[01]
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Andy Thomas was shy, short, lanky, pale, and always wore a red flannel long-sleeve that made him resemble a ketchup bottle.
Ridley Connors was just as shy, a few inches taller, skinny, tan, and always wore Hollister shirts and sweatshirts that it seemed like she had just come out of a Hollister Ad.
On the stormy day of 2009, it was the third class of the second day of middle school that Andy and Ridley met. Considering that everyone was new to a larger school, it was implied that students in the study hall class would divide themselves up by what elementary school they went to. People from one school sat in one table, and in a way, it was a comforting thought that everyone was too scared to step out of their comfort zones.
Andy sat in a large table that he thought held the weirdest combination of people ever, and Ridley sat in a smaller table in the back of the room that only consisted of her and a boy named Wilson Gomez.
All her friends were in another Study Hall which sucked, but Ridley had Wilson who was quite annoying at times but did entertain her. She held in her laughter every time the bell rang and every time Wilson jumped because of it.
Wilson was extroverted, and by whatever reason, he knew Andy Thomas and Andy Thomas knew him, and Ridley was confused.
"Andrea Thomas!" Wilson called in his accented voice. A second after that, the brown haired boy looked up from his book and at Wilson, and then to Ridley, and then back to Wilson. A corner of his mouth awkwardly lifted upwards.
Ridley, however, wanted to let out the loudest exasperated groan. Future Ridley would've slapped her past self across the face, but sixth grade Ridley wanted to keep up a reputation. The fact that she's sitting in the back of the room with Wilson already had her embarrassed. Adding on the ketchup dressed boy to the table would make her faint from the amount of geek-aura around her.
Wilson patted one of the extra seats in the table. Andy glanced at it and reluctantly began to stand up. Ridley kept her eyes focused on the book in her hand, ignoring the boy's presence as he took a seat in their table.
"Where were you on Minecraft last night?" Wilson asked nonchalantly. The question obviously wasn't directed to Ridley, but it still caught her attention whatsoever. She looks up, immediately making eye contact with the pale boy.
Andy blushed at her stare, letting out yet another awkward grin.
Ridley surprisingly smiled back only because it seemed as if Wilson had just told one of his biggest secrets. Andy was wearing a red plaid shirt and red shoes and Ridley didn't think he could get any redder but Andy's face was already turning red and she was proved wrong.
"No need to be ashamed about it," Ridley said without thinking. "My older brother plays Minecraft."
"Oh," Andy replied. "Cool."
Wilson snorted. "Yeah, Andy. There's nothing to to ashamed of. Listen to Rid."
"Your name is Rid?" Andy asked the girl sitting across from him.
She rolled her eyes at Wilson but nodded at Andy. "Ridley Connors."
"Cool name."
"Thanks."
"He's Andy Thomas," Wilson said, speaking for Andy. "He and I know each other 'cause we're in the same soccer team."
"And Minecraft," Ridley added, smiling. Her eyes moved to Andy, who was smiling too.
He nodded, "Yeah, and Minecraft."
It was weird, really. After that conversation, it was like they already skipped the awkward stages of acquaintanceship and went straight into being friends. Two weeks after they first met, they exchanged phone numbers. Three weeks after, they began hanging out outside of school. A week after that, they became best friends.
Then through middle school, they've been each others wingmans, punching bags (not literally), safe boxes, everything. Together, they felt like they were invincible; that their friendship didn't have an expiration date.
(It did.)
