If you’d ever told me that being assigned a boring History project would end up making me the happiest I’ve felt in years, I’d probably think you were crazy or on drugs or something. But, well… the past few weeks have definitely proved me wrong.

I’ve known Rylie and Devin since I was seven years old. They’ve been in my class for almost as long as I can remember… But I was always too afraid to really talk to them. It’s hard to explain… It’s just this vibe they give off. Not exactly a bad one, I guess. Not like Katie and her friends have.

They’re just… fearless. They don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. They never have, I don’t think. And no matter how much I ended up admiring them for it, I was always so intimidated by it too… Maybe I still am, a little.

But it’s so different now. We’ve actually hung out together, and gotten to know each other. We’re… friends.

I know it’s only been a few weeks, but if things keep going the way they have, I honestly think they could end up being the best friends I’ve ever had (except maybe Nyla… But that ship sailed a long time ago).

They just… get me. Better than anyone else ever has.

I never realized how much we have in common before. Their parents are so much like mine… They keep trying to force them to be something they’re not. And Rylie and Devin are just as sick of it as I am. I’ve never really been able to vent about mom and Papa before. I never had anyone who could understand, until now.

That’s not the only thing we talk about, of course. We spend our time together doing more than just bitching about our parents (or Katie, even). I feel like we can talk about… Well, anything, really. That’s what we spend most of our time doing. Usually we go out and just kinda wander around the city.

Sometimes Devin brings some paint and we’ll watch him do some graffiti in the old alleyways downtown. He’s really talented, actually. His artwork is just so beautiful. It’s like, hypnotizing to watch him work (I try really hard not to stare… but I really can’t help it sometimes!).

I just love sitting there with Rylie and watching Devin create a new masterpiece. See, whenever she’s really focused on something, Rylie usually starts singing to herself under her breath. I don’t even think she realizes she does it. And God, she gets so pissed when we point it out! But she has the most beautiful voice you’ve ever heard. I could listen to her sing all day.

Jesus, I sound like some kind of crazy fangirl, don’t I? They’re both just so amazing. They’re nice and funny and smart and talented… And I never even realized it. I don’t think anyone does. They see their clothes and hair and tattoos and just assume. The same way they do with me and my stupid hearing aid.

That’s part of why I wear my hair so long and straight and boring these days. I don’t want my hearing aid to be the first thing people notice about me, so I try to keep it covered. If I was braver though, I’d love to have something short and edgy and cool like Rylie’s hair. Something that feels more… me.

I was kinda bitching about it to her the other day, and she promised she’d help me try to “do something with it” this weekend. Devin teased me about it, of course… Said I’m crazy to let Rylie anywhere near my hair with a pair of scissors. But I trust her. And I’m really excited too. I guess it almost feels like an ‘initiation’ or something, in a weird way. They both laughed their asses off when I said that.

“Nah,” Devin told me. “The real initiation’s when you get your first ink.” Then he told me his cousin could hook me up with something if I really wanna go there…

It was tempting, but I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. And my parents definitely wouldn’t be. A haircut’s one thing. But a tattoo? I’ve already heard the horror stories about how Rylie and Devin’s parents reacted to theirs.

I’m still getting them used to the idea of me having new friends anyway. I’m getting there though. Devin’s a master BS artist, so we managed a pretty decent grade on that History project. Mom and Papa were so excited. It definitely earned him and Rylie a few points. My parents haven’t been asking nearly as many questions when I go hang out with them now, ever since Mr. Asche graded our project.

My parents still haven’t met either of them though. Papa keeps trying to invite them over for dinner, and I’m starting to run out of excuses. It’s just so easy to picture my parents freaking out or something. I dunno. It’s like I said — people see Rylie and Devin and just assume all this shit about them. And I’d hate for mom and Papa to do it too.

So yeah… me coming home with a tattoo probably wouldn’t help things much.

Anyway, I’m totally rambling now. I wanna wrap this up and get started on another chapter of my story. I’ve really been on a roll with it lately. Rylie bugged me until I let her look at a couple chapters, and she says I should try getting it published or something. Devin even said he’d do the cover art for me. Ha!

I know they’re totally exaggerating about how good it is… But this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been talking about.

We support each other. We have fun together. We understand each other. And I feel like I’m learning so much from them.

It’s like I said — they just don’t give a damn about what anyone thinks of them. They do whatever they want. They’re cool. They’re confident. They’re fearless.

And you know what?

When the three of us are together, I feel fearless too.