The Legend of Mary Mayo--Part One

Leaves were bright orange, burnt red, and a gorgeous yellow on the campus of Michigan State University. Abby clutched her arms tighter around her body and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie. It was fall, finally, in Michigan. Gorgeous colors, hayrides, caramel apples, carving pumpkins were all a part of why this was her favorite season. The main reason, though, was that Halloween was in autumn. Costumes, Candy, Corn-mazes and Haunted Houses fill her mind this time of year. She walked into the Barista Café, the wind finally stopped blowing around her as she entered the building. Ordering a tall Vanilla Cappucino, she sat down in one of the big comphy leather chairs waiting for her friend. Courtney came running in five minutes later, obviously excited by something. Her short blonde hair had been mussed by the wind.
“What are you doing Thursday night?” She demanded, sitting down.
Abby set her drink down, “Absolutely nothing. Why, what’s up?”
“ Haunted House, Mayo hall, I’d love for you to go. I’m helping put iton with another mentor.” Courtney was smiling ear to ear. Abby agreed, as Courtney dove on, “Do you know the legend of Mary Mayo?” Abby had never heard of it, and urged Courtney to tell her, “Well,” Courtney started, “ it goes back long ago to when women were first admitted into MSU and only allowed to live in the Mayo dorm. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and she went down to the basement and hung herself in what now is known as the Red Room. Students have some odd experiences when they go to the "Red Room", it has been remodeled as a study lounge. The closet has formed into a storage closet over the years, but the clothes rod is still in there. One student was studying late at night (of course) before midterms, and she heard the rod vibrate against the walls (as if something had been tied to a rope then flung over it so the rod had to support the weight of the thrown object). She opened the door, and nothing was there, the closet had been cleaned out. The lights flickered and she heard a piano playing.
“ Two of my other RA friends went there and did it themselves. Adam was on duty that night, so he had the duty phone, too. They took a Ouiji board into the Red Room and lit a candle. The duty phone rang, and when the on-duty RA answered, no one was there. Thinking it was just a prank-call, the RA's decided to call the number back. Turns out, it was a number that didn't even exist. After that, the Ouji board went crazy, apparently, and they heard insane laughter when they started to conduct the Sayance. After the insane laughter, supposedly the face of Satan appeared to them dancing around.” She waited for a response.
“That’s just creepy.” Abby said, clutching her drink, “But I love it!”
“So you’ll go?”
“I already told you that!” Abby was excited, “ Better yet, you’re putting it on, aren’t you?” Courtney nodded, “Well then, we’re keeping the Red Room open later…and we’re having our own personal sayance.”

How is this possible?

It's never going to happen to me. That's what most people say when they talk about getting cancer. Well, actually that's the truth. It most likely won't happen to you. That's what I thought, too. I couldn't imagine having cancer, nor would my best friend of sixteen years have it. But, it's happening, and it's scary.

It started out just like any other worknight. Sitting down watching a performance and getting paid. The only unusual thing? My phone kept ringing like I was an operator. It was Colin three times, then Katie only once. When I got around to calling her back, my night would never go back. She told me when she went to her doctors appointment, he found a couple spots on her ovaries that were of concern. Concern as in what, I wanted to know. Concern as in cancerous. It was dead silent for what seemed like an eternity, however in reality it was only a couple of seconds. All I could think, "No." Then the tears started coming down. She couldn't. She was eighteen. Only a month away from being nineteen. What the hell? How is this happening? They're not for sure yet, and they need to talk it over again at another appointment, but no. Katie's vivacious, she's full of life. She has gotten over so much in her life, she's truly my hero. She's accomplished only half of what I wish I had, and gotten through some majorly hard times that no one should have to go through. So, why her?

I was complaining earlier that life wasn't fair, about how some people can slack off but succeed in life beyond anyone elses dreams. Then, this. Life truly isn't fair. An Eighteen year old girl should not have ovarian cancer, should not have to worry about chemo-therapy, and should not have to worry about whether she might live or die. She should be worrying about her new apartment next year with me, her best friend, getting into MSU, and definitely worrying about classes and getting football tickets. Not about that.

I can't cry, though. She wasn't crying, so I can't. I have to be strong. She needs my strength as much as her own now more than ever. She needs me to not cry and be there for her while she is. She needs me to be the rock that she's always been for me. And I will be. Without a doubt I will be. God wouldn't give us anything we can not handle, and if it is cancer we're going to give it hell and fight with all we've got because it doesn't realize it not only took on the rough and ready Katie, but also Me. Together we'll get through this. Without a doubt, we will get through this.

Rant & Raves

So, this time, I don't really have that interesting of a topic. I'm going to rant & rave, and if you don't like it, stop reading. Right here, right now. That's your warning-- abide to it.

my complaint list for September 26th, 2007:
-Cramps. You can go terrorize some boy from now on, because I don't think they understand how truly heinous they can be. apparently it is the equivilent to being kicked in the balls. Too bad whether boys believe it or not, it is. When I get these god-forsaken pulses that help remind me that I'm not pregnant and about to endure a pretty bad week, I am not able to walk. Not able to walk, and the feeling that I'm about to throw up every twenty-four seconds. Luckily, they usually only last a day...however, it is the worst day of the month I have. Boys, you don't get kicked in your netherregions once a month, let alone for a week straight. Stop saying that cramps are nothing compared to what you experience-- you have no idea and neither do we. I just have one question for you. Would you like to be introduced to child birth instead?

-Professor Jing. What's worse than an asian man speaking very bad broken english with a horrid combover? Having to sit throug his lecture for an hour & 50 minutes. What's even worse than that? Having cramps while doing it. He makes up his own dates for the sculputures, and doesn't even know their correct name. The book says one thing, Anning Jing says another. Just because you have an extensive interest in Buddhist art does NOT mean that I do, nor anyone else in this class. This is not what we signed up for, this is not what we want to learn about. This is not what you should be teaching.

-The Internet in Wonders Hall. What is up with the internet working five feet away from me at Heather's desk (her computer), but not on mine?! My wireless is hooked up, and so is my ethernet cord. I don't get it. My wireless works in my classes. I've turned my computer on & off multiple times in hopes that it will work. Does it recognize the networks? yes. Will it connect to the internet? Absolutely not. Eff you, MSU internet!! You're retarded.

-General Motors. This one, I'm actually going to commend GM. Way to reach an agreement only two days after the strike was called. Thank you for putting my father and 72,999 other people back to work. Now, let's go Legislature. Let's figure that budget out.

That's about it right now, I do believe. Didn't like it? Too bad. Stop reading. These aren't your complaints, they're mine. Deal with it! I'm a girl who's about to embark on the worst month in the world, on a horrible day where all my emotions are like the Millenium Force rollercoaster, and I can start crying at the drop of a hat. I can become defensive within 2.2 second and bite your head off within 1.5. Don't upset me, and be careful, you're on thin ice. Have a great rest of the day :)

I need to start reading the newspaper.

So here's the dealio. GM workers are working twelve hour days while the UAW and GM are having negotiations regarding their contract. The old contract expired September first, and there isn't a new one yet. GM employees are working without a contract trying to avoid a strike. Is a strike inevitable? Most likely. That's problem number one.

