you know how i've always wanted lesbian friends? they're perfect.
"Riley, are we really going through with this?" Maya asked her best friend, who was dressed head to toe in a communist uniform.
"For the millionth time, yes!" Riley replied. "This is going to get me to be popular. I've tried being a Harajuku girl which only got me popular with five extremely unpopular geeks, I tried being goth which just got me a trip to the guidance counselor's office, but this has to work. It's genius. When I go to school dressed like this, we'll finally be in the in crowd and get an invite to Zay Babineaux's party."
"How are you going to explain why you're wearing a communist outfit and why you're acting like this?" Maya questioned her friend.
"I'll tell them that over the summer I went to Cuba with my parents and I really loved their government ideals."
"Cuba? Riles, you can barely speak one sentence in Spanish," Maya pointed out.
"They're not going to ask me to speak Spanish," Riley replied and added, "Plus, you can help me out with that part."
"Who says I'm going to help you out with your ridiculous plan?"
"Because you looooove me."
Riley and Maya walked into Abigail Adams High School, with their arms linked together like they always did. Riley tried to walk stiffly so to give off a communist vibe while Maya simply rolled her eyes at her best friend. She loved Riley, she did, but she would never understand her incessant need to be popular, and she certainly didn't understand why Riley would change herself to be popular when she loved the goofball exactly the way she was.
"See? People are already staring," Riley whispered, taking Maya out of her thoughts.
"I don't know if it's the good kind of staring, honey," Maya said.
"Stop being such a Negative Nancy," Riley said with a big smile. "I believe in this."
"Then I believe in it too, because I believe in you," Maya told her. And she did.
They started walking faster when they heard the first bell, but they accidentally bumped into Missy, someone who had been known to torment the two.
"Watch where you're going!" Missy exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Riley squeaked.
"No, she's not, this ain't North Korea, we can walk where we want, Missy," Maya retorted, standing up for Riley.
"Whatever," Missy huffed. "Why don't you go back to your Isle of Lesbos?"
Behind Missy were the two most popular people in the entire grade, Zay Babineaux and Lucas Friar. When Zay overheard that, he said, "Making fun of gay people is so last century, Missy. Why don't you crawl back into the hole where you belong?"
"Thanks for that," Maya said, giving them a grateful smile. "I don't know what her deal is."
"She's terrible, the other day, I sat where she normally sits for lunch and she told me that I was going to hell," Zay said, with a laugh. "I'm Zay and this is Lucas."
"I know," Riley said, a little too quickly. "I mean um...nice to meet you. I'm Riley. This is Maya."
"You two should come to our party tonight, it's gonna be lit," Zay said, offering them a slip of paper with his address on it.
"Thanks, we'll be there!" Riley exclaimed, with a grin. "We should probably get going to class, I think the bell's about to ring. Let's go, Peaches."
After Riley and Maya left to go to their class, Zay commented to Lucas, "You know how I've always wanted lesbian friends?"
Lucas nodded.
"They're perfect."