knew you.”
“But, Lara, you said I don’t have anything to talk about,” Tanya said from behind the stall door.
“I know, Tanya, and I’m sorry. Remember, this was before I got to know you.”
“What kind of an excuse is that? You only make horrible assumptions about people when you don’t know them? Isn’t that why you’re a Friendship Matchmaker? To help kids who get picked on and judged?”
Her words hit me hard, and I lowered my head in shame.
She opened the door. We took a step back to let her out. Her face was streaked with tears. I felt awful.
“But even when you got to know me, didn’t you once wonder why I was so different at school from when I was with you?”
“I … I just thought you were shy at school … with other kids …”
She sighed. “Remember I told you I was writing a how-to manual as well?”
I nodded and she continued.
“It was actually a survival guide.”
“Surviving what?” Emily asked.
“Divorce.”
I couldn’t believe it. I had no idea.
“My parents just separated, Lara,” Tanya said softly. “Right before the summer. My brother and I are living with Mom. We’re with Dad every weekend. It’s … horrible. And it’s so hard on my little brother. So when I come to school it’s hard to be my normal self with everybody. Most days I just want to go to the library and cry in a corner.”
I felt winded. If I’d been a teeny-weeny bit sensitive I wouldn’t have missed it. I thought back to all the hints she’d dropped. Wanting to wear clothes her mom had made her. Going all quiet when we spoke about her parents.
Visiting
her dad to play basketball.
A Friendship Matchmaker was supposed to listen. To care about people’s feelings and their stories. All I’d done was try to turn Tanya into a different person. I hadn’t respected her, or bothered to care about what she was going through.
“Tanya, I don’t know what to say. If it makes any difference, I came to school today to tell you that I was finished looking for a bestfriend for you. I was hoping you’d think of me as your best friend …” I stole a glance at Emily who smiled but didn’t interrupt me. “I would understand now if I’m the last person in the world you would want to be friends with,” I finished.
Tanya looked at me in surprise and then blew her nose. She didn’t say anything for a while. When I didn’t think I could take the silence anymore she finally spoke up.
“Can we talk about what we want, at school and out of school? No banned topics? No Fashion Rules or books-to-read guidelines?”
I held up my Manual in front of them. I flicked through it, skimming my Rules and advice. Emily was right. I’d been thinking of school in the worst possible way. I was teaching kids to trust no one, especially themselves. I made a sudden decision and rushed to the garbage can and dropped the Manual in it.
“Sorry, Harry Potter’s publishers,” I whispered.
Then I turned to Tanya. “No more Rules or lists,” I said firmly.
The three of us grinned.
“So homemade T-shirts are allowed?” she asked coyly.
“Yeah, sure,” I said cheerfully.
“But the school-supplies sniffing isn’t coming back, is it?” Emily said worriedly.
“Only in times of high stress,” Tanya joked. “You just can’t imagine how good a ruler smells during history tests.”
We laughed, and then Emily and I waited outside the bathroom while Tanya washed her face and tried to get her puffy eyes back to normal size.
“So,” Emily said confidently, folding her arms across her chest, “looks like we have a tie.”
“Yep,” I said. “Everybody’s a winner.”
“We obviously have our individual talents. I bet if we went into this Friendship Matchmaking business together we could make this the best school in the world. Bully-free and without a lonely person in sight. We could write another Manual! Do speed-friendship sessions at lunchtime! Start an online Friendship Matchmaker service on the
“But, Lara, you said I don’t have anything to talk about,” Tanya said from behind the stall door.
“I know, Tanya, and I’m sorry. Remember, this was before I got to know you.”
“What kind of an excuse is that? You only make horrible assumptions about people when you don’t know them? Isn’t that why you’re a Friendship Matchmaker? To help kids who get picked on and judged?”
Her words hit me hard, and I lowered my head in shame.
She opened the door. We took a step back to let her out. Her face was streaked with tears. I felt awful.
“But even when you got to know me, didn’t you once wonder why I was so different at school from when I was with you?”
“I … I just thought you were shy at school … with other kids …”
She sighed. “Remember I told you I was writing a how-to manual as well?”
I nodded and she continued.
“It was actually a survival guide.”
“Surviving what?” Emily asked.
“Divorce.”
I couldn’t believe it. I had no idea.
“My parents just separated, Lara,” Tanya said softly. “Right before the summer. My brother and I are living with Mom. We’re with Dad every weekend. It’s … horrible. And it’s so hard on my little brother. So when I come to school it’s hard to be my normal self with everybody. Most days I just want to go to the library and cry in a corner.”
I felt winded. If I’d been a teeny-weeny bit sensitive I wouldn’t have missed it. I thought back to all the hints she’d dropped. Wanting to wear clothes her mom had made her. Going all quiet when we spoke about her parents.
Visiting
her dad to play basketball.
A Friendship Matchmaker was supposed to listen. To care about people’s feelings and their stories. All I’d done was try to turn Tanya into a different person. I hadn’t respected her, or bothered to care about what she was going through.
“Tanya, I don’t know what to say. If it makes any difference, I came to school today to tell you that I was finished looking for a bestfriend for you. I was hoping you’d think of me as your best friend …” I stole a glance at Emily who smiled but didn’t interrupt me. “I would understand now if I’m the last person in the world you would want to be friends with,” I finished.
Tanya looked at me in surprise and then blew her nose. She didn’t say anything for a while. When I didn’t think I could take the silence anymore she finally spoke up.
“Can we talk about what we want, at school and out of school? No banned topics? No Fashion Rules or books-to-read guidelines?”
I held up my Manual in front of them. I flicked through it, skimming my Rules and advice. Emily was right. I’d been thinking of school in the worst possible way. I was teaching kids to trust no one, especially themselves. I made a sudden decision and rushed to the garbage can and dropped the Manual in it.
“Sorry, Harry Potter’s publishers,” I whispered.
Then I turned to Tanya. “No more Rules or lists,” I said firmly.
The three of us grinned.
“So homemade T-shirts are allowed?” she asked coyly.
“Yeah, sure,” I said cheerfully.
“But the school-supplies sniffing isn’t coming back, is it?” Emily said worriedly.
“Only in times of high stress,” Tanya joked. “You just can’t imagine how good a ruler smells during history tests.”
We laughed, and then Emily and I waited outside the bathroom while Tanya washed her face and tried to get her puffy eyes back to normal size.
“So,” Emily said confidently, folding her arms across her chest, “looks like we have a tie.”
“Yep,” I said. “Everybody’s a winner.”
“We obviously have our individual talents. I bet if we went into this Friendship Matchmaking business together we could make this the best school in the world. Bully-free and without a lonely person in sight. We could write another Manual! Do speed-friendship sessions at lunchtime! Start an online Friendship Matchmaker service on the
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