The Lexi and Shera Friendship Timeline

Preschool. Shera was sitting alone at a picnic table at recess, picking at a rice krispie treat while she watched the other girls in her class do cartwheels in the grass. Lexi tumbled her way over to the table. “Do a cartwheel!”

“I can’t,” Shera said shyly. 

“Yeah you can. Just do it like this,” she cartwheeled again and again, promptly falling onto her butt from the dizziness. Shera laughed, putting what was left of her rice krispie down and attempting a somersault in the grass. The girls sat there, laughing together. And so began their friendship. 

First grade. The year Lexi’s parents divorced. It wasn’t that Lexi was upset about the divorce, she just didn’t know what it meant for her. Would she get to stay at the same school? Did her parents still love her? Why was she going to grandma’s house so often when her parents had “things to take care of” in the city? She was scared, but she also got a lot more treats, so maybe everything would be okay. She’d never forget the day her parents told her. 

It was two days before Halloween, and she was begging her mom to let her be a princess for dress-up day at school. They went out to the pop-up Halloween store and picked out a costume together, then got burgers and fries afterward. It was a dream afternoon for a first grader, uninterrupted time and attention from your mom and a shiny plastic tiara to wear to school to show all the kids you’re actually a secret princess. “Surprise! You didn’t know I’m Princess Lexi? I’m like Hannah Montana—I’ve been living the best of both worlds this whole time,” she’d tell them. 

The night before Halloween, Lexi was at her grandma’s house after school. She wasn’t sure why her grandma suddenly had to pick her up, but she knew something was weird. When her parents came to get her, she was relieved. But when they got home and told her they needed to have a family meeting, she had a funny feeling in her tummy. “Sweetie, we love you so so much, and we’ll always love you, but we have to tell you something,” her dad looked at her with tears in his eyes. She’d never seen Daddy cry before. What was going on? “Daddy and I are going to live in separate homes, honey. We are getting a divorce. I know this is probably confusing, and we’re so sorry.” 

Lexi didn’t cry. She didn’t really understand what was going on until her dad kissed her forehead the next morning and told her he’d see her in a couple of days. A couple of days? But… a princess is supposed to have both a mommy and a daddy. Lexi threw a tantrum while getting ready for school Halloween morning, breaking her tiara in half, just like her family was now broken. 

She went to school with it taped together, her eyes puffy. Her teacher gave her a big hug, and she hated that she knew she was sad. Shera was dressed as a fairy, her wings were sparkly and purple, and she had a beautiful paper flower crown that her auntie made her. Lexi went up to Shera and told her she looked like the most sparkly and pretty and purple fairy princess she’d ever seen. When Shera asked why her crown was broken, Lexi told her that her parents didn’t love each other anymore and that she broke it because she wasn’t a princess anymore. Shera took the flower crown off her head and swapped it with Lexi’s broken one. “You’re the most princessy princess in the world!” 

Fourth grade. Shera got her period earlier than all the other girls. It was so embarrassing. Why did it have to be her? Her and Lexi were having a sleepover when she broke the news. “I got my period, like not right now, but like yesterday. For the first time.”

“Look at you! You know what this means, right? You’re a woman now. I can basically feel your coolness level going up.” Lexi was always one to be an optimist. But it’s easier for her because she’s so confident. Shera was shy; she didn’t want this attention. But maybe Lexi was right. 

Lexi was definitely not right. 

The next day was Shera’s 10th birthday and she was having a great day. Her mom baked cupcakes for the class, Lexi gave her a present this morning—Lip Smackers, sparkly gel pens, and food-shaped Silly Bandz—and they got to do free reading in class this afternoon. It was the second day of her period and she was definitely nervous about having pads in her backpack at school (what if someone saw them?!), but she was optimistic about what Lexi had said. 

Until she went to the bathroom to change her pad. 

Shera asked the teacher to be excused and stuffed the pad up her sleeve to walk to the bathroom. Mr. Johnson’s class walked by in a line. Could they all tell? Did they know she was hiding the pad? Why didn’t she just put it in her jeans pocket? Oh god, Dustin is looking right at her. He just whispered to his friend and they laughed. Oh god, oh god. This is the worst day of her life. Why did this have to happen on her birthday? Does she really have to deal with periods for the rest of her life? How will she survive? 

In the bathroom, Shera made sure no one was in there. She looked for feet under the stalls, not in a creepy way, just casually. She wrapped her pad in a million layers of toilet paper before ever so carefully opening the metal bin. Screeeeech. It was insanely loud. People in the hallway must have heard. There’s no way they didn’t hear it. Right as Shera went to open the new pad package, she heard the bathroom door open. Humiliating. She ripped it open as slowly and as quietly as she could and ever so carefully peeled it off the wrapper. There’s no way the other girl didn’t hear her. Please let it be someone nice. Please let it be someone nice. 

She went to wash her hands and Maggie R. came out of the stall. Oh no, no, no. Maggie was the meanest mean girl in fourth grade. Horrified, Shera washed her hands and ran out of the bathroom and back to class. 

That day at lunch, Lexi overheard Maggie telling her friends that Shera had her period. They all laughed, cracking jokes and calling her names. Lexi marched right up to them and said “If you ever talk about my friend behind her back again, I’ll punch each of you right in your ugly faces.” When Maggie challenged her claim, Lexi punched her right then and there. She was sent to the principal’s office. But the girls stopped talking about it, and Shera never found out that they were talking about her behind her back. Lexi would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant no one messed with her friend. 

