Mama Kat Thursday: High School Friendship

The Mama Kat blog prompt I've chosen today is to, "share how I met my best friend in High School."

It was 1972 and I was in 9th grade, the era of bell bottoms, platform shoes and long hair. The Vietnam war was still in full swing, but no one talked about that.

The high school needed more space, so they'd added temporary buildings in back, outside to provide 3 additional classrooms. These looked like small houses on mobile-home type frames, called "Re-locatables."

I was taking a class called "General Business" being held in one of those Relocatables the semester I met Cheryl, who later became my best bud.

We were in desk chairs side by side and struck up conversation, I guess. 
I knew who she was. I'd seen her around school. She was in both Marching and Jazz Band, always on the high honor roll, in the Sunshine Club, in the National Honors Society and a volunteer in the school office for an hour daily.
Quite the busy.
I, on the other hand, wasn't involved in anything.
I was terribly introverted and awkward socially, but actually quite good at academics and, once I got past Algebra, which I skid through on a D- and, having to go to gym class, which I was never more then a C student in, I was always on the honor roll ever after.

Besides the General Business class, Cheryl and I also shared a Study Hall period held in one of the cafeterias. It was 50 minutes we could spend sitting at tables there, doing homework or piddling around as we liked as long as we were quiet. (A teacher was always present to assure we were quiet.)

If I had homework, I did it there and once I was done, I'd use the time for writing fan fiction.

On notebook paper. With a pen.

(Remember---personal computers and cell phones didn't exist yet. We weren't even allowed to use calculators at school!)

I had some favorite shows back then, like Emergency! Also reruns of the Green Hornet. I wrote in a script-like style, like this: 

Britt Reed: "Come on Kato, to the Black Beauty!"

After many talks here and there during General Business class, I finally shared my fan fiction with Cheryl. She loved it and started writing some her own. She was a fan of the TV show "Mannix," at the time and created a character named "Carrie," to interact with

Mike Connors as Mannix

 Mannix in her own fan fiction.

We started sitting together in Study Hall, writing and talking about what our characers were doing was a constant conversation for us. We'd talk on the phone and we'd stay-a-night with each other and it was great fun.

I think her greater ability to be social helped draw me out in the High School community a little bit along the way.

She tried to help me with the Algebra in Study Hall, too, but I just wasn't ready to get that stuff.

I did have a couple other friends in High School as well and we were all friends together, but it was that creative writing connection with Cheryl that made that friendship special.
*****

After High School, I joined the Air Force. She attended local Business College while living at home and we did meet up  whenever I'd come home on leave and after I got out for several years.
Eventually, though, we drifted apart and fell out of touch as such things don't last forever.

Thanks for Visiting!