Chapter 2

Making Friends

It wasn't always like this, please believe me when I say that. I can remember a time not too long ago when I was happy. I recall, looking back, bright sunny days and playing with my best friend Melissa after school at the park. I remember baking apple pies with my mother. I remember my father teaching me how to ride my bike. I remember my treehouse, with real windows and a table and chairs and everything inside.

I miss those days so much. If only.....if only he hadn't started.....

I'm getting ahead of myself. I think the best way to make you understand is to go back to the very beginning. The turn of events that started this snowballing to this point, with me naked and laughing like a lunatic while my mother is screaming her head off, staring at the man I just butchered on the floor of her room.

Yes, that's the best way.

In that case, the real beginning of this sad, tragic tale is when I was nine and in the fourth grade. I think it was a Friday....

I looked up from my page of doodles as the final bell rang. I saw William Strong looking at me, and I gave him a shy smile. He looked flustered and looked quickly down at his hands, which were folded on his desk. His books were all closed. Just how long had he been staring at me? And why?

My face turned red and I heard hushed giggling from the other direction. I looked over and saw Tara Baker and her best friend Sarah Munn with their hands over their mouths, trying to surpress laughter. Why were they laughing at me?

What was going on here?

I realized I was still sitting at my desk looking like a stunned goat while everyone was gathering their bags and lining up at the door to leave. I crammed all my books into my backpack and walked to the line, my head down, trying my best not to make eye contact with anyone. I was feeling uncomfortable, and didn't want to draw any more attention to myself. Not that anyone usually paid any attention to me. I was a loner. For some reason the other kids didn't seem to like me very much. Melissa had moved out of Silent Hill earlier this year. I wasn't too upset, though. It's not like they were vicious all the time to me or anything. They just......ignored me.

Most of the time. There were exceptions. Today seemed to be one of them.

As I stood in line at the door, waiting for Mr. Renaldo to dismiss us, I heard amongst the hushed whispers of my classmates my name. I tried not to show any outward signs of upset. They might not necessarily be saying anything bad about me. Finally Mr. Renaldo waddled to the door.

"Okay, class, does everyone have all their homework ready?"

"Yes, Mr. Renaldo," I droned with the rest of the class.

"Okay, then, have a nice weekend. Stay out of trouble and I'll see you all again on Monday."

The line moved quickly, and a short time later I was exiting Midwich Elementary School and on the bus, ready for the long ride home. I lived on the other side of Toluca Lake, in the small area of town known as South Vale. My family and I lived in a large apartment building called Bluecreek, in Room 109.

I was the last stop for the bus, so it was getting close to 4 o'clock by the time I got home. My mother took my backpack and began unloading all my books and stuff, and emptying my lunchbox of what I hadn't eaten. She told me to go wash up and that supper would be ready soon. After I washed my hands, I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed something odd. There were two smallish bumps on my chest. I hadn't noticed them before. I was wearing a brand new shirt that my mother had bought for me last week for the first time, and it was tighter than the usual T-shirts I wore.

I was growing boobs.

Was that why everyone else was looking at me and treating me oddly? I hadn't noticed them before, but apparently they had been growing for a bit. I froze, not knowing whether to be glad or upset.

I decided not to worry about it too much for now. Nothing I could do about it. If it was happening, it was happening. Hopefully everyone would forget about it by Monday.

I turned off the bathroom light and sat down on the living room sofa. "Where's Brian?" I asked my mother. Brian was my older brother. He was thirteen, and went to St. Jennifer High School, a combination junior high school and high school in Central Silent Hill, the industrial area of town.

"He's going to a movie with his friends tonight. He won't be home until eight or so."

I was disappointed. Brian was the closest thing I had to a friend since Melissa had moved away. However, lately he was spending less and less time at home. I hoped he wasn't going to go away, too.

I watched TV for a half hour until my mother called me into the dining room for supper. I noticed that there were only two places set at the table. "Dad's working late tonight." Mom said, noticing my puzzled expression. "They're building a new house across town and he needs to get the wood ready." My father was a lumberjack, and he worked at the lumberyard nearby.

