A Brighter Tomorrow: My Journey with Julie

I tell Julie those three girls can’t be as bad as the Stinger kid. She blows a strand of hair out of her eyes and says we’ll see. She offers a polite nod as the girls approach, but they call her Tomboy and don’t even look at me. Amanda comments on Julie’s sweatshirt and holds her nose. Allison asks if it’s the Jaguars uniform they gave Julie to hide the fact that she’s a girl.

But Julie doesn’t miss a beat. She says that Coach Manley is going to let her on the basketball team. Principal Sanchez is looking over her petition as we speak. Angela scoffs that Julie shouldn’t hold her breath. She flips her hair and walks away, and the others follow.

Julie wrinkles her nose at them before turning to me. She says it’s no fun being the new girl. Wait. Julie’s the new girl, too?

Julie explains that after her parents’ divorce, she and her mom and Tracy moved a few miles away to an apartment above her mom’s new store. Julie just started a few weeks ago at Jack London Elementary and asks me what school I go to.

I tell Julie, but she doesn’t recognize the name. I realize my school might not have been built yet in Julie’s time. I tell her that I miss my school in Ohio. And I miss my old friends.

To my surprise, tears prick in my eyes. I try to blink them away, but Julie sees I’m upset and guides me to a nearby bench.

Julie tells me the first few weeks are the hardest. That was a rough time for her, too. But then, she met T.J. and things started looking up. I’ll make some friends soon.

I tell her that I’m not sure about that. I’ve only been at my new school a week, and I’ve already managed to make enemies. It seems like every person at my school is a Water Fountain Girl. I tell her about the sign someone put on my back.

Julie frowns and says that that’s awful. How did I find out about the note? I explain about the girl, Savannah, and my social studies class.

Julie perks up. Savannah might already be my friend.

I suppose that’s true. Savannah was nice to me at school, and she’s in most of my classes. Maybe on Monday I can ask to sit with her at lunch.

But then, I feel a twinge of guilt. Was Chloe really worried when she asked me if I had replaced her with a new best friend? Would she be upset with me if I found another best friend in San Francisco?

I ask Julie if she had a best friend at her old school. Julie nods enthusiastically and says her name is Ivy, who lives across the street from her dad’s house. Ivy’s still her best friend, but Julie doesn’t see her every day anymore.

I remember the picture on Julie’s dresser of the two of them. Julie recalls that as neighbors, they used to flick their lights on and off to say goodnight. I can see the sadness in her eyes.

I ask if it’s hard to stay friends after moving away. Julie considers this, then says they talk on the phone a lot, and she sees Ivy when she visits her dad, but it’s not the same. Now that they go to separate schools and have different lives, they don’t always understand each other.

Just a week ago, they got into a bad fight over Julie’s basketball petition. But then they made up when Ivy mailed a petition to her to be her best friend. Now they’re closer than ever because they know that no matter what, they’ll always be best friends.

I wonder what I can send to Chloe to reassure her that I’ll always be her best friend. Julie claps her hands together and says she’ll get to see Ivy tonight when she visits her dad for the weekend. I’m happy for Julie, but I suddenly feel homesick and want to call Chloe to hear all about the party.

As Julie and I leave the park and head up Frederick Street, I tell her I’m glad I met her and glad to have a friend in San Francisco. Julie nods and says she’s here whenever I need her. When we arrive back at Gladrags, I suddenly get an idea. There’s one more thing I need to buy.

As I pay for my purchase, I say goodbye to Mrs. Albright and give Julie a goodbye hug. Outside, just before I slip off the mood ring, I open my palm and smile at the matching pink and orange flower-power charms in my hand: one for me, and one for my flower-loving best friend, Chloe. Now I’m ready to go home.