"That night," Ino said, after a moment to gather her thoughts, "the popular girl went home straight away and curled up in her father's lap, and just thought for hours without moving. She knew that, if she said anything, the shy girl would let her win the boy."
"And that night, the popular girl made her decision--she valued her friend's progress more than the boy. So as the days went by, she started gently shoving the shy girl in the boy's direction, all the while keeping silent about her own feelings for the boy."
"All secrets, though, come out eventually. And the shy girl, when she found out that the popular girl liked the same boy... in a way the popular girl had been more successful in building the shy girl's confidence than she'd thought, the shy girl, rather than conceding the boy to the popular girl..." Ino tugged at her hair. "The shy girl ended their friendship, and gave back the ribbon, saying that they were rivals now. Right there, in front of her friend, the popular girl reacted and said 'sure, we're rivals, and I'll win' but that night, the popular girl was the one that cried herself to sleep. She didn't understand how a boy was more important to the shy girl than their friendship."
"The popular girl spent the weekend thinking, not bothering to go and hang out with her other friends, and claiming that her parents needed her help out in the store as her excuse for brushing them off. By the time Monday had come around the popular girl had decided what she was going to do. If the boy was so important to the shy girl, so important that she could break with the one who'd helped her, and encouraged her for years... then fine. The popular girl decided that, if her friend, her best friend needed an enemy to fight against, rather than a friend who'd hold her hand, that she, the popular one, would be that enemy. The next morning, instead of just greeting the boy with a smile and her usual wave, the popular girl hugged him. It was her declaration of war--and the greatest lie of her life."
"The shy girl didn't know that the popular girl still considered her to be her best friend, and the fight over the boy began in earnest. Two years of school it went on for, the boy not interested in either of them, and the popular girl liking the boy less and less as she realized he wasn't the type to ever care about either of them. But the shy girl, every time, rose to the challenge of 'who would win the boy' and for that the popular girl wouldn't quit the game."
"Graduation came," she said, "and the shy girl was put on a team with the guy she liked, while the popular girl was put on a team with two guys she'd known since they'd been crawling. The popular girl shouted, and stormed, but in reality didn't mind her team at all. The shy girl crowed triumphantly and then, as they saw each other less often without school to bring them together, the popular girl had to make sure that every encounter meant more. That every shove was harder and rougher. All in the name of making her friend stronger."
Re: Make some huts!
"And that night, the popular girl made her decision--she valued her friend's progress more than the boy. So as the days went by, she started gently shoving the shy girl in the boy's direction, all the while keeping silent about her own feelings for the boy."
"All secrets, though, come out eventually. And the shy girl, when she found out that the popular girl liked the same boy... in a way the popular girl had been more successful in building the shy girl's confidence than she'd thought, the shy girl, rather than conceding the boy to the popular girl..." Ino tugged at her hair. "The shy girl ended their friendship, and gave back the ribbon, saying that they were rivals now. Right there, in front of her friend, the popular girl reacted and said 'sure, we're rivals, and I'll win' but that night, the popular girl was the one that cried herself to sleep. She didn't understand how a boy was more important to the shy girl than their friendship."
"The popular girl spent the weekend thinking, not bothering to go and hang out with her other friends, and claiming that her parents needed her help out in the store as her excuse for brushing them off. By the time Monday had come around the popular girl had decided what she was going to do. If the boy was so important to the shy girl, so important that she could break with the one who'd helped her, and encouraged her for years... then fine. The popular girl decided that, if her friend, her best friend needed an enemy to fight against, rather than a friend who'd hold her hand, that she, the popular one, would be that enemy. The next morning, instead of just greeting the boy with a smile and her usual wave, the popular girl hugged him. It was her declaration of war--and the greatest lie of her life."
"The shy girl didn't know that the popular girl still considered her to be her best friend, and the fight over the boy began in earnest. Two years of school it went on for, the boy not interested in either of them, and the popular girl liking the boy less and less as she realized he wasn't the type to ever care about either of them. But the shy girl, every time, rose to the challenge of 'who would win the boy' and for that the popular girl wouldn't quit the game."
"Graduation came," she said, "and the shy girl was put on a team with the guy she liked, while the popular girl was put on a team with two guys she'd known since they'd been crawling. The popular girl shouted, and stormed, but in reality didn't mind her team at all. The shy girl crowed triumphantly and then, as they saw each other less often without school to bring them together, the popular girl had to make sure that every encounter meant more. That every shove was harder and rougher. All in the name of making her friend stronger."
Ino took a deep breath, and shook her head.