How We Met ~As We Tried To Remember It~
It was in 5th grade. The day was dreary and we were bored out of our minds. Elementary school was not the most exciting thing in the world when we could be much better places- at home, on the playground, at a friends, or heck, I think even the grocery store would have been better. We both knew the same girl. Maya. The first person to make it to the classroom that day was Meghan. The new girl. She was assigned to sit in the back because there were no other seats left. Meghan was a quiet, timid, mousy person. She didn't really know anyone in that class because she had only transferred the year before and had been in a small class. Most of this was new to her. Hannah walked in with Maya. They had seats in the same group of desks, so that sat down together. Maya looked over and saw that Meghan was sitting alone.
"Hey, I know her!! That's Meghan!" She said as she was getting up, and was tugging on Hannah's sleeve about to drag her over to say hello. Hannah had seen Meghan before. In the cafeteria and on the playground. They had often had the same recesses last year. But she had never talked to her before. She had seemed... Different. And Hannah, being the quiet and not very social type herself, had stayed away. But Maya and her had know each other since they started school, and had always trusted her judgment in people, so she hesitantly followed her to the other table where Meghan was sitting. Maya excitedly slid into the open seat next to Meghan, a wild grin on her 10 year old face. "Hey Meghan!! Wassuuup?" She said. Meghan just stared at her blankly for a minute before replying.
"Um, not much..." She said quietly, her eyes flickering unsurely to Hannah or to her at the time, the weirdo that she didn't know and didn't know if she wanted to meet. Maya, realizing Meghan's distress, quickly ushered Hannah to sit down across from them.
"Meghan, this is Hannah. Hannah, Meghan." An awkward silence ensued.
"Heyyy..." Hannah said.
"Yeah, I've seen you around the school before, but I guess we've never had a chance to talk." Meghan tried to initiate conversation.
Hannah followed. "When did you get here? I don't remember seeing you before what, last year? How do you guys know each other?"
"I got here like, September October November last year? Happala's class. Maya was in my social studies with Volmering." It was so weird how we switched classes in elementary school. It was only with social studies and science. We switched last hour of the day. Hannah's class had gone to Meghan's for science and they went to hers for social studies. "Do you know Grace?"
What great timing! Grace walks in the room. Meghan eyes instantly come alive with happiness to see a VERY familiar face. She runs over to her obnoxiously screaming "GRACE, GRACE, GRACIE!!" And throws her arms around the girl even stranger than herself. No one really talked to Grace much. Everyone knew her, but only as 'that weird girl.' Yeah. It was like that. Grace came and sat down by Meghan. Hannah instantly shied away but tried to hide her discomfort for the sake of them all. She started to say something, but just then the people who were supposed to be in the seats they were all in, aside from Meghan and Grace (who were already in their assigned seats) came over and impatiently huffed while they waited for the intruders to leave. Maya and Hannah sheepishly crept back over to their desks just as the teacher walked in, ready to begin class. Hannah and Meghan glanced at each other across the room, and smiled.
***
Later that day, after school was over, Hannah caught Meghan by the back of her jacket as she was walked out into the lobby. "Hey, Meghan!" She said.
"Hey!" Meghan replied.
"Hey, can I have your number? We need to hang out, like, now." They laughed.
"Ha, sure." Meghan giggled as they walked over to the table of notices in the lobby. She grabbed a random paper about PDA meetings, tore off a corner, and grabbed a pencil from the pencil cup. "Which number do you want? The one for my Mom's or the one for my Dad's?"
"I don't know. How about both?"
"Yeah, ok. Call me on my Mom's this week because I'm at her house now."
"Ok." Hannah tore off a corner of the paper as well and wrote down her home phone, and then gave it to Meghan who slipped it into her pocket. Hannah took Meghan's paper and put it in her backpack. Their mothers talked, and the girls talked, until the lobby emptied out and they waved goodbye as they headed to their cars.
***
That night, when Meghan got home, Hannah called. Meghan was at the table doing her homework
"Hello?" Meghan's mom answered the phone.
Hannah timidly says into the phone, "Hi, is Meghan there?"
"Yep, just a minute." Meghan's mom replied.
Meghan held the phone in her hand put it to her ear and said "Hello? Who is this? Can I help you?"
Hannah laughed and said, "Hey Meghan. It's Hannah. Wassup?"
"Who?"
"Hannah."
"What?"
"Ha. Nn. Ah."
"Um, oh, ha ha..." Meghan chuckled unsurely in the phone. She still hadn't really heard. She thought it was her friend, Catherine.
"Dude, I should really ask if we can hang out. I've got to see your house n stuff!" Hannah said happily.
"Dude, you've been over to my house before. I went to your Halloween party just the other day."
Hannah's mind went blank. What the heck? "............ Nooooo.... You've never been to my house before......"
"Yeah, remember? We did those one up things on the trampoline? And I could only stay for one or two nights because of the woodstove- it was giving me a headache."
"Um... No... I don't have a trampoline.... Or a woodstove..."
"Yeah you do!" Meghan laughed like Hannah was crazy or something. Or Catherine, more likely, which was who she thought she was talking to at the time.
"Meghan, cut it out. This isn't funny. Do you even know who this is..?"
Now Meghan really thought the person on the other line was crazy. "Um, yeah, you're Catherine..."
