The Best Friend

Tara, the blonde Middleton high cheerleader, walked with a spring in her step towards the fast food restaurant called the Cow and Chow. While she would be the first to admit that it wasn't the best food in town she couldn't fault the quality of the toy surprise you would get with their children's meal. Much better than anything else on offer from the other stores in this miniature junk food district. Tara was also more cheerful than usually because her best friend Bonnie Rockwaller was treating her. This almost never happened and when it did it was often to the detriment of some boy's bank account.

Tara walked up to the doors but couldn't see Bonnie anywhere. There was a girl that looked similar to her fellow cheerleader, but there was no way Bonnie would be caught dead in what she was wearing. Then Tara was proved wrong.

"Thanks for coming Tara," Bonnie said as she stopped leaning on the wall next to the doorway.

"Bonnie?" was all the blonde could get out.

"Yeah," Bonnie said. "I look weird, freaky, like a loser."

"I was going to say you look different," Tara replied her sincerity evident in tone and expression.

"Thanks," Bonnie replied.

"You sounded very serious over the phone."

"Food first," Bonnie said. "Then we'll talk, this is important and I don't want to do it on an empty stomach."

Inside it wasn't that busy. Just a few tired looking wage slave types grabbing a quick bite on the way home. After the sullen looking employee handed over Tara's meal with the toy surprise and Bonnie's burger and soda the two teens found a booth in a corner far away from the other patrons. Tara went to ask why Bonnie had asked her here again. Bonnie holding up a hand for silence stopped her before she could get a word out. The brunette girl sucked on her soda for a little while then placed it back down on the table.

"So much better then diet!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Tara was starting to get a little weirded out. Bonnie simply paid no heed to her friend's confused expression and bit into her burger. She chewed the morsel thoughtfully, trying to think about how to begin. As she swallowed Tara solved that problem by asking something that had been on her mind since she had meet her friend outside.

"Why are you dressed different than usual?"

"Honestly because I fell more comfortable dressed like this," Bonnie replied. "I love the way clothes from club banana make me look, but honestly they're just so restrictive sometimes. Not at all suitable for some of my hobbies."

"Wait," Tara said. "I think I remember seeing that denim vest in the back of your closet."

"Yeah I've had it for awhile," Bonnie said. "Its nice that I've finally reached the point where I can wear it outside."

"Where did you get it?"

"A little store downtown that deals in recycled fashions," Bonnie said. "You know this entire outfit only cost my forty dollars and twenty of that was for the shoes."

Tara peered under the table and inspected the said shoes. The black and white canvas hi-tops did complete the look and Tara thought they were cute.

"I like it," Tara said with a smile. "I guess you've been afraid to wear it because of your sisters though?"

Bonnie nodded sadly and Tara frowned. It was despicable what Connie and Lonnie did to Bonnie sometimes. Belittling her, making her feel worthless and generally harassing her.

"I've been getting help though," Bonnie said. "I've been visiting the guidance counsellor once a week for awhile. I've finally become more comfortable with who I am and one day I won't care what my sisters think of that."

"Guidance counsellor?" Tara asked.

"Alex Saffic has helped me a lot despite being an amateur put in place so we don't have Barkin causing permanent psychological scarring," Bonnie explained. "I fact she's helped me so much I was able to go to the recent convention in Upperton."

"You mean?"

"That's right I Bonnie Rockwaller am a geek!" she said almost loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. "I like comics, I role pay with tradition pen and paper tabletop systems and mmos like Everlot, I download songs from bands no body has ever heard of, I watch Space Passage and last week I bought my first Captain Constellation tie in novel."

"What about cheerleading, ballet and all that other stuff?" Tara asked.

"I still like that stuff, I've just always liked those things I mentioned as well," Bonine said. "Now I just want to make up for lost time when I denied I enjoyed these things."

"Wow," was all Tara could really say.

"Mind you if I had to chose between a school dance and meeting up with Larry and the guys for scenario nineteen," Bonnie considered. "The school dance would come out on top."

"Larry?" Tara mused. "Doesn't Kim have a geeky cousin she always complains about called Larry?"

"Same guy," Bonnie stated.

"Wait, wait," Tara said. "You aren't worried about Kim using this against you?"

"I asked Larry not to tell her about me and nice guy that he is he has respected that," Bonnie explained. "Not that I really care, the food chain is a pointless no existent thing that should not be used to measure self worth."

Tara felt she should take a sip of her soda just so she could spit it out.

"There is one more thing," Bonnie said. "It's probably the most important thing I have to do tonight."

"More important than Bonnie Rockwaller revealing she doesn't care about the food chain?"

"Yes," Bonnie tried to screw her courage to the sticking point but she didn't know how to begin. So she reached into her shirt and pulled out the broken pencil that was tied around her neck. Grasping it tightly she practically blurted out her biggest secret. Not in a loud shout though, her word were quiet, almost a whisper.

"I'm physically, mentally and emotional attracted to members of my own sex," Bonnie said. "I'm a lesbian, gay, a homosexual woman."

