Finally agreeing to meet up with my best friend from online, we met on a little kids game, which was fine for my age but she said she was "a little" older than me, but that's okay because she's my friend! Friends don't lie to each other! My Little Pony taught me that! So I give her my address and wait outside my house with my light up sneakers and my glittery tank top with some cute graphic design on it and my grass stained shorts my mom would scold me for wearing out and my hello kitty backpack.
I see an old car pull up and get excited; there's a middle aged woman sitting in the driver's seat and I'm looking through the front window as best as I can to see my friend. My face scruches up a little bit when I see the woman step out as I realize there's no one else in the car.
I shift my weight awkwardly between my feet and pick at the hem of my shirt, staring at my shoes. There's a knot in my stomach as she slowly walks up to me, she's twirling the keys in her hand. I avoid her eyes as I quietly try to ask, "You're, um... Do you know... Are you-"
"Hi sweetie!" She says, giving me a smile that makes me feel like I might throw up. "Are you the sweet girl I've been talking to on the computer? This is the right address, right?"
"Um, yes, but you're a lot... Older than I thought..." I say, avoiding her eyes as much as I can. I swing my leg back and forth along the grass, trying to distract myself. I knew I had messed up, though I didn't know how badly yet.
"Aww, I'm not that old! Why, I just turned 35!" She giggles, but even at my age I can tell it's forced. She seems nervous too, looking around the small neighborhood I live in. "Your parents aren't home, huh? Just you here all by yourself?" I nod a little, staring at my shoes. "Why, you must be really mature for your age if your parents let you watch yourself! I've always said that about you, haven't I? So mature for such a little girl... Hey, since you're so mature, how about we go back to my place? It's not far from here and I promise you'll be back before your parents are home." She offers another smile that just doesn't look right on her face. Another knot forms in my stomach.
She seems to be able to tell that I'm nervous and bends over at the waist so she can be on my eye level. "I know it seems scary, but I promise we'll have lots and lots of fun, sweetie. I've got lots of toys for you to play with and all of your favorite movies on DVD. You can even stay up past your bedtime! All you have to do is trust me."
I shift my gaze between her face and the grass. Back and forth, back and forth. My thumb had found its way to my mouth, I nibbled on the nail of it, resisting the urge to suck on it out of nervousness. This was the same person I had played games with and had fun with online, so she couldn't be all that bad, right? And she didn't really lie, she did say she was older than me... I just didn't know she was old enough to be my mom. But still, she was a grownup, and grownups could be trusted. That's what I was always told. But something about all of this made me feel sick to my stomach. She leaned a little closer to my face, not taking her eyes off of me, "I thought we were best friends, isn't that what you said, sweet girl? We're special friends, remember? I drove all the way out here to meet you, and I have so many fun things planned out for us..."
My face felt hot and my limbs felt like they were made of jello. "Umm... I guess I could come over... Just for a little bit... But my parents can't know I left, they say I'm not allowed to leave the house without them, okay? I don't wanna get in trouble..." My voice cracked from both the nervousness of leaving with my "friend" and of the prospect of getting yelled at by my parents.
"Hey, hey, hey!" My friend shushed me and gently popped my thumb fully into my mouth, promoting me to suck on it. "It's okay sweetheart! Don't you worry about a thing, I've got it all sorted out. Well eat some yummy dinner and have ice cream for dessert, and we'll watch your favorite movie, and we'll play some special games and I'll bring you right back home. Your parents never have to know. It'll be our little secret, okay?"
I looked at her face. She looked wrong, but her voice was really nice to hear, and she was saying so many nice things to me, and she had planned so many fun things for us to do... I would be a horrible friend if I turned her away! I couldn't do that to her...
I nodded my head gently. She beamed, a genuine smile, one that looked right on her face but still wrong in some way I couldn't pinpoint. "Come on, I'll help you in and buckle you up, babydoll." And she did just that, lifted me into her car (which conveniently had a pink car seat just like the one in my mom's car), buckled me in, and held a weird smelling rag to my nose and told me to take a deep breath, and then everything went black.