Bleeding

Another entry in the "One Good Thing I've Done/One Bad Thing I've Done" file.

One Bad Thing I've Done

The whole thing was my fault, really. I mean, she's the one who threw the first punch, but everything leading up to it is firmly planted on my shoulders. She was my best friend for the majority of my Junior year of high school. She, Dorothy and I would trudge around our school like we owned the damn place. While Dorothy favored the style of those she accompanied to raves every weekend, and I was the thrift store rat who was known to squeeze herself into whimsical vintage children's dresses, Yvette was the resident "Riot Grrrl" and had the lunchbox that took the place of a purse, little barrettes in her bleach blond bob, and chain wallet to prove it.

Even to this day, I still have to admit to myself that she was quite annoying. Sure she was fun to be around most of the time, and was incredibly social and outgoing...but, my god, she was as shallow as they come. I used to joke that you could put down the phone during a conversation with her, and when you came back an hour later, she'd still be talking about whatever drama she was currently dealing with. The worst thing though, the thing that made me decide to end our friendship, was the incessant gossiping. It was nonstop, and you could be sure that whatever secret you told her would quickly spread to everyone you knew.

I can't remember why or how it escalated, but I was quite mouthy back then, so I must have pissed her off enough to warrant her approaching me during our morning break where I was sitting with my friends, and punch me in the face. What followed was the first and only real fight I've ever been in. It was over quickly, with a few scratches and pulled hair for both of us. I did get one good punch in, which I still feel badly about.

It was my fault. I was probably mean and flippant, and I'm sure it hurt her feelings when I dismissed our friendship so easily. When I ran into her a few years later at a bar, I apologized and we both laughed it off.


One Good Thing I've Done

I wrote the "one bad thing" part of this post yesterday, and subsequently spent the remainder of the day trying to think of one good thing I've done. Of course there were little things like being there when a friend needed me, putting a quarter in a meter that had run out, feeding a stray dog, etc. But I couldn't think of anything really concrete, something that stood out as more than just a day-to-day nicety.

So this Saturday I'm going to do something I've been contemplating for a few months. I'm going to get my cheek swabbed and my blood drawn in hopes of becoming a candidate for bone marrow donation.