* * *

School Shabbaton is the second to biggest extracurricular of the year, after Production, obvs, and the school is hopping and popping. Literally. The G.O. heads are bopping around on moon shoes.

I’m cracking up; Chelli grabs my arm and we run over to the room placements, because you know, if we walk, they won’t be there anymore.

Yes! We high five, but in like a low key way, because we’re super chilled eleventh graders. We’re together, along with Penina and Debra.

“Great group,” Chelli says. It really is. I’m psyched. Plus, I have the cutest outfit in mind for Shabbos day.

* * *

Davening on Shabbos with your school is the coziest feeling. I’m such a nerd sometimes. Chelli swings her arm around my shoulder, and we sway back and forth to Anah b’koach. At least we can be nerds together. I spy Rena Leah across the room and give a little wave. She waves back with a huge smile.

But when she comes to find me later, right after the salmon, that smile is nowhere in sight.

“Shifra. Can you… I need…”

Chelli is in middle of a story, but I take one look at Rena Leah’s face, which resembles the white napkin I’m clutching in my hand and hop off the chair.

“BRB,” I mumble.

I grab Rena Leah’s hand and run over to the teacher’s table. Mrs. Tabak sees us and jumps up before I even reach her, so I make an about face and head to the teacher’s lounge, Mrs. Tabak click-clacking behind me.

“Thanks Shifra,” she says, her sheitel sticking to her face, “you can leave now.”

Rena Leah shakes her head. So I stay.

Rena Leah explains, once she’s recuperating, that Frumee had gone to practice their oneg choir when Rena Leah’s pump had stopped working. So she’d turned to the other person in the know about her situation: me.

* * *

I checked in on her all Shabbos. After the meal, in the morning, after the seudah, and then before Shalosh Seudos.

Chelli was right; we had a great room. Only thing is I didn’t really get to enjoy it. But I spent a lot of time with Rena Leah and Frumee, and they’re hilarious. It was a nice feeling to be needed and to be necessary. I sensed that Frumee was relieved to not be carrying Rena Leah’s secret alone, and I was happy to lighten her burden.

But I also sensed a certain frostiness as we packed our suitcases Motzaei Shabbos, particularly from Chelli.

And when she pointedly hugged the other girls and hurried off to her mother’s car without offering me a ride, I knew she was not amused. Not one bit. Well, neither was I.

Chelli:

They say not to go to high school with your best friend, because she won’t be your best friend when you leave four years later. But Shifra and I are two and a half years in and closer than ever. Shifra has been my best friend since we were six. She’s been there, for, well, everything.

Growing up is scary but Shifra makes it manageable. Even enjoyable.

Thank You Hashem we were placed in the same Shabbaton room, which is a huge deal. I’ve had a super-long past few weeks, with what was known as the Broken Wrist Disaster, but now my cast is off, and I’m ready to celebrate all Shabbos long.

“Get ready to see some serious wrist action,” I say to Shifra; she cracks up.

Davening Lecha Dodi together is gorgeous, the 12th grade choir heads lead us in gorgeous harmony, and I can’t help thinking to myself how that’ll be me one day.

Shifra jabs me in the ribs with her elbow, so I guess she’s thinking the same thing.

I blush and look down. But when I look back up, Shifra is grinning at Rena Leah, her Tanach report partner.

Cute. Rena Leah is great.

“…and then his glasses literally fall off his face, onto the highway,” I say dramatically, sponging up some tomato dip with a slice of challah. The other girls shriek with laughter, but Shifra is actually no longer there. I blink and look around. Is that her, clutching Rena Leah’s hand and running out of the dining room? Um, super weird!

And that was just the beginning.

I decide to try juggling, you know, all that wrist movement, and have the girls in stitches as the plastic saltshakers go crashing to the ground. But of course, Shifra is nowhere to be seen.

Where is she??

Shifra spent half the Shabbos with Rena Leah and Frumee, laughing, shmoozing, and at one point, I saw her give Rena Leah a hug.

I’m not one to be super dramatic, but by Shabbos’s end, I kind of feel like I’ve lost my best friend.

Being a big girl and all, I ask her point blank, why she’s hanging out with Rena Leah instead of me, but all she can do is shrug and say, “Uh, she’s really nice.”

Well then.

So I guess they’re right, whoever “they” are. Going to high school with your childhood best friend can only lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. And that’s best-case scenario, honestly.

(Originally featured in Cozey., Issue 985)