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Graduation practice and there I was, trying my hardest to look like I was intelligently listening to the principal, all the while giving utmost attention only to what was happening in my peripheral vision. AJ, seated beside me, smelled faintly of Armani Mania, as in my dream and from out of the corner of my eye, I could see him cross his arms as he cocked his head to one side, in true to-die-for fashion. I put my left elbow on the armrest between us, uneasy, and watched as he raised his right forearm and put his chin in hand next. Three seconds later, he had his arms crossed again and I could sense him growing restless. He moved his right elbow one, two inches away from his body and I knew this day would go down in the annals of my history as the day of our first physical contact. I braced myself for the heady sensation I knew I’d get and felt my breath catching. Suddenly, my elbow was the only part of my body I could feel. Was it smooth enough? I though. Can he possibly feel if it is, through his elbow? My worries took over me and I felt as if all the blood drained out of my arm. I could sense the beginnings of a cramp. My limb begged to be moved from its stationary position. And it did, as if independent from my body and without my consent. Just as our elbows were almost touching, I knocked AJ’s elbow out of the armrest!

We were dismissed a nanosecond later, thank God. I managed to mouth a feeble sorry to his retreating back.

“Gosh, Katie, could you be more spastic?” Chrissie, best friend and confidante, seated a row behind me, asked incredulously as we rose from our seats, with AJ out of earshot. “If the object of the game was to scare AJ out of ever sitting beside you, you’ve done one heck of a job,” she laughed.

I buried my face in my hands, “I panicked! He must think I’m a freak!” I felt despair, causing me to blush to the roots of my hair.

“There, there,” she said, putting her arm around me as we walked towards class. “At least, he’ll remember you fondly as the freak with the phenomenal box-out,” she teased and I had to laugh.

“Do tell me if they’re having women’s basketball next year. What with your mean defense and an alumna’s recommendation from me, you’d be a shoo in!” and my smile had to fade, replaced by a decent-sized knot in my throat.

The day I learned that Chrisse would be leaving for the States for good, Marsha, my older sister, attempted to cheer me up. “I promise, it’ll be the most fun you’ll ever have in your entire life, ” she said about high school, but I was inconsolable. I had trouble believing her for two reasons: first, she had all of one year ahead of me, which made the been-there-done-that tone hard to wallow; and second, she never had the handicap of not having her best friend of six years with her to go on this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Chrissie is all I’ve ever known.

I helped her pack two days before her flight, a day before graduation. Her voice was thin as she gave me one last pep talk. “Don’t worry, I’m sure Nic will help you deal with Anne and Jill’s neuroses when I’m gone. And Carloo too,” — my friend and neighbor, rather, friend by default. “Although, he’s acting really weird around you lately. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say…” she trailed off, and then looked at me and winked. “And tell me everything that I’m sure will happen between you and AJ,” she added. And we shared a smile that didn’t quite reach our eyes.

Graduation day and I was oblivious to everything but the way the minutes seemed to fly by. The last two hours were literally the last Chrissie and I would be spending together and I didn’t even remember much. I don’t remember how bad it felt when my dad looked disappointed that I didn’t graduate with the best grades. I dont’ remember whether AJ’s hands felt soft after we held hands for the “Our Father” at mass. I dont’ even remember feeling silly at shedding tears when they played the cheesy grad song. All I do remember was Chrissie alternately crying and laughing during that song with me, our hugging each other afterwards, and my saying goodbye.

“She’s leaving, huh?” someone to my right asked as I stared at Chrissie’s retreating back. I turned my hand and got lost in AJ’s big brown eyes. He smiled his slow smile, “But at least, you’ll be rubbing elbows with us in high school, right?” he asked, his eyes glinting.

I managed to laugh softly and nod, “Everyone better watch out.”