So it was just my mother and me for the rest of the night. Brian called at 7:30, telling us he was going to be staying over at one of his friends' house for the night. My mother and I watched some stupid sitcoms until my father got home. I was bored, so I decided to go do some of my homework so I could relax this weekend. I'd say hello to Dad first, though. I walked over to him. "Hi, Daddy," I said. "How was your day?"

My father looked from my mother to me. "Hey, sweetheart! How are...." My father trailed off. I noticed his gaze flicker down from my face for a second.

Oh, my God! He had seen my breasts! I suddenly felt ashamed and embarassed. "I'm good!" I blurted. "I'm going to go do some homework now." I turned and ran into my room and slammed the door. I stood with my back to the door, panting, hoping he wasn't going to be upset with me or anything.

But why would he be upset with me? It's not my fault.

I sat down on my bed and realized that my books and stuff were still out on the coffee table in the living room. I'd have to go back out there to get it. Hopefully my father and mother were in the kitchen or something. I was embarassed about my outburst and didn't want to see either of them so soon. I quietly opened my room and crept into the living room. As I entered the room, I saw that they were both sitting on the couch, talking. Poo. No choice but to make my presense known. I walked slowly into view, not making eye contact. I gathered my books off of the coffee table, feeling their eyes on me. As I turned to go, my father cleared his throat. "Angela, honey, is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no, nothing. I'm sorry!"

"I was just about to comment on how lovely you look in that new sweater when you ran off. Did something happen at school today?"

My sweater? I looked down at it. Of course! This was the first day I had worn it! He had been looking at my sweater! "Oh! No, Dad, nothing bad happened, if that's what you mean. It's just been a long week, ya know? I'm going to go work for a bit, then go to sleep, okay?"

My father nodded. "Be sure to have lights out by ten." My mother said.

"I will, Mom. Good night!" I left the room, feeling much better,

I did my Math and Social Studies homework, then got ready for bed and turned out the light. I was feeling very relieved. It had just been a false alarm. Hopefully things will be better on Monday when school starts again, I thought. Surely it would. I mean, so I was getting breasts. It couldn't be that big of a deal, right?

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The weekend passed by uneventfully enough. I got all my homework done by Saturday afternoon and had Sunday to myself. I finished the book I was reading, so to keep me from getting too bored and to reward me for getting everything done so early, my mother took to me Rosewater Park for Sunday afternoon. It was a bright May afternoon, so I brought my kite, and flew it for a short while and then had a picnic with my mother.

As I was finishing one of the mini-sandwiches she had made, I looked up and saw Mom looking at me with a serious expression on her face. Uh, oh, I thought. This was always the look my mother put on when she wanted to have a serious discussion. "Angela," she began, her voice pleasant but serious, "I think I have an idea of what caused you to be upset Friday night."

"Hmm? What are you talking about, Mama?" I tried bluffing my way out of it by using my endearing term for my mother.

"You know what I'm talking about, and don't 'Mama' me. You seemed distant when you came home from school that day, and then you got upset at your father for no reason whatsoever. I think I know why."

Oh, no. Here it came. A breast discussion with my mother. Wonderful.

"It's about Brian, isn't it?"

My mouth dropped open. Was my mother serious? Surely she had noticed them on Friday. I mean, she was my mother. It was her job to notice things like that. "Huh?" is all I could say.

"I mean, since Melissa moved away he's really all you've had for a friend, and now that he's going out and spending more time with his friends, you feel abandoned by him." My mother smiled sweetly at me. "Honey, he's not abandoning you at all. You're his sister, and he loves you very much. I hope that you know that. It's just that he's getting older, and hanging around with his little sister isn't going to appeal to him as much as it used to. I know you two were always close, but surely you understand that, right?"

I said nothing. I merely nodded.

"Honey, you've gone into your shell too much since Melissa left. You need to try and reach out and make some new friends at school, okay? Everybody needs a friend. Promise me you'll try, okay?"

