9:56pm
Dear Gunther,

Hey Gunther, long time no see!

I kinda forgot that you existed, whoops.

I'm just a complete hider pro.

You see, I have this painting on the wall of my room, and you can open it to find a little indent in my wall.

I hang all my necklaces here, and I just put you behind all the hanging necklaces and BAM hidden.

Today sucked at school. Riley missed all day because she was at some protest in Chicago. We live in the suburbs, yet my mom still has never let me go to the city.

Payton spent the entire day with his new boyfriend so I was all alone, again.

You see Gunther, there's this girl named Marlee. She used to be my only best friend. Then, her boyfriend dumped her and something changed about her.

She hates me.

When I observe her from a distance, I see the old Marlee.

Happy and smiley. She skipped to her classes rather than walked. She had artistic talent oozing from her body, yet she never bragged once. Everyone who saw her loved her.

But when she sees me, something changes. I don't know what it is but it's not Marlee.

She was so mean to me and I don't know why.

Then Riles approached me one day after she witnessed one of Marlee's fits.

She claimed me as her new project. Riles has always wanted to make the world a better place, and at the time she was focused on bullying.

Riley stuck to my side like glue and when Marlee would show up, Riley would... Well stand up to her.

After a while Marlee wouldn't come near me if I was with Riley.

Riley decided to find another case, and I was lucky enough to be invited to search with her.

We found Payton getting picked on by a couple of irrelevant lacrosse players (they weren't even varsity they were on the no cut team AND they didn't even start)

Plus it wasn't even creative insults like Marlee came up with, just his hight, him being a ginger and him being gay.

Just like she did with me, she stood up to them and we all stuck together, Payton and I clinging to Riley for dear life.

Today, I had 6 separate conversations with Marlee.

That's 7 too many.

Xx Marie