D is for Dempsey

I moved to a new town the summer before 6th grade. I left a group of school friends that I had known since 1st grade and a bunch of neighborhood friends I had grown to know over 2 or 3 years.

The neighborhood I moved into was brand new, our house was among the second wave of homes built in the subdivision called "Bright Oaks." Coming late to the neighborhood meant many friendships had already been formed so introverted me had a tough time making friends.  My neighbor, Suzanne, was about the same age as me and we hung out a lot during the first few weeks after my move.  And then we didn't.  It seems her real best friend had been on a beach vacation so I was just a short diversion until her friend returned.  Suzanne tried her best to have us all be friends but the third party wasn't having it.  Eventually, we all sort of learned to hang out and even met a few others including a girl named Dempsey.

Dempsey didn't live on our street- I think she lived a few blocks away.  I don't remember much about her except her long black hair and that she was taller than me even though she was younger.  I had never considered myself short- I was always closer to the end of the line on picture day.

There's one other thing I remember about Dempsey- she threw rocks at tadpoles.

A stream ran behind my house and it was clean enough that every spring Suzanne and I would go looking for tadpoles. Sometimes we trapped them and kept them in an aquarium for a few days so we could watch them slowly change into the next phase of their life.

One day Dempsey was with us as we looked under rocks for tadpoles. In a second, everything I thought about her change- it was the second that she picked up a bunch of rocks and started throwing them at the tadpoles we had uncovered.

I have no idea what I said.  I also have no idea whatever happened to Dempsey.  We didn't hang out that much after that.

Life Lesson:  You don't have to be friends with everyone.