Dumbfounded, I nodded again. "Okay, Mama, I'll try."

"Good. Now, let's enjoy our picnic."

As I lay in bed that night, trying to get to sleep, I thought carefully about my mother's words to me. Maybe she was right. I hadn't really talked to anyone that much since Melissa left, and I was a little too dependent on Brian, too.

Maybe it wasn't my chest that was making people treat me badly. Maybe I was just being too much of a loner. Maybe it made me look like I was a mean person. I didn't want to be thought of as a mean person. That was it. Tomorrow I was going to try and make a new friend. But who? Maybe William. He had been looking at me on Friday. Maybe he wanted to be friends.

I clutched my teddy bear tightly, excited at the thought of making a new friend.

Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

I didn't have much time to try and talk to William the next day until recess. He got up quickly and left the room as the bell rang, signalling the end of Art class. I still had my glue and construction paper strewn all over my desk, so I didn't make it out of the room for a few minutes after the bell. I hurried downstairs to the courtyard, hoping to find William there. I didn't know where he went at recess, so I hoped he'd be there.

I stepped into the crowded courtyard and scanned the faces there for him. There were way too many kids at this school. I didn't know why they hadn't built a new one over in Paleville. After all, it was such a long way from home, and there were quite a few of us who went to Midwich from there. We could really use a new school. Brian's school was nicer than this. It was only a few years old, and had more than enough room for everyone.

I didn't see William anywhere. My heart sank. I spied Tara and Sarah across the courtyard, over by the big clock tower in the corner. I cast a quick look downwards as I walked across the big, weird, ugly symbol that was carved into the stone walkway in the center of the courtyard. It always made me feel nervous walking on it, for some reason. It looked like a weird geometry diagram, and I didn't know why it was there or what it meant. No one else seemed to notice it or be bothered by it, so I felt silly as I sped up to get off of it quicker.

Tara and Sarah looked up at me as I walked over to them. "Hi, Tara! Hi, Sarah!"

Tara and Sarah both blinked and looked at each other before Tara answered me. "What?"

"Have either of you seen William around?"

"William....?" Sarah said, a puzzled look on her face.

"Yeah. William Strong. I wanted to talk to him."

They looked at each other again. "Uh....I think I saw him go outside in the direction of the playground." Tara said.

"Okay, thanks a bunch, you guys! See you later!" I smiled and waved as I hurried back across the courtyard, through the school lobby and the double doors leading to the outside of the school. I walked around the side of the school to where the playground was. I looked around and saw him on the swingset, on the farthest swing from me. I called his name and walked over to the swings. He looked up at me, looking startled. I gestured for him to come over to where I was. He looked annoyed. I didn't blame him. There were only six swings, and they were always hard to get. He had rushed out of class to get it, probably.

"What do you want, Angela?" He said as he stopped a few feet in front of me, not unkindly.

"I'm sorry, William, I know how hard those swings are to get, but I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."

"Me? What about?"

"Nothing really." I smiled at him. "I just want to talk."

William looked back at the swings, and when he saw that his swing had already been taken, he looked back at me. He sighed. "Alright. Do you want to go back to the courtyard?"

I thought about the symbol and shivered again. "No. Um....let's go around back. You know that hill we slide on in the winter? It's beautiful there right now. Lots of dandelions and stuff out. We can sit and talk there."

William nodded, and followed me to the hill. I enjoyed the talk, but I did most of the talking. He just listened. He didn't seem particularly interested in what I had to say. The bell soon rang, and he got up and ran off back to the school without saying anything. I frowned, feeling sad. Maybe he wasn't interested in being friends with me. I shook my head and tried to push my sadness away. I could make someone else as a friend. If he wasn't interested, it was his loss. Besides, he was a boy, and the boys here didn't really get around with the girls very much. I'd make a girl friend. I stood up and nodded to myself. No reason to feel sad.

I realized I had been standing here thinking for two minutes. I was going to be late for Math class! Panicked, I ran back to the school.