Problem number two? Michigan may not have a budget soon. If the legislators keep leaving the capitol with nothing settled by the deadline (which is dangerously close and it doesn't sound like they will), all state workers will be out of work until they reach a new budget agreement. The reason they will be out of a job, is because the state won't have money to pay them...and who want's to work for free? The state will have no money what-so-ever. The legislature needs to raise taxes in order for the government to get out of debt, but the legislature doesn't want to do that, either.

Problem number three: My mom is a research assistant for hte legislature. My dad is an electrician for GM. Now, if GM goes on strike, my dad doesn't get paid. He gets to stand out on a picket line( with me right beside him if I don't have class), get free donuts, and then come home. Not a big deal-- my family can live off one paycheck, we've done it before. However, if the legislature doesn't reach an agreement before the deadline, and both my parent's are out of work? That could be a problem. My family will be scrimping off the edges, and I'll be the only one working. Thank God my schooling is paid for already, so I can stay and continue studying...but, when I do get a paycheck, it would go to help my family out. I remember scrimping in 8th grade, and although we can do it, it wasn't pleasant. No extra things like movies, going out to dinner, and we only got the bare minimum when we went shopping. Jay was so young he doesn't remember that-- Jack kind of does, but I really do. I don't want my brother's to have to know what scrimping really is. I don't even really know what it is, but if it comes down to Michigan not having a budget and GM being on strike, they'll know scrimping like I never knew.

All I know right now, is, that GM and the Union need to come to agreements on a new contract, and the Legislature needs to come to agreement on a new budget...SOON.

Plus, if my dad gets hurt on the job and he doesn't have a contract saying he gets health insurance from it--not only will he be pissed, but so will I. That contract really helped us out when he fell off the 40 foot ladder and broke his foot.

Asoka Towers, Stupas, next comes Buddha.

Let's start this entry off with a question. Don't worry, it's easy. all multiple choice.

Sweats, baggy t-shirt, and a huge coffee shop mug filled with hot chocolate. What does that sound like to you?
A.) me procrastinating work
B.) Me in the mood to write
C.) Me taking a break from studying
D.) me being pissed off
E.) all of the above.

See, I told you it was easy. Go with your intuition, if you're still having a little bit of a hard time. If you've choosen E, all of the above, you are entirely correct. Let's start at the beginning. I mean, it only seems logical. Or, we can skip around in order like my Art History professor. You know what? Indeed let's do just that. I am taking a break from studying (C). I've had enough of Psychology, Spanish, History, and stupid Buddhist art. Therefore, I wanted/needed a break. Am I procrastinating the rest of my work(A), as well? Yes. Anne Orthwoods Bastard just does not seem appealing to read right now...however, the reading is due on Tuesday, followed by a quiz...and I still have 150 pages to read. I am, also, in the mood to write(B). I haven't done it in a while, and even though I don't really have a topic, random thoughts will come out. Plus, I'm dressed the part. I can't just have a huge mug of hot chocolate, be wearing grungy clothes and not write. It's not in my networking. Yes, I did just refer to my genetic makeup as networking. I've been hanging around geeks and dating a geek for way too long. How about answer D, being pissed off? This is where the real fun begins, readers. Oh, read on and enjoy.

My Art History class. In the course schedule, this class is described as learning about world art, the history of world art. So, in my naive mind, I'm thinking the Mona Lisa, maybe some statues from the Roman Empire...no. We're learnign about Buddhist art. No problem-- except the prof. is an Asian man, who has a bad combover and speaks in very bad bbroken english.

You know what? I've lost all desire to even write about this. It's bed-time.

Spartans--what is your profession??

For as much as Jenn and I don't speak, and don't keep in contact, I will always owe her for a statement she made to me my Freshman year of college. It was fall of 2006, and I was having a very rough time at MSU. A bad roomate, horrible classes, not many good friends, not many friends at all, actually, and bad cases of home-sickness played into me wanting to transfer schools. This was the topic of our phone convorsation one day. Transferring to Central and hanging out with all of hte amazing people I had met up there. Then, she said something that gave me the courage to stay at Michigan State University.

"State is your dream, babe. You can transfer up here to Central with me if you want, which I would love, but Michigan State is your dream school."

Was I really going to give up on what I had wanted since I was a little girl? After I had worked so hard to get into this school, pulled everything together last semester so I could stay here, was I really going to give up my reward for all my hard work? No, I wasn't. She was right. MSU was my dream, and I'm so stoked to be here today.

Now walking down Wilson Rd. on my way to the most boring class in the world, I stopped in the BioMed building for a Spartys mocha capp. I smile because I'm making this year so much better than last year. Good friends, good classes, parties and football games, this year has already trumped last year by far.

So, even though we don't talk anymore, and our lives are going seperate ways (like most people's do after high school), I just want her to know she gave me the strength to carry on at MSU. I'm having the time of my life, and I will forever remember her quote. I'm not saying she's soley responsible for me staying here, my parent's, boyfriend, and new friends I made were a deciding factor, too, but the quote helped a lot. So, I will forever be thankful to her for that. Thank you, Jennifer, I will be forever grateful. If it were not for that quote, reminding me of my dream, I wouldn't be having the time of my life today. Besides, after 300, who wants to be anything BUT a Spartan??

I'm freaking Dr. Phil

him: she doesnt talk about anything important.

him: and thats what a relationship is for me.

him: someone to talk to, about anything and everything, but more so if its something thats important to either of us.

him: and nothing is ever important to her, and therefore nothing important to me is ever really that important.

him: so we just sort of talk about the weather.

me: which sucks.

me: because really, what you're looking for in a relationship is a best friend.

me: and best friends know basically everything about each other.

me: they're the one you run to when you need help,

me: when you need someone to be there for you,

me: when serious things occur, when you need advice.

me: but they're also there just to go shopping, or to watch a movie, goof around with.

me: ultimately, you're looking for them to be the person who knows you the best. the one who when you say you don't want to talk to anyone, knows when you need to talk, and when to back off.


Wow, between my Ben & Jerry's quote earlier (Ben and Jerry are my two favorite boys. They're perfect to hang out with on a laid-back Saturday night, always willing to hang out with your girls, and they're always there to pick you up when you've fallen from a heartbreak.)

Finally Got over that song of ours...

Finally got over that song of ours; stopped chasin' little red sports cars,
To check the license plates and I quit drivin' by your place.
Back makin' the rounds at our old haunts: Honky Tonks, restaurants.
And seein' some of our old friends: it feels good to dance again.
And I can finally smell your perfume and not look around the room for you.
And I can walk right by your picture in a frame and not feel a thing.

But when I hear your name,
I feel rain fallin' right out of the blue sky.
And it's the fifth of May, and I'm right there starin' in your eyes.
And nothin's changed, and we're still same.
And I get lost in the innocence of a first kiss,
And I'm hangin' on to every word rollin' off of your lips:
And that's all it takes, and I'm in that place,
Every time I hear your name.


