The text came in the morning. Just those four words. "We need to talk." No context, no follow-up, nothing. And that was it — my entire day was hijacked.
Sat through six hours of classes running every possible scenario in my head. What did I do. What did I say. Is this the end of the friendship. Replayed every conversation from the past month looking for the crime.
Heart rate elevated the whole time. Could not focus on a single word any teacher said. Fully braced for emotional damage.
Finally corner her after school, stomach in knots, and she goes — "can I borrow your calculator for the test tomorrow."
That's it. That was the talk. A calculator. Six hours of dread for a calculator. Friendship completely intact, my nervous system less so.