This time Tara did have mouthful of soda, thankfully she managed to swallow it before spitting in Bonnie's face.

"This isn't a date is it?" the blonde asked with a worried expression. "Because, not that…"

"No this isn't a date," Bonnie said. "This is just me asking my best friend to be supportive of every aspect of me, asking her to help me be brave enough to face the world as who I truly am. Just like she did this afternoon by helping fix a mistake I made."

"This afternoon?" Tara said.

"I was being the super bitch when I didn't want to," Bonnie said. "Sometimes I just can't…I'm so fucked up."

"No don't say that," Tara said. "I mean we wouldn't even be here talking about this if you were."

"Thank you."

"What about Brick?" Tara asked.

"Another person I've mistreated," Bonnie said. "But I'm scared if I just drop him, Connie and Lonnie will figure out stuff, it terrifies me think of what they might do if they knew."

"But I've heard some of your phone conversations," Tara prompted. "You certainly seem at least physically attracted to him."

Bonnie shivered at the thought. Never ever, even though she felt bad about the half thought of excuses she used to prevent Brick from trying to progress any physical aspect of their relationship beyond light kissing.

"It helps I'm actually looking at the girl I'm infatuated with while talking to Brick on the phone," Bonnie said. "Its damn inconvenient having to wait fifteen minutes for everyone to leave the locker room so it isn't revealed what the sight of her glistening body does to me. It'd be embarrassing even if I was brave enough to come out to everyone."

"I always thought that was just part of some kind of post training ritual," Tara said.

'No, but I guess it has kind of become one."

"So who's the lucky girl on the squad then?" Tara asked.

Bonnie removed her makeshift necklace and laid it down on the table.

"I've being crushing on her a long time," Bonnie explained. "If kept this since the moment I realised I had strong feelings for her."

Tara examined the broken writing tool trying to figure out the identity of the girl Bonnie liked. Tara shrugged after a few minutes.

"Sorry," she said. "I can't possibly know from that."

Bonnie smiled and put the pencil back around her neck.

"I'm not surprised," the brunette said. "After all when I broke this pencil you were probably just as shocked as I was that Kim had just performed an impossible routine flawlessly while trying out for the cheer squad."

"But that was when we were what twelve, thirteen," Tara said surprised someone could hold a crush for so long without telling someone. Bonnie nodded.

"And I've been desperately in love with Kim ever since," Bonnie explained. "Before that I just thought she was cute and wondering why I'd notice that over how the guys in the latest boy band looked."

"Kim?" Tara stammered. "But you and her don't exactly…the way you treat her, I saw you turn your mean streak on those that really deserved it in elementary school but when you started acting that way to Kim in middle school…"

"Told you I was fucked up."

"Just tell me why so I can understand," Tara said. "That is after all why we're still here despite the fact my fries went cold a minute ago."

"She' the strongest person I know," Bonnie explained. "So I started taking out my anger, my fustrations on her. Every time Connie or Lonnie make my life hell I attack Kim, just to know there is some one strong enough to deal with that kind of thing. Just so I know there is someone who doesn't let it affect her, doesn't let it turn her into a bitch that's no better than those that attacked her. She's so strong that she could even admit when she needs help. I bet if she was in my situation she would have told Ron about it ages ago and asked his advice. It's taken me this long to even talk to you about these things and I've know you since before we started kindergarten."

"Well I'm glad you finally told me and I'm proud that you had the courage to do so," Tara encouraged her friend. "But it doesn't really explain why you constantly fight for the top of the pyramid and why you occasionally want to take over the captaincy of the squad."

"I know I'm not suited for being captain," Bonnie admitted. "I just want to give Kim at least a few weeks break, I worry that she's pushing herself to hard, just because she can do anything doesn't mean she should have to do everything."

"Fair enough," Tara said. "Sometimes I worry she and Ron are going to burn themselves out as well. But what about the pyramid?"

"I look up I get distracted," Bonnie admitted. "I fear one day I'll drop Kim because of this, that'd be a disaster for the school, the squad and the world. And I'd hate myself even more than I do on my worst days."

"Then the compromises we worked out today at practice helped a little?" Tara asked.

Bonnie merely nodded. Tara reached over to Bonnie and held her hands supportively.

"Have you told anyone else?" the blonde asked.

"You're the first who wasn't bound by confidentiality agreements and that sort of thing." Bonnie replied.

"Then if you need my support when telling your parents, our friends or even Kim herself I'll be there for you," Tara said. "Now seen as you bought our burgers I'm going to buy us some sundaes and we'll talk a little more."

Once Tara had returned with the frozen treats they did so. Bonnie opened up more and more. Tara could finally talk about her crush on Ron Stoppable with out Bonnie deriding her, in fact Bonnie advised her of Kim's probable reactions to Tara asking Ron on a date. Bonnie was also glad Tara refrained from teasing when she admitted to defending Star Passage Traveller from haters on the internet just because it's captain reminded her of Kim. They continued until the manager of the Cow and Chow kicked them out at closing time.