~Keith Anderson knows exactly how to describe my feelings right now. Everytime I hear your name...the first verse and the chorus explain it all. I'm moving on with my life, and I can't wait for the next first kiss. There's a whole new firsts I'm ready for- and I can't wait. Listening to that song tonight made me realize, I can listen to You Save Me, I'm dealing with everyone who asks if I'm still dating you, and it doesn't hurt and I don't hesitate to say no anymore. I look back on the times we had, and realize that you helped me to be the person I am today, and not only that, you helped me make one of the best friendships I have now. I look at pictures, and smile. I talk about you with no tinge of sadness at all. I know I've thanked you before, but I'm doing it again. I remember all the times we had (the good and the bad), and realize I wouldn't trade them for the world. And I can't wait to screen all of your new girlfriends, tell you how you can do so much better but if you like them, then go for it. And I can only hope that you'll be completely honest with all of my upcoming boyfriends, too. Not going to lie, I'll always have a twinge of jealousy that those girls are with you, even though I don't want you, it's the whole I can have someone new but you can't. I'll deal with it, though, just like you'll have to. So, adios, and I can't wait for all of my firsts that are upcoming. And, I especially can't wait for the next summer fling. Because those, are the best.

And in the mix of things, the Spray Butter was lost

"We didn't ever lose each other, we just got separated from the herd and it took the shepard a while to find us."

The above statement, is completely true. It's amazing how you can not talk to a person for two or three months, think about them all the time, wonder about them, not take the pictures down of them, know you might see them, be cordial, but nothing really more, and then have a connection with them you haven't had in a long time.

It was just a simple job. Take her boyfriend up to 7/11 to get some spray butter. He walks out, is yelling in the phone, and slams my new car door. What's wrong? His girlfriend (my long-time best friend) is at her ex-boyfriends house. Now, this isn't just any ex-boyfriend...It's her first love. One she never wanted to see again. This, is a big deal. Shaking my head, I just knew what I had to do. Without question I drove back to the house we were at. He ran inside, grabbed any guy who would go, and told me to stay. Yea, right. I told him I was driving.

Let's take a step back here. Even though I hadn't talked to this girl, I knew what she needed. A.) not to be there, B.) for her boyfriend not to be yelling at her because of it, C.) someone to yell at the people she was with for letting her go there, and D.) Me to get her out of there okay and alive. Yes, that's a little bit cockey of myself...but no one else was right for the job.

She knew something was up when she saw me walk through the door. I motioned for her to come to me, and she did. No questions asked. There wasn't even a look in her eye. I whispered to her "go talk to him". They did. Fifteen minutes and almost one fight later (Yes, I was going to hit a girl. Don't put it past me- she was the one who made short stuff go), they came back. I could tell she wasn't okay even when I asked her. So, a big hug was in order. I could feel her trembling, so I took her outside. Like I said, I know this girl, and she knows me.

We talked for a while, until we were both freezing cold. Turns out, she didn't want to be there. She was uncomfortable, but she was the DD. I told her it didn't matter. If she wanted to leave, then it was time to leave. I told her she needed to learn the rules of being the DD :). I gave her the old spiel I usually give her, and then we went back inside. We rounded up the guys and left.

Her boyfriend was smoking outside, and she started yelling at him. I grabbed her arm and made it clear she had no right to say anything at that moment in time. The thing with this girl is, we could not talk for months, and if one of us was in trouble, or somewhere where she needed rescuing, the other would be there in a heartbeat. And not only that, we could still be frankly honest and yell at the other one if they were being ignorant and wrong, and the other wouldn't take offense to it. She was in no position to say anything to him, and he was in no position to say anything to her, either. I was the ref. Yep, black & white stripes all the way- a yellow card was being held up. We held hands the whole way home, and I even drove her car back to the party with our friends for her.

She and I talked in the car, just covering the basics of the last few months. She had checked up on me, as I did her. However, instead of doing it the old-fashioned way, she just did the smart thing. She read. What did she read? The very thing you're reading now. to tell you the truth, I wouldn't have even thought of it. and that's why I told her she was the smarter one out of the two of us.

The party was broken up by parent's about a half hour after we got back, so we headed over to my house (she had had another opportunity to speak to her boyfriend, and things were getting better between the two of them). We hot-tubbed it for about ten minutes before we got a call saying to go to another house. She went, I stayed. She needed to, I didn't. I got a call five minutes after she left my house. She said, "You want to hear my philosophy?" of course I was intruiged, "We didn't lose each other, we just got separated from the herd and it took the shepard a little while to find us".

"We'll never lose each other." was my response. And now, here I am, writing this, waiting for her to return. Even if she didn't (which I know she will, her blanket & pillow is still here), I'd be okay with it. Because what needed to be done was done tonight.

It's not the same, and it won't be for a while, but we're working on it. It will be, eventually, and I can't wait for that day to come. Whether it be this summer,tomorrow, sometime next year, or even in three years. It'll be a great day. And, I have a feeling, I won't even recognize the day. I'll look back three years after it happens, and laugh about how dumb I was, because I've finally realized we were back to normal...which, for us, really isn't normal at all.

Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget....G. Randolf.

No one knows how badly I need to talk right now. I want to cry so bad, but I'm not letting myself. I thought writing was a good idea, because I couldn't get these thoughts out of my head...but now, I don't know what to put.

For one, thank you for calling me up and venting to me. I wouldn't expect anything less...but now, I can't fall asleep, and I need to vent. So, when I need to vent...you need to sleep. I woke up for you, and even though you told me to go back to sleep, I stayed on the line because I knew you had to vent. I knew something was wrong. Yes, I understand you're only going to get two hours of sleep before you go to school tomorrow, and yes, I understand that there are probably so many things running through your mind right now it's hard for you to reach that state, as well. Once I realized that you were almost asleep, I was going to let you go. There was no need what-so-ever to say, "no, I'm going to sleep". I would never, NEVER say that to you if you needed to talk. That pissed me off. Maybe I'm too good a friend, then. And I wasn't going to tell you, anyways, because a.) you didn't need me stressing you out more, and b.) you needed sleep. You didn't need it, but,now,I need you.

I've undergone so many things this year. I've dealt with so many different things emotionally, I'm wondering right now how I'm carrying on. I know it's all a part of life, but right now I'm sick of life. Right now, I want last summer back. I want my friends who knew everything about me- and don't get me wrong, I love my new friends, honestly they are the best. So, hearts go out to Elissa, Alyssa and Mel. But, since the beginning of the school year, I've changed. I'm not the same person emotionally anymore, and you know that. You helped me become who I am today. You saw me through a horrible first semester, losing two of my best friends, finally getting out there and making new friends, and a horrible event that occured less than two weeks ago. Now, even though you'll probably get very angry when you read this, you need to know. It's exactly how I'm feeling, exactly what you need to know because I don't have the guts to tell you right now.

Don't trade me in. I know you think this is retarded, and you're angry with me for thinking this...but I've already lost two of my best friends in the whole entire world because of you. You started pointing out flaws right and left, you made me realize that they weren't the people I wanted to be hanging out with...but basically, I grew up and really forgot about everyone back home. Who do I have left now that I'm really close to? You. I'm just scared with all the partying you do now, and everything, that you're going to trade me in for someone new. You're going to find someone else and get closer to them. Why am I even worried about this? Because when I'm home, when I was so pissed off at you, but I was trying to deal with it, you were going to go over there. You were going to go party and have fun...when not even a month ago, you would have still come and been with me even when I had said I was fine. The point being, I know you didn't ditch me for them...but you were going to. And that hurts.

