CHAPTER ONE: August after Senior Year

JAMES

James had a four heartbreaks. The first was Tony Aldana, who kissed her at their sixth grade dance and then laughed
about it the next day in the cafeteria. Back in grade school James got teased for being a girl with a boy’s name. The story
behind her name is that her Mom and Dad expected a boy and the boy was to be named James McCall the Third. Bryce
Bradley was her first real boyfriend, if eighth grade boyfriends count. They went on long walks around their neighborhood
after school every night and talk about what happened every day. Then all of a sudden Bryce didn’t have time for walks,
and their conversation is out of line. But then James hear that Bryce was seeing another girl. There was Javier who
showed up the summer before sophomore year and he was staying with his aunt and uncle which is James neighbors but
two weeks into August Javier had to go home, back to Texas. James can’t explain her feelings. Phones and social media
exist but when they hugged and say good-bye to each other James knew that it was for forever. She cried every day of
that third week of August. James said “I will never let anyone get that close again, because the risk was to big’’
nevertheless she fell for Logan anyway.
She remembers being fourteen, which felt grown-up at the time, starting high school. She dedicated a page in her journal
to a list of ideal time capsule contents, while Kat made her choices more passionately. James had a hard time writing a
letter for Kat because it was difficult for her to lay out her feelings. So after she heard about the high school time capsule,
it was the first thing she look for. What is written in the letter is that Kat is happy that they met and that they became
friends with James.
James can't remember the letter and the thing she said to Kat last time was untruthful. She dig through the box but when
she remembers it's pointless, she clean the mess. James don’t know why the letter is gone and can’t remember what
she’s written to Kat, four years ago back before Kat’s mom died, or her mom left and she don’t know where is Kat right
now.
Kat and James friendship began when they got paired up in kindergarten graduation ceremony and their Mom’s decided
that they should hang out.
 CHAPTER TWO: September of Senior Year
KAT

Matty is Kat’s boyfriend and Kat couldn't believe what Matty said. Matty cheated on Kat, he slept with Elise Pederson
while Kat is away. After that Kat dumped Matty Evans, the bicycle–riding, hybrid-driving, violence-protesting vegan. James
shows up at six am in the morning because it’s only the way they can get Porto’s without waiting in line and James order
dozens of pastries in two boxes and Kat know that one box is for her family and one is for her.
Kat’s Dad is working at the kitchen table on his laptop when she get back from hanging out with James. Kat notice the
words on the window he’s minimized. Online Dating
”Dad!” Kat says
“Oh. It’s…it’s nothing. I didn’t even sign up yet. You’re right, it’s dumb.” Kat dad says
“No,” Kat says with correcting her tone. “It’s not dumb. I didn’t say that. I just didn’t know you-“
“I won’t do it if you don’t want me to,” he says
“It shouldn’t be up to me. You should totally do it, go meet someone!” she says
The next time, Kat going out to Von’s to buy something. She hear a dog barking but not any sort of threatening barking.
When she turn the corner onto Pass Avenue, a little black and white dog makes a beeline for her. “Catch him!” someone
shouts. And within moments, the dog is in her arms. “Oh my god, thank you.” The dog chaser catches up with Kat, and
she realize it’s someone from school. “Is this your dog?” Kat ask “He’s my aunt’s dog.” The girl reaches out to clip a leash
to the dog’s collar.
“So where are you heading? None of your business Quinn, is an acceptable answer obviously.” The girl says
“I’m just going to Von’s to buy…” she shrugs. ”Whatever Nonvegetarian lasagna.”
“Please don’t buy premade lasagna,” the girl Quinn says “My mom’s half-Italian. Microwave lasagna is an affront to our
people.” The dog is hiding in Kat bag and Quinn loading a plastic grocery basket with lasagna ingredients. They walk back
to Quinn’s aunt’s house to drop off the dog and then she lead Quinn back to her house. Kat dad looks surprised to see so
much activity in the kitchen, but Quin has such a command of everything that it somehow normalizes the situation. “I
guess I should go,” Quinn says once she’s slid the lasagna into the oven. Kat take out her phone to get her number.
 CHAPTER THREE: June of Senior Year
JAMES

They’re were practically high school graduates and instead of sitting inside having to do relatively little in the air
conditioning, they’re outside in the suffocating Burbank heat rehearsing graduation.
“You’re coming to the grad pre-party at Adrian’s tonight right?” Kat asks. “I might not.” James said.
“James! It’s our last high school party. By Saturday night we’ll be freshmen again. So that solves it. You’re coming.”
For all the parties Kat managed to avoid this year, but why she’s ending the year with one. None of her friends seem to be
inside, so she texts Kat “Are you here yet?” Kat keep her phone handy but there’s still no response from Kat. The night
caught up. “Have you guys seen Kat?” Hannah’s friend Ryan gestures toward the house. But when she walks inside, she
sees Kat sitting backward on the back of the sofa an she’s drunk.
James wakes up earlier than usual the next morning, since her Habitat for Humanity shift is today. James and Logan
coincidentally meet. Logan was happy hearing the news that James accepted at Berkeley.
“We aren’t back together,” she says.
“I didn’t say we were, It’s merely that my plans to make that happen are a lot easier with you only a six-hour drive away,”
he says.
“Logan… there’s no guarantee, people in our age think they’re in love, and they make these promises, and then twenty or
thirty years later it all falls apart. I don’t want it to fall apart with you I admit.”
“So you just threw a grenade into it and ran? McCall c’mon.”
“My parents split up,” she says.
“I’m sorry to hear that. You doing OK?” he reaches over to touch James’s arm.
“Logan, I think my world’s small right now. With you in it, without you in it and I have to make it bigger. I never want to hate
you.” James expect to think about her parent but it’s Kat’s face in her head. She’s sure that Kat still sleeping off her
hangover. “I could never hate you, McCall. Even if you wanted me to.” He says.
Apparently walking in a procession and taking an orderly seat is way out of the ability levels of a lot of graduating
Magnolia Park seniors. Kat appears with her dad and Diane. James’s Mom can’t keep talking about Kat’s absence while
Kat’s there. Kat hugs James and apologizes about last night. Kat drop her arm and steps away from James after hearing
everything from James’s Mom. Logan gave official Oski a weird-looking bear to James and he congratulate her. James
meet up with Hannah and Tobi, and walk back to school. The graduation night is like all school events except prom held in
the gym. Kat walks up with her hands on her hips and shoots of the tiny cups then walks toward one of the corners of the
gym. James follow her. Kat was shocked after hearing that James's mom and dad split up and James and Logan broke up
then James's going to Berkeley. Kat didn’t understand what’s going on and she was upset that James didn’t told her what
happened in her life. But James just don’t want to talk about it and James said “You could have asked me what was going
on in my life. When was the last time you did that? You make everything about yourself.”
 CHAPTER FOUR: November of Senior Year
KAT

