i continually recall the girl who was my best friend for much of my younger years, yes, Her (look on the cast page). She was always saying that people todl her that no firendship lasts more than three years. it was like an obsession, it was one of those "you know, they say . . . " sort of things, fo rhte life of me i coudltn figure out who "they " were and when she had heard them say that, becaus ei had never heard anyone say it, anyone but her

and after we had been friends for three years she owuld continually remind me that we beat the odds that only seemed to exist for her. I realize now that this came froma strange insecurity, her inability to trust, the way many peopl ein her lfie would elave. I realize now that is why she lied ot me so much. Whey she was so obsessed with giving me gifts, anytime i ever mentioned a fondness fo rone of her possessions she would give it to me and no matter how hard i tried she refused to keep it.

suddenly i find my immense hatred ofr eher dwindling. isntead i see her as pitiful. someone desperate for friendship, and for some reason, mine in particular. She would lie to make ehrself mroe itneresting, so i would findher interesting, so i would want to be near her. she would lie to make ame happy, she would lie becaus she was jsut so damend used to it she ahrdly realized she ws doing it.

so now . . . i think i forgive her. for all that she did, for how she ruined me, ebcause she was ruined herself. in ehr strange and twiste dinfulence on me . . she wasnt trying to bring me pain, or scar me, she was trying to fix herself . . . i was jsut a casualty