I'm not upset that you have other friends- if I was, there'd be something wrong and I would tell you not to be my friend. I know it may seem like that's the case, but I'm not. You're under so much stress right now, and I am, too. I'm just so scared (and I have been for a while) that you're going to start hanging out with these guys so much that you're going to forget about me. And where does that leave me? Alone...completely. And I can't deal with that.

Now I'm up, at 4:00 am, writing this. Anyone in their right mind would be asleep, but I can't. I need to talk, you need to know this. I've already called you twice...but I know you can't deal with this, and that's why I'm not telling you. I don't know what this is going to accomplish (sending you this) it'll probably make you as pissed off as ever, and I know you don't need that, either. So don't be mad at me, because last night you wanted to know. I'm not bringing it up again, unless you do. Don't get mad at me, it's just something you needed to know. Honestly, I'm too worried about you most of the time to worry about me. And I know you're going to yell at me for that, too, but...until now you weren't worrying enough about it. So at least one of us was. So thank you for ruining my excellent night. It was honestly great up until around quarter after 3. And now, I'm the one who won't get any sleep tonight.

What'll happen in the morning?

She was so excited. Work had just ended, and it was time for her and her friends to go out. She changed her outfit three times. Once, because she thought it was a casual night out…then she realized everyone else wasn’t in jeans and a t-shirt. So, then came the halter top with a jean jacket, jeans and boots. When her friend showed up in a black halter with a see-through back and jeans, she knew once again she’d have to change. So, off came the halter and jean-jacket and on came the never-been-worn sparkly red halter made especially for clubbing. With the three of the girls (one a dazzling blonde with a princess crown…it was her birthday weekend, damn it… the other two brilliant brunettes who were looking for a ton of fun)and the blonde’s friend (Colin) going over to the residence hall called Bailey, to use their friends for some alcohol.
The girls arrived shortly around 10:30. Dave #2 came up to see the blonde, because well, they’re the best of friends. Green Apple Bacardi was the drink of the hour, and Coke was the chaser. She didn’t have much…if it wasn’t beer, jack, margaritas, pina coladas or smirnoffs, it was gross. The music was up, the dancing was on. She wasn’t being seductive…she wasn’t looking for anything. She just wanted a night out with the girls. That’s all she ever wanted, lately. Guys were too complicated. She had lost friends over them, and they weren’t even worth it. That’s besides the point, though. Brendan and Dave(#1) wanted to go out and meet some ‘honey’s’ as they put it. She just laughed and made fun of them. For one, the other brunette had a massive crush on Dave…as he did on her. They all decided to leave and go to the house party on Milford. Needless to say, it was lame. Girls were free, and there were 3 kegs. However…there were no cups left, and no keg stands allowed.
The brunettes, Dave and Brendan left around midnight to go back to the dorm. The girls stopped at Taco Bell just to go to the restroom. And, who should call as she was washing her hands, but one of her favorite people in the world. The one who always could cheer her up, talk to her for no reason, the one who would always be there for her. They fought. Over what? She couldn’t tell you. She just knew that they did. Her happy-go-lucky mood was ruined. Well, only for a second. Brendan knew exactly what to do to make her happy. Give her a hug, tell her she shouldn’t worry about him, and to go have a good rest of the night with them. She agreed (only after a couple more phone calls to him).
She went to Rather, first. Hanging out with Darius, Jermel, Darius’s friend, Chantel, and the other brunette was the highlight of her night. Hookah fun, as they called it. Then, the other brunette decided to go to Mark’s room. Bad idea. She was yelling, he was being calm, and she was the referee. She didn’t want to be in the middle of it, and Mark didn’t need it. However, it was happening. She kept apologizing over and over and over to Mark, hoping he would know what had happened in the events of that night. Interesting information was found out. Martin, Dave and Brendan’s friend, had raped a girl. And the stunning blonde they were with, he was looking to be next. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. The other brunette bugged out and went over to Bailey, where Brendan and Dave were. She followed in suite. She played beer pong. Brendan grabbed her waist and pulled her close. She dodged to the side out of his grasp and threw the ball. It splashed into the cup, spilling it. Paper towel? Of course a guy doesn’t have that in his room. The other brunette went to go look for some. Dave followed. She sat on the couch, watching the basketball game that was on. He sat next to her. No big deal…so she thought. They were talking. He scooted closer. He asked for a hug. Of course! She needed one. She was upset with her best friend. Except, the hug went further than that. It turned into Brendan kissing her neck. She tried letting go of the hug, but he latched on like a leech. She scooted away onto the couch, which didn’t work out too well. She slunk down underneath him, the whole time saying, “Brendan, stop. Brendan, STOP!”. He didn’t stop though. It wasn’t long before his whole weight was basically on top of her. She was freaking out. What was she thinking? It wasn't clear…all she could remember was, ‘I want him here. This can’t be happening to me. It’s NOT going to happen to me.’. She got her arms free, and pushed him hard. Then, when she had enough lee-way, she punched him. A hard right hook into his chin. His hands went to his face, her feet went to the floor. She had never run out of a room so fast in her life. She had never run to her room so fast in her life. She was holding back tears. She wasn’t going to cry. She was stronger than that. She needed to talk to him. She didn’t dare stop though until she was at the dorm.
She went to Jermel’s room, just to hang out. She needed to be around people she trusted. Well…she thought she trusted Brendan(didn’t quite work out though, huh?). He knew something was up, as did Gary, Manny, Darius, his friend, the other brunette(she showed up five minutes later), and Charles. The hookah was in full-swing, but she left. Gary asked what was wrong in the hall, but she wouldn’t answer. She just said she was tired and needed sleep. He said okay, and left it at that.
Once she got into her room, she locked the door. She collapsed on the futon, tears welling up in her eyes. No. She would not cry. She would not. She wanted nothing more than for her best friend to be holding her and telling her that everything was okay, that nothing happened, and to calm her down. So, she called him. Then, she wouldn’t talk…she knew if she did, tears would fall. She wanted to tell him, and she didn’t. She didn’t want him to know how stupid she had been, how irresponsible. The tears fell, she was choking on them. She was drowning in her own idiotic mistake. She told him she shouldn’t have been in that situation, he would be outrageously upset with her for even being in that situation. She kept telling him that, and after he swore he wouldn’t be mad at her, she told him. The tears fell harder, and he said he was proud of her. She couldn’t believe it. He was proud of her? No ridicule? No lecture? She needed sleep. She could feel herself falling. She didn’t want to let him go. She wasn’t okay. The call was lost, he was gone.
He called back two seconds later, saying his battery was dying and he couldn’t talk long. She wanted him there now. He suggested the midnight bus. That didn’t help, seeing as how it was past midnight. He told her to catch the next bus home, he would pay her back when she got there. He told her to write. Write everything down, get it out of her head.It’s what she did best (she said it wasn’t). This is the result. Tears still falling, sleep still hanging over her head like an infant clinging to his mother. Sparty bear in her lap, and a blanket around her shoulders. The story is out, it’s time for bed. But what’ll happen in the morning?

