Okay, I LIED!
I had no intention whatsoever of BAILING on Erin, UNTIL later that afternoon I heard some football players talking about “the big fight after school today.”
And it was going to be between THUG and some new kid named MAX CRUMMY?!
Just GREAT!!
Some days you’re the BUG, and some days you’re the windshield!
And, unfortunately, that day I was the BUG!
As much as I wanted to help Erin, I knew I had to avoid trouble with Thug or risk my parents pulling me out of South Ridge Middle School.
So I didn’t have a choice but to tell Erin the truth some very BAD NEWS!
You know, THAT news. . . .
How I couldn’t stay after school to help with the play because my grandmother had sneezed, accidentally swallowed her dentures, and choked to death!!
And I had to rush straight home to go to her FUNERAL!
But when I got to the theater room, I couldn’t help but notice through the window that Erin seemed kind of down.
And she kept glancing anxiously at her watch.
Sure, I was a few minutes late.
But give me a break!
It wasn’t like I was helping Michelangelo paint the SISTINE CHAPEL!
The last thing Erin needed was me bailing on her because I was too big a COWARD to stand up to Thug, and then LYING about it more DRAMA in her life!
With a FRIEND like me, who needs an ENEMY, right?!
So instead of giving her a lame excuse about my grandma choking on her dentures, I decided to just head for home before Thug caught up with me.
And if I hurried, I could still catch my bus.
I know! You’re probably thinking, “Dude, I don’t like you very much right now. And I didn’t like you that much to begin with!”
I totally agree with you. Because right then I didn’t like myself much either.
But in the end I COULDN’T walk away and just leave Erin hanging like that when she was depending on me.
And yes. I ALSO knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to walk away LATER once Thug caught up with me and broke both of my legs!
I knocked on the window, smiled, and waved at Erin.
Hopefully, if Thug looked for me in the theater room, once he spotted Erin he’d totally forget about the fight and try to impress her by BRAGGING about more of his favorite obscure yet fashionable colors.
Erin gave me a weak smile as she opened the door.
“Thanks for coming, Max! But, actually, I don’t need your help anymore. So you can go,” she said as she sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“I’m really sorry I’m late! Um, are you okay, Erin?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I guess! I just got some bad news.”
“Really? What happened?” I asked, concerned.
“Well, I don’t want to talk about it right now, okay? But thanks for coming. I’ll see you around.”
“Sure, Erin. If there’s anything I can do . . .”
“No, there ISN’T. Just please leave me alone!”
BURN!!
“Um, okay.” I shrugged. Then I turned and walked out of the room.
So that was it! My friendship with Erin Madison lasted barely half a day.
At that moment I was sure of only two things.
I DIDN’T understand GIRLS! AT ALL!!
And I had exactly forty-eight seconds to get my BUTT on the bus if I wanted to make it home in one piece!
