OK Friend, The First Lie I Ever Told

My family had moved away for one year, and I was already an alien. An outsider trying to break the threads of a "close knit community", but how was I supposed to know that, I was just entering first grade. Right after my school's meet n' greet open house, my little six year old legs ran toward the playground just outside. My eyes hungry for former friends, kids who I had been playing together with since preschool. I had been gone over seas for ten months and I was aching to see my former playmates again. Especially this one girl who I thought was my best friend, she had a Barbie Dreamhouse and a hipster mom who usually left us alone. The perfect formula for a long lasting friendship between two young girls.

After some searching my Mom pointed her out. There she was in the evening light, playing with, laughing with, some other girl with mousy brown hair stuck in a braid straight down her back. I dashed towards her, my heart pounding full excitement, remembering all the fun times we had together. I called out her name.

She never looked back even once, in the midst of the lavender evening I had been abandoned for someone better. I tried again, but it was like I had turned invisible. I followed her, not being able to believe she had ditched me for that dumb brat. But my parents were calling so I had to give up.

On the walk back home my Mom asked me how was it with my former friend like any sensible parent. I was still in denile, some part of me couldn't accept the fact that this girl and I were no longer friends, but the answer I gave her wasn't much better.

"She said I was her OK friend."

My Mom wasn't happy, she said there were no "OK friends", just friends. And after giving me a lecture on friendship she called it a night. Except I hadn't been able to put our conversation behind me. That lie ended up haunting me throughout elementary school and I had debated coming clean for years. Finally one evening after I had transferred to another school district I told my parents at dinner. They weren't surprised one bit, and we went back to eating.