Best Friend

By Priyanshi Baraiya

It was 3:33

When I first saw her

My best friend

The only one who understood me

She was full of life and all things nice

It was 4:44

When we realised,

We’d been talking for over an hour

about my OCD

And her ED

It was 5:55

When she introduced me to my safe haven

Poems up on the walls

I stood there clueless

Then the head boy sang about his dead mom

It was 6 months and 66 hours later

When I went up on the stage

And fumbled around the words

Stuck in my throat were shame and fear

Of being judged and ridiculed

But, my best friend and her friends applauded me

It was 7 days 7 hours and 7 minutes later

When I didn’t care

About the people in the hallways

And the voices in my head

I stood in the middle of the busy student body

Listening to “Tenerife Sea” and picturing my best friend in her wonderful dress

It was 8 days at 8 hours 8 minutes later

When I woke up from my first peaceful sleep in a long time

And I asked my best friend

if she wanted to go on the school trip

A few days from now

She said sure, as long as were together

It was Room No. 999

When I realized I had to room with some else

And I asked my teacher “Where’s Daria?”

I realised Daria was still in the 1999 yearbook,

After she took one too many pills

It was 11:11

when I wished

For my best friend to be real

She whispered in my ear

“you’re ready to be on your own, dear”

By Priyanshi Baraiya