Mae sighed and flopped down into a chair. Two of her friends were already at the table, playing a game with sharpened pencils and their hands, which already bore reddened marks from where they’d stabbed their hands.

“Hey, Mae,” one greeted her, pausing mid-jab. “So LB kicked Nerd Girl’s a*s? Good on him.”

“Hey,” the other remarked, also stopping. “You look like you just got slapped.”


“I did,” Mae said wryly. “By Ophelia.” Her two friends exchanged glances.

“All this strain on your friendship is bad,” the redhead remarked, “and it’s all stemming from one source-- a dude who wants to be a chick.”

“Maybe if you just get everything out in the open,” the black-haired girl suggested. “I mean, you two are still friends. She’ll understand. She’ll know how it is to be in love.”


Yes, Mae thought, I was in love once. Even now, I can see it in my mind’s eye-- a trio of young teens. Ophelia, so strong and determined. Cy, so kind and loving. And me in the middle. But let’s back up to where it all began, back when the dissonance first started…



Ophelia and Mae sprawled out on the floor of their old clubhouse, a habit and place they’d refused to give up, despite being in their early teens.

“And, oh God, Mae, he was so hot!” Ophelia squealed, regaling Mae with the details of Charise’s birthday party. “He even has long hair, and you know I love long-haired guys.”

“Yeah,” Mae replied, “but is he nice?”

“He seems to be. Problem is, he seems to be more interested in Charise. No surprise there-- guys always like her better. Hell, S has been after her for years. Most guys would have given up by now.”

“But this guy is so old compared to both of you,” Mae replied. “Didn’t you say he’s nineteen?”

“Age is just a number,” Ophelia argued.

Mae bit her lip, wanting to argue with Ophelia, but restraining herself. “Hey,” she said, changing the subject, “someone’s moving into the place across the street. Wanna go check it out?”

“Sure,” Ophelia replied, leaping to her feet. She tugged at Mae’s hand. “Come on, let’s go!”

Mae allowed Ophelia to drag her out of their clubhouse, out of the backyard, and across the street. There, in front of the newly purchased home, was a family busily carrying boxes and bags into the house.

“Hey,” Ophelia greeted the mother of the family, “I’m Ophelia Foley, and this is my friend Mae Rivers. We’re your neighbors, and we just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood!”

Mae couldn’t help but envy Ophelia’s easygoing ways. She always knew what to say and wasn’t scared to talk to people she didn’t know.

“Hi, Ophelia and Mae,” the woman replied. “I’m Martha Cloud, and that’s my husband Victor. The two little ones are Janelle and Phillip, and the two older ones are Milton and Sylvia. And… oh, there he is, he was in the house… that’s my middle child, my son Cyrus. He’s about the same age as you two. Cyrus, come here!”

Cyrus hurried over. He was an attractive boy with long red hair in a ponytail, dressed in jeans and a trendy t-shirt. He smiled shyly at Mae and Ophelia. Mae could almost hear Ophelia’s thoughts-- “Oh my God, what a hottie!” Ophelia was even blushing a little, a rarity for her. Mae tried not to giggle at her friend’s obvious infatuation.

“Girls, this is Cyrus. Cyrus, these are our neighbors, Mae and Ophelia,” Martha said, introducing them.

“We’re not sisters, by the way,” Mae said to Cyrus. It was a stupid thing to say; they looked nothing alike, but she had to say something.

“Hey, what school are you going to attend when classes start back up?” Ophelia asked Cyrus.

“I’m going to be a freshman at Oakdale High,” he replied.

“Oh, like my cousin, Charise,” Ophelia commented. “I’m sure you’ll see her eventually-- she’s… well, she keeps company with an odd variety of people, so they all kind of stand out.” She laughed a little. “Mae and I are going to be eighth graders at Graham Middle. I’m twelve, but I’ll be thirteen on Halloween.”

“That’s so cool!” Cyrus replied. “My birthday is December 31. Apparently, I was born about a minute before midnight.”

“Mae’s birthday is January 1,” Ophelia spoke up.

“Maybe we were born in the same hospital,” Mae suggested, finally grateful to have something to say.

“Possibly,” Cyrus said with a nod. “Where were you born?”

“Moriseaux City,” Mae responded.

Cyrus nodded. “I was also. You might have been born in there not long after I was.”

“Maybe,” Mae said.

“Hey,” Ophelia said, “how about if we show you around the neighborhood and introduce you to our friends?”

“Can I, Mom?” Cyrus asked.

“Sure, honey. We’ve got lots of help here. Just get back before it gets dark,” Martha said with a nod.

“Awesome!” Ophelia said with a laugh. She led Mae and Cyrus away from the house. “First, Cyrus, you’ve got to see the awesome ice cream shop down the street…”