One Person

There will always be at least one person in your life whom you will never forget. One person who knew the most about you, maybe cared the most about you. The person who you could spend a whole weekend together with and not get tired of. The person who you'll let go make out with their boyfriend in the other room just because you're her best friend. Like I said before- there's a line where best friend crosses into something else. And this girl is truly my sister.
We have not had a big fight except for almost a year ago- and even then, it was solved within a day or two. This girl is amazing, and I adore her. She let me learn all my mistakes by myself, and when I came crying to her about them, she didn't say 'I told you so'. She held me and helped me, and I do the same for her. We let each other learn our own mistakes, and we comfort each other when we realize we've done something ridiculous.
Katie has been through so much in her lifetime, more than I could imagine, but I've been standing right by her through all of it. Not only have I stood by her, she's stood by me and we will continue to do so in our years. It doesn't matter that I don't see her every week like I used to, we're still best friends. She's the one who I can call when I have a bad day, and if she gets in a fight I'm the one who will back her up.
I thought I knew what the meaning of 'best friends' and 'sisters' was...but then I realized I didn't at all. The only true 'sister' I have is Katie. It took some recent events for me to figure that out, but she is the only one who, whether she agrees or disagrees with what my actions are, she'll tell me her opinion and then be done with it. She'll let me do what I want to do, what makes me happy.
I will not forget this girl in my whole life (and not just because she's going to be there the rest of my life, either). The past 15 years have meant something big to me, and I know they've meant something to her, too. It's amazing how two scared 3 year olds going into dance class can have 15 years to figure things out about each other, form a bond that can never be broken, and become the best of friends there ever will be. No one can understand how close we are, and I think it's confusing to a lot of people. But she's my Katie and I'm her Kris, and it's how we roll.
I love you Katie, forever and for always!!

Topsy Turvy

Just when you have everything figured out, one thing in the equation is displaced and the whole universe becomes topsy-turvy once again. No one even gets three seconds worth of rest.

Being 'just friends' is changed by one kiss. Not started by you, of course. But, after four hours of driving, falling asleep on each other's shoulders, a kiss happens, and one of the best nights is brought about because of it. The night includes swimming, long talks about life, a sauna, showering (individually, duh), music, and dancing. Falling asleep around 3 AM, the night was perfect. It was fun. It was how life is supposed to be. It was blissful, absolutely perfect.

One note can change everything, too. Just venting, so you don't have to tell people, and you don't end up yelling at them, you write a note that you don't expect anyone to read. Did you put anything too offensive in it? Nope. It's how you felt, and what you would have said if you called those people up. So, the universe, once again, is at the odds against you. Nothing new, just means this time you're fixing it all by yourself. And the one person you need to complain to, for them to be your rock, you can't talk to them. So then you turn to the other person who'd listen- but she's busy dealing with her own problems, and they're pretty huge...so you don't want to concern her. Why don't you want to tell anyone else? Because those are the two people who will listen and not give you advice. Because that's all you want. someone to listen to you. You're doing what you're doing, and no one's going to stop you. You've made your decision, you're sick of listening to and taking other people's advice.

Yep. Once again, you're all alone dealing with it. But you'll make it. You always do.

He probably knew you were faking it...

After a couple of bad dates, a girl has to ask herself, 'why me?'. I went into this date like I did any other, I took a shower, put on a cute outfit, applied the makeup, and waited for about 45 minutes before he arrived to my house. I went through every phase during that 45 minute waiting period. I was excited, nervous, absolutely dreading it, scared and anxious. going on a date with my best friends cousin? It was weird- to say the most, if not the least.

He picked me up at 6:15. I rushed out of the house as fast as I could with him, grabbing my coat from my car as I went. I had no idea what to talk about with him, knowing that I didn't want anything to happen right off hand. In fact, I didn't want anything to happen really at all. I knew I wasn't ready for that, and he was too nice of a guy for him to be my rebound. Getting out of a ten-month serious relationship, then actually dating that person for three more months, just ending it all less than a week ago, I wasn't ready for anything serious. I was just testing the waters, wondering where I still stood with the whole flirting ordeal.

After trying two restaraunts and having to wait for an absurd amount of time for a Saturday night, we decided on going to a little restaraunt that was in front of my old dance studio. It was good food, and there was no way it was going to be busy. We got right in there and sat at my designated table.

After fifteen minutes of engaging convorsation, our salads came. Yes, I ordered an anipasto salad, and he got a Honeymustard Walnut salad. Okay, first of all- I appreciate that you eat salad, that's good for you and everything- but...I don't think I could date a guy that eats a salad that is obviously labeled 'chick food'. Maybe I'm being absolutely stupid, maybe not. But, a SALAD? You're a guy! Anyways, the convorsation did not brighten my mood any. Turns out, he doesn't like the movie The Holiday. Doesn't matter who you are, that's a freaking good movie. There's a character for everyone, seriously! After a while, we kind of ran out of things to talk about, so we made small talk. I never thought I could meet a guy who talked more than I do, but I obviously proved myself wrong. By the time I finished my third glass of water, our salads were basically gone, and the check had been laying waiting to be paid for around fifteen minutes, he finally asked if I wanted to leave to go sledding. We had decided earlier that we weren't going to go to a movie, because there weren't that many good ones playing. So, sledding it was.

The drive home wasn't too entertaining. In all honesty, I couldn't tell you what we talked about during dinner or the drive. I was yawning too much, and my bed just sounded way too nice. So, regretfully, I asked him if it would be okay if I split early. I just wanted my bed and a nap. With him saying yes, it was okay, came the akward part. The picturesque standing on the front porch debating about a kiss goodnight. I saw him lean in, kind of, but I was too quick with the hug. Then, I turned around opening the door as fast as I could and jetted inside my house. Then I ran to the bathroom because my bladder felt like it was going to explode.

Am I the biggest witch of the east? I feel like I shouldn't even be able to date. Like I'm the worst at it- and I fail. This is a REALLY great guy, and I just don't know why I'm not attracted to him. There was more than one point in the evening when I wished I had some alchochol to help me attempt to make that a good date. Then I went to go hang out with my friends when I was supposed to be sleeping. Why isn't dating ever as easy as it is on The Hills, or Laguna Beach, or any other television show? yes, I know, that's because it's T.V., not real life. Or, because I'm not pretty and this is real life. Either or. I just want a nice guy, who I'm actually attracted to, to be interested in me. I thought I had found it with the last boyfriend...but I didn't. I just need to be single for a while, hang out with the girls. guys need to know that. I need to know that. And right now, I'm still trying to convince myself.
Zigblaster: lol he prolly knew you were faking it
Zigblaster: i think every guy can if the girl get "sick" half way through
KrizTbell06: oh lord
KrizTbell06: don't make me feel even worse.

CATAtarded

One has to wonder, on a day like this, why in the hell did I choose this school? Why not someplace warm? As I walked the twenty minutes to my class, I damned the weather in Michigan. After my last class, I decided to take the bus home. Instead of waiting for the 33 to come around and transferring to the 31 at the union, I took the 30. It was the first bus that came by and I vaguely remember the stop by Brody having a 30 stop. Well, I was wrong, to say the most. So I was stuck on a bus not knowing where the hell I was going.

