I have a hard time relating to girls. It’s nothing short of dumb luck that Rachel and I connected the way we did. But ever since meeting her in kindergarten, I’ve never kept a female friend for more than a year or two. I think it might have something to do with either my unquenchable tomboy attitude or the fact that I act too masculine at times to be able to relate to most girls.
Lucky for me, I’m not the only crude female in this section of the world.
I met Kelli, technically, in fourth grade, when we were on the same softball team, but I met her officially in 8th grade. I’d grown tired of being the butt of all the jokes my male friends cracked (and with ‘friends’ like Dylan, who can blame me?) so I pleaded with some close acquaintances of mine from various sports teams for company.
It was the first time I’d hung out with only girls for more than a year, and to be perfectly honest, they scared the crap out of me. I knew two of them from the aforementioned athletic teams and one from elementary school, but the group dynamics really through me off. One was Baptist, one was Mormon, one was undecided, and two were atheists, and together they formed a group of the loudest people I’d ever spent time with.
They threw things at each other, cracked creepy jokes, and played a game called “tango wars†(don’t ask). But above all, they were nice to me, and that was what I truly valued.
Kelli lives just a mile or so away from me, something I didn’t discover until high school. We’re both editors for the school newspaper and recently we’ve begun biking together, two things that have only brought us closer. When I’m around Kelli, I’m not uncomfortable like I am around most girls. I don’t feel like I’m talking too much, something I’ve grown to notice more and more, because we both equally contribute to the conversation.
Kelli is always there for me, and she can always cheer me up, no matter what problems I’ve got going on in my life. I look forward to AP Lit and newspaper every day, because you can never laugh too much, and Kelli never stops making me laugh.
We haven’t known each other long, but I’d be much worse off without her, and that’s the truth.
