Would-have-been BFF?

So, I hated school. I realize that I am, by no means, unique in that fact, but hear me out. I was the person that the entire school though was a freak and generally wished death upon. The girls in the volleyball team spit in my sandwich on one occasion. (Of course, I didn't find out until after lunch.) I got hit in the head with a ten-pound weight. There was one girl who punched me and then skipped town for the next three days. The next time I saw her mother's car, it had a bumper sticker that said "My kid beat up your honor student."

I'd generally come to terms with all this crap, and was moving on, until yesterday. I met with a girl who I'd known in school to work on make-up for the wedding. She's a Mary Kay salesperson, not to mention very lovely in her own right, and she's always been sweet to me. In fact, I can't remember her saying anything mean to or about anybody, in the nine years I went to school with her. The minute she heard about my wedding she called me to give her congratulations. It made me feel so warm and fuzzy to hear the genuine warmth in her voice.

So, I ended up coming over to her house and going over makeup with her, and we began to talk about high school. I never realized until that moment how horrible it might have been for someone else. Turns out, I wasn't the only one that was harassed and miserable. Girls that I could have sworn she'd been friends with had been treating her like dirt. Care to know why?

Jealousy. Envy. The green monster.


This girl is slender and willowy, with shining auburn hair, large eyes framed by long lashes, and a dazzling smile. She's a smart cookie, and a darn talented athlete as well. She plays a good clarinet and sings a steady alto. I was jealous of her for years, in fact. But to hear that other girls took their jealousy so far as to physically and verbally abuse her makes me sick. I had pretty much forgotten how selfish I thought these people were, and how much I couldn't stand them. Now I remember, much more vividly, how much I wanted bad things to happen to them.

And this girl, who suffered their slings and arrows with a smile all those years, is now happily married. She is gorgeous, inside and out, she has a sweet husband who takes care of her, and she has the happy life she has long deserved.

She is a model for who I want to become. Happy, taking care of myself, my husband, and my home, and not letting stupidity and jealousy bar my way.

I think I'd like to be better friends with her, too.