Next block is English. James is in that class with me. Usually I’m excited for this block, but today, I’m dreading it. A big chunk of me thinks this rumor is just that; a rumor. The small chunk is confused and concerned. James and I have been together for eight months and 3 weeks. Our ninth month anniversary is in a couple days. I already got him his two favorite things; a big box of sour patch kids and a Giants sweatshirt. I wonder if he got me anything yet. I walk into Ms. Laney’s class and see James right away, in our normal seats. He doesn’t give me a warm smile like he usually does, but it’s not a displeasing face either.
James could never look bad. He has brown hair and piercing blue eyes that look like the ocean itself. If you stare into them long enough, everything feels numb; like your swimming in a cool body of water. At least, that’s what happens to me. I love him, I really do. He is my first everything and I’m his too. We’re a special couple.

“Hey Sarah, did’ya do the homework?” I can tell he is avoiding the rumor. Fine, let’s play dumb for a while. “Yeah, I did. It was pretty easy.” “Yeah it was.” Great. Awkward silence. These are the moments where they say a baby is supposed to be born or something. I think it’s a bunch of bull, but it’s what everyone says. “So Sarah, there’s kinda something I need to tell you.” Okay, here it comes, he’s gonna tell me that this rumor is fake and he loves me. “Well I assume you heard the rumor about me and Alyssa…” “Yeah... I heard it. Something about you making out with her. Go on.” “Yeah, uh, the thing is, me and her were both really drunk at Chels’s party, and you left early ‘cause of our fight and one thing led to another. First it was dancing, and then kissing, well, then - I mean - Alyssa and I kinda…you know...” Oh my god, don’t say it. NO, this cannot be true. I thought them making out was a joke. Alyssa’s not even his type. He said so himself. And she has a boyfriend! They have never lied to me before. “Are you serious right now? There‘s no way in Hell you are serious. Cause if you are, then we are going to have big problems. I mean huge.” “Sarah, I’m so sorry. It was such a mistake. We both regret it so much, you have no idea. Sarah, please. Don’t be mad, I love you, really I do. Come’ on, please!” He grabs my arm like he does right before we kiss. But we are definitely not going to kiss right now. Not even hug. I pull away with force. I don’t want him touching me after he touched my best friend. Well not best friend anymore. Wait till I talk to her in lunch. Oh my God, I just want to cry now. This isn’t real. I’m dreaming. The tears can’t bare inside my eyes any longer. I explode. “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME. We are so done.” People are staring now. James calls my name a few times to grab my attention but I ignore him; just like Anna. I run straight out of Ms. Laney’s room like there’s no tomorrow. I can’t stand this thought. I can’t stand James and Alyssa. I - I hate them.

I go right for the girl’s bathroom and stay there all first block. My teacher doesn’t even send anyone to get me. Goes to show how great of a teacher Ms. Laney is. The lunch bell rings. Great, now a swarm of girls are gonna come in and raid the bathroom with gossip and perfume. The door opens; I grab my legs and go on top of the toilet.
“OMG, have you seen Jenny and Lisa today? They look like fifty cent hookers in those cheetah heals and tube tops. Haha, it’s so funny seeing losers try to look cool.”

“Hahahaha, you’re so right Abby. Can you say trashy? LOL. But the big news is about James and Sarah.”
“Oh yeah! James cheated with Alyssa at Chels’s party. I saw it! They started dancing hardcore, and then Alyssa fell on her ass going up the stairs with him. It was hilarious, but that’s the last anyone saw of them.” Abby’s clan of skanks starts laughing all together now. They sound like a wild pack of hyenas. Finally they leave, still talking about my boyfriend. I mean, ex- boyfriend. I can’t stand the thought of James touching Alyssa. Boyfriend or not, it’s nasty. That’s it; I need to talk to her. Now.

I see her with my friends in the spot I picked out for me and my real friends to eat. But today I wasn’t gonna eat. I wasn’t even thinking about food; I was thinking about punching Alyssa in the face. Hypothetically. I don’t really think I would have the guts to do that, even though my fist was flaming ready to go. She looks at me without a smile, but with no hate. Like James did.
I ask her, “Care to explain what happened Friday night?”
“Listen Sarah, I’m really sorry, it was all an accident.”
“I don’t care if you were drunk or whatever. It’s not an excuse. You are nothing but a back-stabbing boyfriend stealing b****!”
“Are you kidding me? I said I didn’t mean for anything to happen. Why the hell are you screaming at me? I already got enough from my own boyfriend. You left James, remember? You left him all alone at the party cause of some stupid fight, and I was the only one there to comfort him.” Now Alyssa really got me fired up.

“Yeah, you sure comforted him alright. In someone else’s bed upstairs at that party. You disgust me. Whatever happened to being best friends? News flash, best friends don’t steal each others boyfriends. You’re- you’re such a slut!” Everyone around us was silent. A couple boys though were laughing and saying ooowwww, like they do when a good comeback has been made. Alyssa was embarrassed now. But I wanted to make her pissed off; like I feel. Here was my shot. Her newest ex boyfriend Johnny. He isn’t really my type at all. He has blondish scruffy hair like a surfer, and a “know it all” attitude to go with it. I am willing to do anything to make Alyssa jealous though. I went strait up to him and took a decent stare. He didn’t say much, only looked at me with a confused eye. I think he knew what I was going to do though, cause he didn’t hesitate to make the first move. We locked our lips together, and the crowd around us made that oooowww sound again, but this time, even the girls did it. I know that made Alyssa mad.
“YOU”RE THE STUPID SLUT”
“Oh, but Alyssa, he kissed me first…” I say it nice and calm, like I know what I’m doing. Sarcasm really gets to Alyssa.
“Two can play that game Sarah, just watch.” Now she was going up to James. Damnit, I didn’t think this would happen. I would only look like a fool if she kissed my ex boyfriend. I had to do something, and fast.

