How was this Possible?

Just two more hours of school, I thought to myself. Just two more hours. I shut my locker door with a metallic slam and was surprised to see a cheerful-looking person standing beside me. With a bright smile on her face, the girl looked happy to see me although I couldn’t remember ever seeing her before. “Hello!” she exclaimed as her cheeks glowed red with happiness. “I’m Lindsey! Who’re you?” The girl stood unusually with her back straight up as if she had a board tied to it and her arms lay to the side with no motion. Her head was held high with a smile that overcame her face. I thought of how odd she stood with so much joy that radiated around her. She looked so…happy.

I stared at the person with a blank look before coming to my senses. “Oh,” I started, remembering that she had asked me a question. “I’m Karen. Are you new here?”

“Yes! I just moved here from North Carolina,” she answered, her eyes cheery and bright.

“Well, welcome to Ryan High School…” I replied, wishing I was home already. “The greatest years of your life. Yippee,” I said sarcastically as I twirled my pointer finger and rolled my eyes. I turned to leave, yet Lindsey happily skipped after me. I was starting to get annoyed.

“So,” started Lindsey, “You wanna’ be friends?”

I suddenly stopped walking abruptly to stare at the person. Why had she asked that? No one just randomly walks up to people asking to be friends. This girl was just weird, I thought to myself. “Umm,” I started as I looked for the right words. “I don’t exactly know you,” I said as I continued walking to my class. Annoyed with this new girl, I wanted to avoid her immediately.

“Well then,” Lindsey replied as happy as before. “We shall get to know each other, then!”

“Sure…” I trailed off. The sarcasm in my voice hadn’t left. I glanced at my watch and realized that I had to get to class. “Maybe later!” I called out as I rushed down the hall. I hoped that she wouldn’t follow me.

How was I to know that this new and extremely hyper person was to become my best and only friend? Within a week after Lindsey persisted on following me around everywhere I went asking me questions about myself, I had finally warmed up to her. I never really had friends before. This new friendship took me by surprise, yet I admit that I liked it. Lindsey was completely opposite of me in every way including her attitude towards life. She was always happy and never thought of the sorrow things in life, while I either didn’t care or didn’t like anything. I was really bored and annoyed with my life.

It was another normal day at school. I was walking to class as Lindsey appeared. “Hey! What are you doing?” she asked with a high tone in her voice. Her eyes sparkled with unsurpassed joy.

I turned my head to look at Lindsey before I replied, “Nothing much. Just getting to class like always. How about you?”

“Oh, I am heading to class too,” answered Lindsey. “I’m in a great mood today!” she declared as she walked backwards in front of me facing me as she walking down the hallway. “Are you?”

“Lindsey, you’re always in a great mood. No, I’m not really.” I continued to walk while staring down at my feet.

“Guess what?” started Lindsey.

I looked up at her face after a few seconds pause, and waited for her to tell me. She held her face in an open smile while I stared in unison. Realizing she wasn’t going to tell me unless I asked, I breathed a deep sigh of annoyance. “What?” I asked plainly.

“I’m moving!” she declared.

“What?!” I was taken off guard. “You’re moving? You just got here like a month ago! Why are you moving all of a sudden?”

Lindsey held the smile that always appeared on her face. “Well, my dad said it was something to do with work. We’re moving next week.” Her face was as bight as ever as she began to skip ahead of me, still backwards.

“And you’re happy about this?” I suddenly felt sadness return as I realized that my only friend was moving away. I didn’t want to be lonely again. I was beginning to enjoy friendship. A frown reappeared on my face as I glanced back to my shoes.

“Well, no, not really,” Lindsey said as her smile turned to a frown before quickly perking up again, “Yet I will see new places and meet new friends again! Yay!”

The bell rang, breaking the still silence that hovered in the air between the two of us. “I have to go to class,” I replied angrily.

Later that week, Lindsey and I were sitting by the tree in the park near my house. Over the past month, we had met here often to hang out and talk. I had brought my camera as it was probably to be the last time we would be here together.

“Okay, okay,” I started. “Now stay still,” I commanded as I held the camera in front of Lindsey. She posed against the tree. “Now, say ‘cheese!'” Her smile became a little bit brighter than usual before I snapped a few pictures. She changed her pose each time I clicked. She then skipped to the swings nearby as I followed. We took pictures all over the park before she came running to stand beside me. We laughed as I held the camera before us as we posed and made faces. I felt a temporary happiness as I momentarily forgot that my friend was leaving. I devoted an entire roll of film to my memories of Lindsey.

I felt the sorrow return to my heart as the moon appeared overhead. We said our farewells as I dragged my feet home. I dreaded the rest of the school year. I didn’t want to be lonely again. After Lindsey left, I felt that she had taken a piece of my heart with her. I felt alone once again.

I came home from school one day to retreat to my room. I dropped my heavy backpack to the ground as I walked to my window seat. I stared out to the sky as I thought of Lindsey. What was she doing right now? Must likely unpacking, I thought silently. I felt a tear come just before I wiped it away with my sleeve.

I then remembered my camera. I still needed to develop the film. After sending the roll to a local store, I waited about a week for the pictures to return. I was left astounded and confused at what I saw. How was this possible? I looked over the pictures to make sure there was no mistake.

A picture of a lone tree, a swing, an empty slide, a bare park bench… There were some pictures with my face in the left half, as I poised and made faces. The right half was empty… Lindsey was not in any of the pictures.

How was this possible?