What choice did I have but to wait until I got back to the stop where I started. Luckily, once we pulled back into the Holden stop the 33 was waiting right there. I hurredly rushed off and onto it. But, of course, my life couldn't be that simple. I had to transfer at the CATA station onto another 33 bus. There were two others there, and I didn't know what one to catch. Of course, I had to pick the one that wasn't destined for the Union, but for Holden. To put it nicely, I'm CATAtarded and have no idea what I was doing. So, after an hour of riding the bus, I finally landed at Wonders, which was two buildings away from where I started out that morning. I just gave up and walked back to my dorm room.

At dinner that night, I was sitting with a few of my friends telling this story. As Erica pointed out, had I taken the 30, it would have turned into the Akers bus, which would eventually lead me to Brody. Or, as Phil pointed out, if I had I just waited at the Cata station for five minutes (indoors, mind you!) I could have caught the 31 back to Brody.

Yep. That settles it. I'm deffinitley CATAtarded.

Classes and Open Houses

At one point in time, everyone has thought, thank God for the internet. They've had to. Well, right now is one of my times. Granted, I should be sitting and paying attention to my prof, but after deleting 5 & 1/2 pages of notes that I had just written, I could really care less. So, we turn to stories, yet again.


The summer of everyone's senior year, open houses are a huge deal. It doesn't even matter if you were friends with a person or not, you go to their open house. You eat free food, have fun with the same group of people, and take millions of pictures. It just so happened that on June 7th, Jenn and I had a million of Open Houses to go to. At 11:00 AM, I'm sitting in my room waiting for Jenn. When she got to my house, I heard the front door fly open and her scream. "KRISTY!" My mind started racing, and I ran out of my room right into her.

"What?!" I was scared.

"I NEED your help! It's a freaking crisis!" She pointed at her pants. There was makeup, liquid cover-up spilled all over her jeans.

I sighed, thinking I could have killed her at that exact moment. Then, I started laughing. I was laughing uncontrollably, just looking at the stain. " It's NOT funny!" she was still freaking out.

I motioned for her to follow me, and finally managed to say, "We can fix this. don't worry!" I led her into my parent's room where my mom was. We explained the situation, and my mom got right to work. Glancing at the time, I decided Jenn could wear a pair of my jeans.

With a crisis partially averted, Jenn and I climbed into her truck and got ready to leave. the makeup was laying in her cup holder, and I started laughing again.

"Hey, Jenn?"

"What." she was now starting to laugh, but she knew what was coming.

"You're not allowed to put on makeup in the car anymore. By the order of me." as Jenn started the truck, I got my camera out. I took a picture of the makeup, and the two of us.
I don't even know if I got my jeans back, but it's okay. I still have her pillow and I'm holding it hostage :)

and more boys!!

Once we got up to the room we all changed into our pajamas, turned the heat up to 90*, turned the shower on so we could steam it up, closed the door to the living area and left the door to the bedroom partially open so we could get some of the warmth from the shower. We turned on the T.V., called my dad, and Lyndsi got on the laptop.

Jenn was lying on the queen-size bed, and all of a sudden got up and went to the King. “Kristy! Get your camera!” She started jumping and I took pictures. That means the camera was out the rest of the night.

My dad kept texting for about an hour (he wanted pictures of the room and us being goofy text to him), and then we all went to bed (It was about 1:30). We turned on Sex & The City and the three of us huddled together in the King bed. Jenn called the middle. It’s how we always slept when we slept together. Me on the right, Jenn in the middle, and Lyndsi on the left. I think I fell asleep first, which is good. I was so grateful to be with those girls then and there. I fell asleep with tears in my eyes, but I was better than I had been. I was with the two girls who would never leave me and who would always be care more than any stupid boy ever would.

The next morning it seemed like only Jenn and I were in a good mood. We headed off for the continental breakfast, and didn’t eat. Jenn had a plate-full of food, but she seemed to be the only hungry one. I hadn’t been hungry since the break-up. My diet consisted of what I forced down my throat, and that wasn’t very much. Lyndsi normally didn’t eat breakfast, and she was still in a bad mood because of Jennie. Not going to lie, it brought Jenn and I down (to a point…they were supposed to be cheering me up, not bringing me down!), but it didn’t stop us from having fun.

After breakfast we walked to the check-in counter and asked what there was to do around this time of year. See, Mackinac Island is a big tourist city. And to give you an idea, in the summer you can walk around Mackinac Crossings and go shopping for hours, take a ferry over to Mackinac Island and spend the whole day there riding horses, shopping, riding your bike around the island. Go to the cemeteries, the British Landing, Devils Kitchen, Arch Rock, and more. In the winter, though? Well, the employees at the hotel said that the movie theater was still open.

So, out came the digital camera once again. We made a video of the hotel room that was based on the T.V. show ‘Cribs’. Jenn made a perfect pretend celebrity. It was only natural to make a quirky movie on my camera…we always do. Lyndsi was shown as one of the ‘guests’ in the house. She was on her laptop (in a gloomy mood, of course). She gave us a dirty look when we turned the camera on her, so Jenn took to jumping on the bed again. She also showed the view from our awesome window (it was of the parking lot), the toilet, the ‘hand carved’ banisters on the bed, the empty fridge, and everything that was made ‘especially for her’. After that we decided to pack up and check out. We were going to go over the bridge and then head home.

Jenn begged to drive over the bridge first, so we let her. She had this crazy notion that she wanted a picture of her driving over the bridge, with one of the tiers in the background. So, Lyndsi got out the camera and took a picture. Oh, not just any picture, though. Jenn actually turned AROUND for it!! Let me tell you, I’m always nervous when I drive over the bridge, but have a teenage girl, who’s never driven over the bridge before, turn around for a picture, and then for it not to turn out too well, and have to take ANOTHER picture?! Let’s just say I was freaking out. But, I turned around for a picture with her anyways. We paid the fare for the bridge, and as soon as we were into the Upper Peninsula, I wanted to be back on the other side. My ex was headed for his cabin that day, which is in the U.P., and it just reminded me of him way too much. I started to tear up, as we headed for Escanaba. Of course, we didn’t have enough time (or gas) to get there, so we stopped at the scenic overview and took a few pictures. Lyns still wasn’t happy, and I was basically almost balling (although I faked happy pretty well. I didn’t want Jenn to get down, too, and I knew if she found out I was upset, her mood would just be shot). So, we got back in the car and headed home.

I drove back over the bridge, and we were off. The highway was busier than normal, but not too bad. We turned on the radio and started jamming. We passed a truck that had three guys in it after about a ½ hour. I noticed that the driver was pretty hot, and pointed it out to Jenn as we were passing them. Lyndsi was having fun with the camera, and looked up to agree with my statement. The guy in the middle was okay, too. So we passed them, thinking nothing of it. About fifteen minutes later, they passed us. Well, the three of us being girls got pretty excited when we noticed them coming up again. The guy in the passenger seat wasn’t cute at all…in fact, he reminded me of Paul but with blonder hair. I, being me, got very upset that they passed us, and got back over to pass them. Within ten minutes, our cars were right next to each other, and the three of us looked over at them and as we went to wave, they made a very inappropriate gesture with their fingers and their tongues. We cracked up, and pulled ahead. I swerved in front of them, cutting them off. Five minutes later, and exceeding the speed limit by quite a bit became overcome with excitement when I noticed them catching up again.

