At lunch Monday I found myself once again near Becca. Not because I meant to sit near her, but because Ben seemed completely unaware of who or where he was. Only days before, he had been a well-adjusted kid who knew lunch was to be had with his buddies. In the span of a few days he had turned into some sort of lunchroom psycho interested only in discussing lizards and other trivial gossip with Kirsten. Being the true friend that I was, I felt obligated to support him despite his mental state. That is how I found myself sitting across from Becca. Being a best friend is filled with sacrifices.

Spread before her was a colorful mixture of vegetarian delights. There were green peas, cheese wedges, fresh fruit salad, and a bar of chocolate large enough to keep her afloat in the event of a flash flood.

“I’ve been thinking about the cafeteria food,” Becca said as I sat down. “They really should have a vegetarian entrée option every day.”

“You’re right,” I agreed.

I pulled out my sandwich and laid it on the table with pride. Today, we were equals. Today, we were two people with a shared passion for vegetables. Today we—my inner dialogue stopped short as I followed Becca’s eyes. My sandwich appeared to be with child. Several children. I lifted the bread to take a better look. Whatever possessed me last evening had been of the devil. Between the two slices of bread I found three brussel sprouts, a whole carrot, and several uncooked lima beans.

“What is that?” Becca asked.

“Um—I’m not exactly sure,” I said, closing the slice of bread before anything crawled away. “My mom likes things real natural,” I sputtered.

“Is she into raw foods?” Becca asked, pulling her lunch closer, as if fearing the contents of my sandwich might be planning an attack.

“Uh yeah, I guess so.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but if it explained what was hiding between my two slices of bread, I was more than willing to run with it.

“My mom is into raw foods, too. I like being vegetarian, but I can’t go that far.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But what can I do? She’s so proud of me for trying.”

Becca smiled. “That’s sweet. You must really like your mom.”

I was starting to blush. The important thing about lying is to own it no matter how much your stomach is turning. “Yeah,” I said.

“That’s so sweet,” Ben added. “Not only does he love his mother, he also enjoys cooking and tending to his flower garden. Oh, and he just adores those quizzes in the back of Seventeen magazine.”

I gave Ben a playful punch in the arm, the kind of playful punch that knocked him off his seat. He got up, giggling.

“Ben’s real funny,” I explained. “And he giggles like a girl.”

“My brother giggles like a girl,” Kirsten added, “and he’s in high school.”

“I don’t giggle like a girl,” Ben said with a giggle.

“Yes, you do,” we all agreed.

This set off both of the girls—and Ben—giggling uncontrollably. As the only one who does not giggle, I confined myself to a brief snort followed by a guffaw.

“He’s giggling,” Kirsten said, pointing at me.

I could only hope the rest of the lunchroom had gone deaf or died.

When the bell sounded, the four of us trooped out of the lunchroom together. We reached class far too soon, still giggling for no reason known to mankind.

Becca and I parted at the door. “See you later,” she said.

I floated to the back of the room like a balloon half full of helium.

“Mr. Truly, would you care to give your oral report?” Ms. Hunzinger asked as she brought the class to order.

I immediately rose. “Yes. Yes, I would.” I boldly strode to the front of the room and positioned myself almost but not quite in front of Becca. “The Incas were an amazing people known for many things,” I began. “They were excellent farmers who loved growing vegetables. They terraced the hillsides and grew tomatoes, avocados, peppers, strawberries, peanuts, squash, sweet potatoes, beans, pineapple, and bananas.” From the corner of my eye, I could see Becca smiling.

When I finished, I returned to my seat with a self-satisfied smile. In my life, there have been three moments in which time seemed to stand still. Two of them had occurred in the last ten minutes.