Chapter 5

Amy Farrah Fowler

Diary Entry 170

April 24, 1995

I've experienced things.

Womanly things.

Things that make elderly women clutch their pearls.

Things that make grown men blush.

Things that are forbidden in church.

I've experienced the longing stare of a man!

I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll begin with the top.

It began the night of prom (Refer to diary entry 152).

1- Sheldon walked me home and complimented me on my intelligence.

2- I saw him at school the next day...we were alone!

3- I mentioned we become friends. He vehemently denied.

4- I convince him otherwise.

5- He agreed to a friendship agreement that would test the possibility of a friendship for 6 weeks.

6- He stared longingly into my eyes. The connection between us was so strong I could almost read his mind. He probably was thinking: She's beautiful. She's intriguing and intelligent and brilliant. I secretly hope this experiment is successful because I want to be her friend. Possibly a boyfriend, or a lover, or a husband, or father of her children!

He even smiled at me! No guy, beside my dad and my biology teacher, has ever smiled at me. Laughed at me? Of course, but never a genuine smile. His smile...

It was warm, tender like flowing honey, or the warm evening sun. It was everything I needed and what I wanted more of. Who would have thought that I, Amy Farrah Fowler, would become lucky enough to gain a friend.

Always,

AFF

The rest of the day Amy stumbled her way through classes that weren't challenge to her, classes that weren't challenging to anyone, and blocks of time where everyone slept which they called class. But none of that matter because that singular moment with Sheldon brightened her entire day. Her bones were looser and her blood ran faster. She felt like one of the girls from the Tampax commercial, where they are so happy about bleeding profusely for a week that they dance on a beach in white satin. She floated down the entrance steps onto the front lawn and sauntered through the forest of students until she reached the sidewalk preparing to waltz her way home. That was until she heard a spit filled "pssst" coming from the tree beside her.

She turned her head in interest.

"Pssssssst" She tried to ignore it. You're having a good day Amy, why ruin it with this trick behind the tree. She was probably meant to investigate the noise only to find some snickering jock smashing a pie in her face while the rest of the campus came running like wild baboons. Not today, not this time. She thought and continued.

"Pssssssssssssssstah!" Any harder and the person would have bursts a blood vessel. She turned facing the noise and saw the edge of a pink glittered backpack.

She gave in and rounded the tree to find a petite girl in a massive metal brace. The body was covered in cheap 'You Rock!' stickers while the poles were wrapped in pink and green pipe cleaners.

"Cassy Cho?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I was so worried, Amy!" She said out of breath bombarding Amy with a metallic and wiry hug. The edge of her brace weighing into Amy's side. "I've been so worried about you, I couldn't sleep. Truly, I haven't slept a wink since- well, let's just say since" she ducked her head and whispered like the government was listening in on their conversation. "you know what. Oh, it's truly awful what they did to us, truly! How are you hanging up?" She stopped, her eyes as wide as bottle tops.

"I'm" she assumed she should say she was "handling it" "bent but not broken" or "I'm glad I made it through" any of the cliche phrases someone says when they want to seem like they are fine but are nowhere near fine. But Amy didn't feel broken or anything close. She had gotten something out of it that made the night better; friendship. "I'm better".

"Oh, that's amazing. I wish I could say the same but that night eats me up every time I think about it. Every time I see the students I completely panic, I feel like it's happening all over again." Her face had turn a dangerous red just talking about the situation. "I-i can't stay here anymore, truly…I'm changing school this week." Casey confessed looking like a guilty puppy. Her head was tucked in her chest and she could barely look up.

"Oh" was all Amy could say.

"Oh, I know I'm a coward for running away but these people are cruel and there is nothing keeping me here!" Casey continued to talk flailing her arms wherever her brace would allow her, but Amy stopped listening. She spotted Sheldon at the opening of the building looking around like he was searching for someone. Was he looking for her? Maybe he wanted to begin their friendship agreement? She thought filled with glee. "Shelby is changing school with me, and Lillian is going to be homeschooled for the rest of the year. Don't be upset that we're leaving you! We support you always and if you need someone to talk to we're here but, there is nothing good here anymore. I'm happy about the change, truly." The edge of her lips were itching to smile but she stared at Amy waiting for permission to do so. Old Amy would have felt neglected that the only people who understood her pain were abandoning her like an old dog. But she was changing and she wanted them to feel safe and happy. She wanted herself to feel safe and happy.

"I understand, Cassy." Amy said gently hugging her. "And I'm not upset, I'm happy for you. There just might be one good thing that's keeping me here." Amy said in Sheldon direction, who was headed toward her. "I've got to go Cassy. Take care!" She shooed her off.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, a word please" Sheldon hustled to her like a worried ruler. "I know we've verbally agreed to a 6 week friendship agreement, but I trust a woman's promise about as much as I trust my left thumb; and my left thumb and I have suffered serious loyalty issues as of late. So, I would like to sign a notarized document that would lay out the parameters of our friendship agreement." He said, and Amy didn't heard a word of it. All she noticed was how quick his mind worked. How she could see the thought forming and the exact moment the thought came to his mind, it was spectacular.

"Umm I- i. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well my original thought was to fly to Philadelphia and sign it where they signed the American Constitution but I'd die if some greasy guy named Big Jerry tries to sell me a hypertension stuffed hoagie covered in cheese. Then I thought about the local court house but my brother has been there so many times they know us by name. So, after exhausting all of my good options I've settled on signing the documents during a night of meaningless conversation, subpar atmosphere, and high calorie food"

"I don't understand"

"Dinner at my house." Oh "To sign papers and clear any comments questions or concerns." Her ears perked like a dog hearing a rattling doorknob. Was this a date? He wasn't explicitly saying 'Amy, will you go on a date with me?' But he didn't seem like the type to do so. The way he rocked on his feet, and failed to keep solid focus, showed that he was unfamiliar with this type of social interaction. He was a genius but still a teenage boy. A dinner invitation from Sheldon would be intricate, something only someone of the mind could understand and appreciate, it'd be awkward, because that's just who he was but it'd be sweet because that's who he is as well. Sheldon fiddled with his thumbs and searched the sky.

"Is this a…date?" Amy asked hopefully.

"No, it's dinner at my house to clear any comments, questions, or concerns."

"Right."

"So what time do you normally eat dinner? So I can compare it to mine and find a median time. Therefore we can both eat close enough to our regular schedules, so our digestion routines won't be disrupted."

"May I suggest 7:00pm. All good television comes on at 7:00/8:00 so your siblings will be pressured to eat quickly and leave. And the nightly news comes on at 10:00 so your Mom won't be tempted to chat and pull out any dreaded baby pictures." The more the spoke the wider his eyes grew, he had never seen anything like this before. Someone who understands the importance of a schedule. "Therefore leaving our consumption of food from 7 to 8:30 and time to read and sign documents from 8:30-9:30."

"Brilliant." He stepped back to fully examine who he was talking to. He studied her shoes and passed to her sweater and hair, but landed on her eyes, and he lingered there longer than needed. His face traveled through the gambit of emotions. He looked uncomfortable, then confused, and finally his brow relaxed and he looked curious. "Hm. 7:00 it is then. I look forward to tonight. Good day Ms. Fowler."

"Same to you, Mr. Cooper." She waited for Sheldon to walk off but he remained in his same shocked state and closely watched her leave.

Interesting.