Mr. Renaldo hadn't started the lesson yet when I entered the room, so I was relieved about that. I then noticed that everyone was looking at me. Was it just because I was late? I had been late before. It wasn't that odd. I looked down at my loose T-shirt. It wasn't my chest again, was it? No, they weren't even visible in this shirt. I heard muffled giggles. My cheeks flushed and I walked to my seat and sat down. I pulled out my Math notebook and went quickly over the problems I had done on the weekend. I think I actually got them all right, for once. I heard another giggle and looked up. It was Tara and Sarah.

Mr. Renaldo then walked to the front of the room and everyone went quiet again. I looked at William as he began talking, and was surprised to find that he had his head in his hands. Was he not feeling well? After ten minutes or so, when Mr. Renaldo turned his back to write on the board, I whispered, "William!"

He looked back at me, and I almost gasped in surprise. His cheeks were streaked with tears, and his face was full of hatred. He glared at me, then turned back and buried his face in his hands again. I looked around the room, wondering what had happened to him, and saw Tara and Sarah looking at me. Tara smirked at me and then started to giggle. Sarah followed suit.

After Mr. Renaldo gave us the assignment for the day, he told us to be good while he went to use the washroom. I opened my notebook and began to work on the first problem when a shadow fell over my paper. I looked up and saw Jennifer Palmer standing by my desk. Jennifer had been a friend of Melissa's, too, but we had never gotten around together.

"Hi, Jenny." I said, wondering why she had an anxious look on her face.

She crouched down and leaned in close to whisper to me. "Angela, is it true what Tara and Sarah are saying?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"They said they saw you take William behind the school at recess. They said they followed you guys and that they saw you......" she leaned in even closer and quickly finished her sentence. "They said you put his thingy in your mouth."

I recoiled in horror. "What?!" Everyone in the room turned to look at me.

"They said they saw you do it, Angela. Did you?"

"No!" I shouted.

I left Jennifer at my desk and stormed over to Sarah and Tara. "What are you guys doing saying stuff like that about me?!" I screamed. "It's not true!"

Tara scowled at me. "We know about people like you, Angela. You're just a filthy slut. We're just letting other people know."

"What?! I am not a slut! What have I done to make you think I am?! I just talked to William, that's all!"

"Maybe. But, I mean, look at you! We saw you on Friday, in that tight little sweater. You're a slut. We hate you, and you're a slut."

I began to cry. I looked around at the rest of the class, begging for a little support. "Hey, Angela! Want to come over to my house after school? My parents won't be home until five!" Jeffrey Findlay yelled. Everyone in the class burst into laughter. I began to sob, and ran crying from the room. I ran out of the school and up Midwich Street, sobbing uncontrollably. How could they say such terrible things about me?! I needed to call Mom and get her to take me home. There was a payphone at the convenience store nearby. I fumbled in my pocket and was relieved to find a quarter.

As I approached the store, I remembered that Mom was not at home today. She had gone on a field trip at Brian's school as a supervisor. I began to panic. I couldn't go back to school! Maybe I could try Dad.

I put the quarter into the phone and dialed the lumberyard, praying that he wasn't in the woods today.

"Hello, Wilson's Lumberyard." I recognized my father's boss' voice.

"Is Thomas Orosco there please?" I gasped in between sobs.

"Uh, yeah, he is, just a sec." He sounded uncomfortable. Probably wondering why a crying girl was calling one of his employees.

"Hello?" My father came on the line a few moments later.

"Daddy! Oh, God, you need to come pick me up right now! I'm at the 8 convenience store on Finney Street! Please!"

"Angela? Is that you? What's wrong, honey?"

"I don't want to talk about it! Please just come and get me!"

"Okay. Let me tell my boss that it's an emergency and I have to go. But you tell me what happened on the way home, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay. Stay there, Angela. I'll be there soon. Hold tight." Then he was gone.

I managed to get my tears under control and sat on the curb outside the store, waiting for my father to get there.

In a very short time I was going to wish I had just stayed at school.