This time, when they passed us, we blew them kisses. They actually pretended to catch them, waved, and passed us. I remember going 90 down the expressway, and someone calling my phone. Jenn answered it, and got off it as quickly as possible. The traffic was getting bad now, but I couldn’t let them go. If they did, it meant they won the unofficial contest that I was having with them, and I would be very unhappy. They had gotten about a ½ mile in front of us, and I tried catching up but couldn’t. Five minutes later, though, the traffic cleared out and I floored my way up to them. Passing them, I cut their truck off. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. It became especially hard when the blond held up his cell phone and motioned like he wanted to call us. I got very excited and told Lyndsi to find a piece of paper and a pen. They stayed even with us until I told Lyndsi my phone number ( we don’t haven numbers memorized…we have them on speed dial) and was able to hold the piece of paper up to the window. The blond put it in his phone, and tried calling us. After two tries, he shrugged and they sped off. That left the girls and I driving, completely confused. I looked at the piece of paper Lyndsi had written on, and she wrote one digit in my number down wrong. We laughed pretty hard, and then I had her write it down again.

The next time our vehicle went to pass them, all three of us looked over and all three of them smiled. Our jaws dropped to the ground and shrieks were heard as I sped the car up and passed them, making sure to put distance between us. All three of the guys were missing a significant amount of teeth.

“Well,” Lyndsi said, “I guess it’s good I wrote your number down wrong!” That will forever be the highlight of our Mackinac trip.

About an hour after the excitement with the guys, I was getting tired of driving so we got off at the next exit and switched drivers. I was in the passenger seat (on the way home), Jenn driving and Lyndsi in the back. We had the radio on, and I was moping. By this time Lyndsi was happy (like, freakishly happy- she was taking pictures of anything and everything. Need an example? try her feet!), but I was still holding back tears. Then, Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift came on, and I started balling. It basically told the story of my ex and I. Jenn went to go change it and I practically yelled no. I don’t know why I didn’t want it changed. It was making me almost choke on my tears, yet I wanted to listen to it. And by the end, I was smiling. It’s a very good song, and it was one of my favorites before we broke up. I remember that was before the boys, but on the way home…and I drove for two hours before we switched drivers, and I remember that we were still very far north. Odd, how we can remember the movements exactly, but the timing is irrelevant.

We arrived back in Swartz Creek around 2:00 pm. The girls dropped me off, gave me hugs, and went to Lyndsi’s house. That weekend was the best weekend I had for a long time. It brought us closer together, and bridged the distances that I had created with them. I love those girls. They mean the world to me, and they’re my sisters. I can’t wait for another adventure with them that’s even better than that one!

~The boys~

After another hour & ½, all of us, being girls, were in desperate need of a rest area. We pulled in and all ran inside. After doin’ what girls do, which was definitely fixing our hair and criticizing our butts, we walked back outside to the car. Guess who pulled in, two parking spots over from us? None other than the two guys in the cool old red car. Not gonna lie, the blond was gorgeous, and the brunette…was very not cute at all. It was my turn to drive because we were only 30 minutes away, and I was basically the only one who knew where we were going once we got off the highway. So, as the guys were walking in, I said pretty obnoxiously loud, ‘Only Thirty more minutes and we’re there! I’m so freakin’ excited!’ which led into Jenn giving a ‘Yesss!’. We hopped in the car and we were off.

It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes, and a car was approaching very fast. It pulled up right next to us. With our music blaring, I couldn’t hear what Jenn had been saying. All I saw was her pointing out the drivers side window. As I turned to look, there were the guys! The Blond was driving (he probably wouldn’t let the other one touch his precious little car), and the brunette in the passenger seat. His window was rolled down, and he was motioning for us to roll ours down, too. So, what do you do? A girl who just broke up with her boyfriend, who feels completely ugly and has no self-confidence what-so-ever, you roll down your window. I turned the music down and looked outside to the guys. He yelled, “Where are you going?”

“Mackinac!” I yelled back, smiling the whole time. C’mon, going 75 and yelling in-between cars gives you a rush. It’s exciting, daring…adventurous. Okay, not really- but it’s the most adventure I had in a long time. Then he yelled something else, and all I heard was ‘party’. So, of course, I had to yell back. “Where?!” I got all excited.

“Manistique!”

Before I knew what I was doing, I yelled, “SURE!”

The brunette said, “We’ll pull off at the next exit and talk!” it sounded good to me, so they pulled in front of us to lead the way. I rolled the window up and Jenn just looked at me. “What?!”

“No.” Lyndsi piped up from the backseat.

“No what?” I asked.

“Kristy! They’re expecting us at the hotel. Not only that, your dad wants us to call him! It’s midnight, I’m tired- we’re going to the hotel.” Jenn was almost in hysterics.

“I know, I know…but, it’s Manistee!”

“I know, Kristy- but no. We’re way too tired. Majority rules.” Lyndsi said. I slowed down to a comfortable speed (at one point we were going 45 on the expressway trying to keep our distance. We were the only two cars on the road!) and tried to keep my distance from the boys. Jenn would panic every few minutes when I would get ‘too close’.

She would cautiously say “Kristy…” and I would slow back down. Slowly the Mackinac Bridge exit signs popped up. Which meant that the boys would be getting off at the exit we wanted. Sure enough, they did. As they slowed down on the exit ramp, we sped up on the highway. With a ‘see ya!’ we passed them. We got off at the next exit, and with a gas station on our left and pitch blackness on our right, we were arguing which way to turn. I picked the right, it was another adventure. Jenn and Lyndsi wanted to go left, but they weren’t driving. I turned on the second road on our left and it led us straight to the back of the movie theater. There was a back road leading to another street that was well lit, so I took it. It led us right to the hotel-strip, and I knew exactly where we were. Turning right on the back-strip about a ½ mile down we found our hotel. I pulled into the parking lot and Jenn started freaking out.

“It’s them! It’s them! Oh my God!”

“What?!” I shouted, frantically looking around for the red car.

“In the parking lot!” she was pointing to a car in our hotel’s parking lot.

I just looked at her. “Jenn, no.”

“No?”

“No. That’s black. Their car was red.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Pinky promise and kiss on it.” We parked and walked into the lobby. By now, Lyndsi wasn’t in the best of moods. Not only was it late (around midnight), but she had told her friend Jennie that she couldn’t have a girl’s night with her because she needed to be with me. We invited her to come along, but she had said no. She called Lyns later that night to basically tell her off and that her boyfriend had gotten in a car accident on the way to SVSU. She made Lyndsi feel absolutely horrible, and there was basically no cheering her up from there on out. She was even crying it was so bad!

