust.
It's hopeless! Why should I trust if everyone's just going to spite me? Look where trust got me thus far! I'm standing in the middle of a practically empty parking lot, alone...
By Kellyanne Lynch
early 1996
