You were so tall and lean and brown, all angles and fluttering hair. I would secretly spy on you in hallways and at recess, trying to figure out how you remained upright. You seemed weighted as feathers on the swings with your long legs kicking shadow sticks across the sandpit.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

I always thought you were kind of nuts, but when you played a cassette tape for me that your parents sent, your weirdness made more sense. We listened to a Christian pastor play rock music backwards to warn of Satan's evil messages. They worried that your pot-smoking required exorcism.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

We met at recess, two awkward kids looking for friendship. We decided to hang out at your house after school.What do you like to play? I asked.Barbies! You held up a doll.What else?Shopping. You?I like to go on adventures.Oh, you said, disappointed.Goodbye, Peggy.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

You wore grey fisherman sweaters, kept your white curly hair short with just a hint of bohemian length at the sides, crinkled the corners of your eyes when I wrote my presentation about the sexier poetry of Irving Layton, and gave me my first taste of my older man fetish.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

We sold cheap watches together at a cart in the mall. You could never understand how I always sold more than you when you were the one who wore the sweaters that were so low-cut that your pink bra peeked out the top. Boobs don't sell watches. Conversation does.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

We were very different people. You had stylish clothing, were popular, and lacked the obvious awkwardness of pubescence. I was the opposite. I always thought you were nice until years later when we ran into each other and you acted like we'd been best friends. It made me feel dirty.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

You were my fifteen-year-old coworker when we met, and your maturity was alarming to me. You held down two jobs, went to school, and had planned your future already. I want to wave you down, make you yield, pull you over. Be a child! I wanted to yell.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

You sat at the end of the bar every day, nursing a succession of beers. You had an unhealthy bloat from the booze, and I wondered what you were like before your defeat, before the bar gave you a t-shirt with "Washrooms" and an arrow printed on the back.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...

I don't know what triggered you, but you became obsessed with tracking me down so you could beat me up. You waited for me with clenched fists in the schoolyard, in an alley near my house, and at the end of my block. I think it's because you were ugly.I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365. ...