Mackinac Trip

In a girls life, breakups make the top ten “worst feeling in the world” list. That’s when you need your friends and your family the most. With Jenn at Central, Lyndsi at SVSU, and I at State, they couldn’t exactly be the physical beings I needed or wanted them to be. When I went home that weekend, though, they were everything I needed and more.

I couldn’t fathom why they were at my house. For ten months I had basically ditched them, let them down. To put things simple, I put my guy before them and basically told them to fuck off. I was so grateful to these girls, I didn’t know(and I still don’t) know how to thank them. The three of us are sisters, and that’s why they were there. That’s why they’ll always be there.

Anyways, back to the fun part. With me balling my eyes out, the girls and I were headed up to Saginaw Valley State University to forget about everything, hang out, and get back to where we were. Jenn and I had bags packed for one night. I saw a sign for the Mackinac Bridge and wanted to go so bad. I hadn’t been in three years, and it was my favorite place in the world. I didn’t think the girls would go for it, but they did. After a “Screw SVSU, let’s go to Mackinac!”, a “sure, I don’t care”, we were headed to Mackinac.

We stopped at SVSU to get Lyndsi’s stuff, and so we could grab the other things we would need. In addition we grabbed her laptop(after searching for hotel prices). The cheapest one was fifty dollars, and we thought that was a good deal. So, with Lyndsi driving, none of our parent’s having a clue, a full tank of gas, and thirty dollars, we were off.

The car ride was fun, as our car rides usually are. We jammed to Lyndsi’s iPod (of course Jenn was in control of the songs) which is always necessary for a road trip. I called my dad and told him what was going on. He called us crazy, insane, silly, and many more things. He laughed like there was no tomorrow and asked us where we were going to stay. The answer? We had no idea. It was part of the experience. He, however, would not take that as an answer. He called twenty minutes later saying he had gotten us a room. Not just any room, but a suite with a King and Queen size bed, a kitchenette, and a living room area. When we found this out in the car, all of us were screaming and amazed that he pulled it off. What’s amazing, is all he asked for in return was a phone call once we got there.

About an hour & ½ into our drive, we passed a lifted Dodge pickup truck with two guys in the front. Lyndsi was driving, Jenn was in the passenger seat, and I was in the back. I had Lyndsi’s laptop and was writing on it, so the glow from the screen shown on my face. Jenn said something about the cute guys in the truck as we passed them, and I turned around. They were smiling, so I smiled and waved, too. They sped up a little bit, just so their window was on the same level as mine. I smiled broader, and then so did the cute guy with the cowboy hat. He waved back, and then got off the next exit. He was absolutely dreamy…and I really wish we could have followed him. I didn’t tell the girls that, though. I didn’t even tell them that for a ½ mile they were road-flirting with me. They have no idea, and when they read this, it’ll be the first they hear about it. Then, a little more than fifteen minutes later, we passed a cool old red car. I don’t know what style, don’t ask me. We left that alone in the ‘troy’ era. Anyways, There were two guys in that car, too. One had brown hair, and one had blond hair. The blond was definitely cute. Lyndsi raced them for a little bit, then her being nice and letting them win phase died out and she passed them.

Best Friends

Best friends, by definition means The one friend whom is closest to you. Sister, by definition is listed as being a female offspring having both parent’s in common with another offspring; a female sibling. Another listed definition, however, is a female friend or protector regarded as a sister. Thinking about this definition, it strikes me that there should be more to it. Maybe Mr. Webster had to make the definition simple, so the uneducated could look it up if needed…but even the uneducated should know that a best friend is more than someone who is the closest to you. A Best Friend is Family. It’s someone who understands you, someone who will be there for you in the middle of the night when you call them drunk, someone who will be sitting the cell next to you when you get arrested for being stupid. A Best Friend stands by you even when they know you’re doing something completely wrong. They’re there for you no matter what. They’re girls who happen to laugh for absolutely no reason at all and have stupid fights that are over in ten minutes, attempt to dance and sing like they do in the music videos, make fun of each other when we run into stuff, have a BILLIION moments where “you had to be there” & no matter what happens we’re always there for one another, that’s why we’re called Best Friends.

We are a Trio, and compare ourselves to a sandwich. There’s Lyndsi, the short curly-haired one. She’s the jelly, to say the most…if not the least. She’s the one who makes it a little bit slippery, but not too much. Lyns adds a sweet taste to our friendship. She has two extremes, smiling, and upset. She doesn’t try to cover it up- you know exactly how she’s feeling. You would never expect this 5’3” girl being rough and rowdy. She’s the most caring person ever. She’d rather curl up in front of a fireplace with a good book than out partying at a club. However, if you flip by a hockey game on the television, there’s no way you’re going to watch anything else. She’s understanding, but she’s the first one to overreact if something happens with her mom or anyone else to make her upset. Just as she’s the first person to overreact, she’s also the first person to snap you back to reality if you’re the one overreacting. She’s so loving and so understanding, you can’t help but love her. I’ll be honest, she has her blonde moments…but doesn’t everybody? It just adds to why we love her and accept her as one of our own.

Jenn is the bread. She holds us together, when we do manage to slip apart and fall on the floor. This girl is just outrageous. She’s so random, and always chipper. Jenn’s the calm one. If something’s wrong with her, she’s over. She’s always putting others (those close to her, that is) before herself. If something is wrong, she will drive 55 minutes to make sure you’re alright. If something’s wrong with herself, she’s over it within ten minutes. She may not be over it, over it, but she’ll pretend for the sake of the people around her. You have to prod her to get her to talk if something is wrong, because she doesn’t want to worry anyone else. Jenn’s quirky, what can I say. Whether it involves random pictures in the car, acting gangster, eating lemons, or getting balloon hats made in a restaurant then parading them around the dorm room, there is never a dull moment.

Then there’s me. Hi. I’m Kristy. I guess you could say I’m in the middle, just like the peanut butter. I balance the three of us out. I have my moments where everything is wrong in the world and I’m absolutely hysterical, but I also can be the one who puts everyone aside if something’s wrong with one of those two girls. I’d like to think I’m fun and spontaneous. Whether it be taking a weekend trip to Mackinac, or helping those two get lost on the way down to a mall. They’re both grounded- and I’m the one who wouldn’t be afraid to take a dare and do it. I rub off on Jenn, and bring her along for the ride. We convince Lyns to join in on the fun every now and then…and she actually goes along with it once in a while! I love to laugh and be around a fun crowd. I’m very outgoing and don’t care if I make a fool out of myself just to make someone smile. But don’t worry, I have my sore points, too. I can overreact, and I don’t always agree with people…and when I don’t, I let them know. I try anything at least once. I’m rational…at times…but I’m very irrational at times, too. I can be very bull-headed and stubborn, and if I get an idea going in my head, I go with it. That’s when Lyndsi snaps me back into reality, and I realize that I couldn’t just up and fly to Texas for a weekend. I’m the blonde one, out of all of us. But hey- at least I knew how to make soup.

See, the three of us balance each other out. Without one of us, the sandwich would fall apart. We need the irrational one, the rational one, and the topsy-turvy one. We are not just best friends. We are Sisters. And only Sisters would drive down for one another from separate colleges when you hit rock bottom. And I did just that. This is the story about three different girls, three different experiences, and one great friendship.