Hannah laughed. "No, silly! This is HANNAH. From school? The whole thing with Maya and Grace this morning..? You gave me your number..?"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! I REMEMBER!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I thought you were my other friend Catherine. I thought you must have been sick or something, but other than that you guys sound the same!!"
They laughed and laughed and talked for hours, scheduling their first 'play date' ever. This was it. Their friendship was cemented for good.
"Hey, I know her!! That's Meghan!" She said as she was getting up, and was tugging on Hannah's sleeve about to drag her over to say hello. Hannah had seen Meghan before. In the cafeteria and on the playground. They had often had the same recesses last year. But she had never talked to her before. She had seemed... Different. And Hannah, being the quiet and not very social type herself, had stayed away. But Maya and her had know each other since they started school, and had always trusted her judgment in people, so she hesitantly followed her to the other table where Meghan was sitting. Maya excitedly slid into the open seat next to Meghan, a wild grin on her 10 year old face. "Hey Meghan!! Wassuuup?" She said. Meghan just stared at her blankly for a minute before replying.
"Um, not much..." She said quietly, her eyes flickering unsurely to Hannah or to her at the time, the weirdo that she didn't know and didn't know if she wanted to meet. Maya, realizing Meghan's distress, quickly ushered Hannah to sit down across from them.
"Meghan, this is Hannah. Hannah, Meghan." An awkward silence ensued.
"Heyyy..." Hannah said.
"Yeah, I've seen you around the school before, but I guess we've never had a chance to talk." Meghan tried to initiate conversation.
Hannah followed. "When did you get here? I don't remember seeing you before what, last year? How do you guys know each other?"
"I got here like, September October November last year? Happala's class. Maya was in my social studies with Volmering." It was so weird how we switched classes in elementary school. It was only with social studies and science. We switched last hour of the day. Hannah's class had gone to Meghan's for science and they went to hers for social studies. "Do you know Grace?"
What great timing! Grace walks in the room. Meghan eyes instantly come alive with happiness to see a VERY familiar face. She runs over to her obnoxiously screaming "GRACE, GRACE, GRACIE!!" And throws her arms around the girl even stranger than herself. No one really talked to Grace much. Everyone knew her, but only as 'that weird girl.' Yeah. It was like that. Grace came and sat down by Meghan. Hannah instantly shied away but tried to hide her discomfort for the sake of them all. She started to say something, but just then the people who were supposed to be in the seats they were all in, aside from Meghan and Grace (who were already in their assigned seats) came over and impatiently huffed while they waited for the intruders to leave. Maya and Hannah sheepishly crept back over to their desks just as the teacher walked in, ready to begin class. Hannah and Meghan glanced at each other across the room, and smiled.
***
Later that day, after school was over, Hannah caught Meghan by the back of her jacket as she was walked out into the lobby. "Hey, Meghan!" She said.
"Hey!" Meghan replied.
"Hey, can I have your number? We need to hang out, like, now." They laughed.
"Ha, sure." Meghan giggled as they walked over to the table of notices in the lobby. She grabbed a random paper about PDA meetings, tore off a corner, and grabbed a pencil from the pencil cup. "Which number do you want? The one for my Mom's or the one for my Dad's?"
"I don't know. How about both?"
"Yeah, ok. Call me on my Mom's this week because I'm at her house now."
"Ok." Hannah tore off a corner of the paper as well and wrote down her home phone, and then gave it to Meghan who slipped it into her pocket. Hannah took Meghan's paper and put it in her backpack. Their mothers talked, and the girls talked, until the lobby emptied out and they waved goodbye as they headed to their cars.
***
That night, when Meghan got home, Hannah called. Meghan was at the table doing her homework
"Hello?" Meghan's mom answered the phone.
Hannah timidly says into the phone, "Hi, is Meghan there?"
"Yep, just a minute." Meghan's mom replied.
Meghan held the phone in her hand put it to her ear and said "Hello? Who is this? Can I help you?"
Hannah laughed and said, "Hey Meghan. It's Hannah. Wassup?"
"Who?"
"Hannah."
"What?"
"Ha. Nn. Ah."
"Um, oh, ha ha..." Meghan chuckled unsurely in the phone. She still hadn't really heard. She thought it was her friend, Catherine.
"Dude, I should really ask if we can hang out. I've got to see your house n stuff!" Hannah said happily.
"Dude, you've been over to my house before. I went to your Halloween party just the other day."
Hannah's mind went blank. What the heck? "............ Nooooo.... You've never been to my house before......"
"Yeah, remember? We did those one up things on the trampoline? And I could only stay for one or two nights because of the woodstove- it was giving me a headache."
"Um... No... I don't have a trampoline.... Or a woodstove..."
"Yeah you do!" Meghan laughed like Hannah was crazy or something. Or Catherine, more likely, which was who she thought she was talking to at the time.
"Meghan, cut it out. This isn't funny. Do you even know who this is..?"
Now Meghan really thought the person on the other line was crazy. "Um, yeah, you're Catherine..."
Hannah laughed. "No, silly! This is HANNAH. From school? The whole thing with Maya and Grace this morning..? You gave me your number..?"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! I REMEMBER!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I thought you were my other friend Catherine. I thought you must have been sick or something, but other than that you guys sound the same!!"
They laughed and laughed and talked for hours, scheduling their first 'play date' ever. This was it. Their friendship was cemented for good.