“DON’T YOU TOUCH HIM!” As I yell running right towards her. My fiery first can’t take the withdrawal from Alyssa’s face any longer. I’ve never punched anyone in the face before. I never thought I would have to. She looked back at me right as my first was within centimeters of her face. Boooom. The crowd didn’t make the same noise as last time. They made that noise that you make in scary movies, when something freaky jumps out on the screen. Now they were all gossiping around me. I couldn’t help it, my anger was enraged into that one punch, and now Alyssa is down on the floor. James goes to Alyssa to help her up. She has a bloody noise, and tears were dripping down on her face. But she didn’t pout, she never pouts. Looking at her face made feel bad. But why should I feel bad? With everything that happened between her and James? She lied to me. She betrayed me. Why do I feel sorry for her? I’m silent, confused and the only thing I know to do is run away.
The loud speaker comes on, “Will Alyssa Crenshaw and Sarah Baker please report to Mr. Lomax’s office immediately.” Just what I need; to be in the same room with the girl I hit, and the principal. Alyssa and I both go our separate ways, but to the same place. I’ve never been to Mr. Lomax’s office before, but Alyssa has. She got a perfect attendance award there once. I think the principal likes Alyssa, so he’ll probably let her off the hook. But me, I’m not so sure what he’ll do.

“Ladies, take a seat. I have been informed that you, Sarah, have made a violent act upon Alyssa. Now ladies, the way we are going to go upon this is simple. I don’t want either of you to be suspended your last weeks of 10th grade. I want to know why you guys were fighting and how this punch to Alyssa came about. Which by the way, Alyssa, is your nose feeling okay?”
“Well, it’s throbbing a little, but its fine, I guess.”
“Well I wouldn’t have hit you if you didn’t sleep with my boyfriend at that party.” I had to put that out there because that’s the truth, that’s how this started. I can see Mr. Lomax roll his eyes slightly. He didn’t want to seem rude though, so he made it subtle.
“Just because of one mistake, you decide to punch me? That makes no sense. Oh and you kissed my boyfriend!”
“Um, actually, he’s your ex boyfriend, and yeah I kissed him; only because you kissed my boyfriend first!”
“Ladies, ladies, take the volume down. Now, venting your feelings out is good, but I think we can work this out together in a calmer manner. I don’t want to see a friendship like yours crumble. You both are too good of girl’s to be yelling at each other like this. Alyssa, you have perfect attendance, you’re fluent in 3 different languages, and colleges are impressed with your long jumping in track. Sarah, you have many things headed for you in the future. Now girls, can we try to mediate this fight a little?”

“I’m definitely not saying sorry first.” Why should I say sorry? She started this whole thing. It’s all her fault.
We went threw at least 50 seconds of not saying one word. This wasn’t an awkward silence though, Mr. Lomax was humming, and I was thinking of what to say next. Until Alyssa started talking,
“Sarah, I said sorry a bunch of times for what I did. I never wanted any of this to happen. Okay, sorry. I’m really sorry about what I did at the party.” I took her sorry as just an excuse to get out of this office. But then I looked at her. I punched her in the nose; I kissed her boyfriend; and all for what? To get back at her, and this is where it left me; in a principals office. Punching her in the face didn’t get me James back. It got me humiliated and in a fight with my best friend. I need to end this; a good way.
“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for calling you names and not accepting your apology before, because that would have saved us some of this time. Most importantly though, I’m so sorry for punching you in the face. I never thought I would do something like that, and it just happened. I’m really sorry.”

“See girls? That wasn’t so hard. I hope you too can move on now, and get over this one glitch in your friendship. Remember, I know I’m only an old principal guy, but friendships truly do last longer then relationships. Friends walk in and out of our lives, but only true friends leave a footprint on our heart.” Alyssa got up and put her ice pack on the principal’s desk. I got out of the comfy chair, and leaned in to hug her open arms. A footprint on my heart. Mr. Lomax’s words seep into me like wet sand rolling into the ocean. The ocean; it makes me think of James. Part of me cannot get over him. But it will have to adjust. He left some footprints on my heart; but they will fade. Alyssa’s footprints won’t. Just like our friendship, they will stay forever.

When we walk the hallways side by side, People will talk, and wonder what happened. They will think Alyssa’s crazy for being friends with the girl that punched her. They will think I’m crazy for punching her. James and Johnny will be confused about us too. Alyssa kissed James. I kissed Johnny. Alyssa called me names. I punched her in the face. Now we’re walking together to our next class smiling. They’ll think we are bipolar or something. But these are just the glitches we have to overcome to make our friendship stronger. Yeah I’m upset about most of the stuff that happened, but I left with one good thing from a rumor and revenge; my best friend.