Seventh grade. Sleepovers always made Shera uncomfortable. It was fine when she arrived, but as soon as it got dark outside, she wanted to go home. The darkness made their friend group unpredictable. Lexi, outgoing as she was, went along with it, seemingly unbothered. On one particular night, for the first and only time in their nearly ten-year friendship, Lexi and Shera got in an argument. The girls were jumping on the trampoline at their friend Daisy’s house. It was the end of summer, a time meant for soaking up the last few drops of sunshine and freedom before heading back to school. Daisy and two other girls wanted to play truth or dare. 

Lexi volunteered to go first. Truth, she said. “Lay it on me, whatcha got?” 

“Who do you like right now?”

“LAME. Can’t you come up with a better question?” 

“Fine. Who is your least favorite person on earth?”

“Hmmmm, Mr. Smalls. He always makes us run laps in gym class and it’s dumb.” 

“That’s lame, too.” 

“Oh well! Looks like it’s your turn now, Daisy.” 

“Dare,” she said with a smirk. 

“I dare youuuu… tooooo… run over to the garage and wall twerk on it.” 

Daisy burst out laughing. “Happy to!” She flipped upside down and attempted to shake her butt. The girls burst into laughter, singing some R&B song while she danced until she fell down. 

Shera was sweating, though. What if Daisy’s parents saw? Would they be mad she put her shoes on the garage door? What if they were muddy? Why was she here? Did she even like these girls? 

“Shera, you’re up!”

Oh god. Shera was dreading this all night. She didn’t want to share any secrets. Nope. It’s better to keep those to herself. “Dare, I guess.” 

“I dare you to call your crush.” 

Shera’s heart stopped. Lexi was the one who said it. She would never betray her like this. Why was she doing this? How could she? She ran into the house and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, not caring if Daisy’s parents heard. She broke down. Lexi had been the one who wanted to come to the sleepover. Daisy just wanted to hang out with her. She didn’t even want to be here. Hyperventilating, she lowered herself onto the ground, hugging her legs. One, two, three, four, five. Breathe. More tears. A knock on the door. 

Fearful it was Daisy’s mom, she said softly, “Who, who is it?”

“It’s me, Lexi.”

“Go away. Just go away.” 

“Shera, I… It was a joke. I didn’t mean… I just…” Lexi was sobbing. 

Shera opened the door, staring at her friend with puffy eyes. “It was your idea to come here. You didn’t even notice that I was having a bad time. All you ever think about is yourself!” 

“I… I had no idea, Shera. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t even like half of these girls, Lex.” 

“Honestly? Me neither. They’re kind of mean.” 

“Then why are we here?”

“I just wanted to hang out, and your mom keeps saying no to our hangouts lately and my mom never lets anyone come over. I… I just wanted to hang out.”

“You did? Why would you dare me to do that?”

Lexi cried harder. “I wasn’t thinking. I just, I just said it and immediately regretted it and, and, and I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Full of forgiveness—and hormones—they both burst into tears, grateful that they were on the same page. “From now on, can you just tell me how you’re feeling? We could’ve faked an illness two hours ago,” Lexi sighed.

“Promise.” 

Freshman year. Lexi joined the cheer team. Shera joined yearbook and a science fiction book club. They drifted apart, their relationship amicable but made up of smiles in the hallway and friendly small talk in biology class. 

Junior year. The girls on the cheer team accused Lexi of sleeping with one of their boyfriends, a ridiculous claim because Lexi didn’t have time for boys. She was too busy studying, hoping and praying she’d pass all her midterms. But the girls wouldn’t hear it. They pushed her away without even giving her a chance—their internalized misogyny and slut-shaming won, and that was that. 

Lexi, now friendless, was deeply anxious for the first time in what felt like forever. For a week, she ate lunch alone in Ms. Dante’s classroom, pretending to do homework so the teacher wouldn’t suspect anything. 

At home, she was a zombie, going through the motions, exhausted and sad. Sobbing to her mom about having no friends, her mom suggested she sat with Shera at lunch. “Whatever happened between you two? You were always so close.” Lexi didn’t know. But she couldn't just do that, it’d be weird and random. 

But the next day, Lexi took her tray full of rectangle pizza and applesauce and sat down next to Shera. “Can I sit here?”

“Oh my gosh, hi! Of course.” 

And like that, they were friends again. 

The summer after high school was magic, pure freedom. Lexi and Shera went to party after party together, gaining confidence and feeling on top of the world. “I’m gonna be a writer,” Shera told Lexi one night at a party in Topanga, the music blasting around them and the shots coursing through their veins. Possibility settled on the horizon, next to the bright California sunset. It was the end of summer, a daunting but hopeful time for an 18 year old. 

“Hell yeah,” Lexi yelled just a bit too loud for the moment, making two guys next to her jump at the sudden exclamation. She ushered Shera over to the bar, ordering another round of shots—lemon drops this time. Raising the plastic shot glass, she yelled to whoever could hear, “This is my best friend, and she’s going to be a writer! I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do but I know that whatever it is, she’ll be right there with me. Here, here!” 

To Lexi’s surprise, Shera raised her glass and yelled equally loud, “That’s my fucking best friend and I love her more than anything!”

A couple of drunk girls wooed in the corner—possibly unrelated to all the yelling, but the timing was perfect. Three guys from their graduating class raised their glasses, yelling “Huzzah!” 

It was dumb. The scene was dumb and young and messy, but in that moment, it felt like a declaration of their friendship—their sweet, beautiful, uncomplicated, unconditional love for each other, a love that has gotten them through bullies and heartbreak, the worst times and the best. They didn’t know it then, but that love would get them through much worse bullies and much bigger heartbreak. In that moment, they were just happy and free, ready for whatever life would throw at them.