Kat and Quinn are studying in Kat’s bed. Quinn closes her book and rolls over onto her side next to Kat. And Quinn
confess her feelings to Kat that she likes her after that Quinn leaves. Kat texts James and they meet in coffee shop.
Kat told James that Quinn Morgan kissed her and she confessed her feelings that she likes her. Kat expect James to look
shocked, but she just sitting there, listening like the super dramatic part of my story hasn’t even happened yet.
Kat’s dad is on a date but of course Kat wants her dad to be happy but she is not ready for it. Kat found out that she is
bisexual and she likes Quinn too.
We don’t have to do this,” Quinn whisper to Kat, letting go of her hand as they arrive on campus.
Kat grab her hand right back. “We do have to do this. I mean, you’re out right?”
“I was never really… in.” Quinn says “I think people just assume. I’m not well-known enough for it to be a topic of interest
though.” Kat feel eyes slides past her, and eye focus at her and while no one say anything to her. She can hear whispers.
Is this because of Matty? And of anyone, I wouldn’t have guessed Kat Rydell and that girl does have great hair.
Kat still smiling when Matty intercepts her on the way. “What Kat? You don’t have to do this just because of me and Elise.
Which by the way is completely over It wasn’t anything.” Matty says
“It’s not because of Elise and it’s not because of you either.” She says.

CHAPTER FIVE: April of Senior Year

JAMES

James was accepted in Berkeley. James text her Dad about Berkeley, and he send back five thumbs-up emoji to James.
James give full attention to whatever new message but It’s only a group text organized by Gretchen and Raina about
some kind of prom committee which is she’s not interested on it. Prom doesn’t matter to James without Logan so she’s
not going. James should have read the prom committee group text more closely, because she was absolutely not
prepared to walk into school the next morning. There are giant posters flanking the main corridor right inside the main
entrance. The first is a very large photo of Kat and Quinn posed in front of the bright blue sky.
James tell Kat that she’s not actually going to prom but it ended up James and Kat go somewhere to buy dress for their
prom. They found perfect dress for James and it’s totally solved then, James is going to prom.
Logan texts James a few days later. Their communication has grown more sporadic, James feels between annoyed and
relieved. James leave her phone and walk down the hallway to the kitchen, where her Dad poring over a cook book.
“You OK, kiddo?” her dad says.
“None of us are OK, are we?” James says.
He sighs loudly while taking ingredients out of the refrigerator. “James, I’m not going to pretend things have been going
amazingly for me, and it’s a hard thing to explain, but I understand your mom’s point of view. We were so young when we
met, and people can change. I genuinely want her to be happy. And you know she wasn’t.”
“Shouldn’t she have tried harder? If something has already been decided, shouldn’t you try to stick to that decision?”
“She tried James, maybe she should have tried harder. Maybe I should have, but none of that matters now. I know how
upset you are. You’re allowed to act like it. Get it out of your system.”
“My system’s fine”
“I probably didn’t act the way I should have. At first, I don’t want any of what I went through personally to affect your
relationship with your mom.”
“I don’t need to have a relationship with her, if her life wasn’t enough for her-”
“James, that wasn’t what she meant at all I think deep down you know that kiddo.”
 CHAPTER SIX: January of Senior Year
KAT

When Kat walk into Simply Coffee Logan is ahead of her in line. “Hey, how’ve you been” Logan says. “You didn’t get back
together with that vegan asshole, did you?”
“Oh my god, no. Actually I’m dating someone else now. Someone freaking amazing. I think you would like her.”
Logan eyebrows go up. “Her?” Kat grins. “Yep”
“You should refollow me,” Kat says even though she’s the one who unfollowed Logan.
“Look, I’m just trying to figure out her rules and abide by then. So, I don’t know Kat.”
“I refollow you then,” Kat says.
“You’re hard to turn down,” he says.
“Duh! That’s my charm.” Logan surprises her by giving a very sweet hug
“Take care, Rydell. Hopefully you see via the magic of social media soon.” Kat add Logan back as her walk to home. And
she’s not barely feel guilty at all. Luke is in the living room reading the thick novel when she gets back to the house. Luke
is Kat’s big brother. Kat’s Dad steps into the room and told them that maybe they could have dinner with Diane since Luke
is around. Diane is waiting in the lobby of Firefly when three of them walk in. Her voice is warm and husky Diane is warm
like her voice, and Kat already don’t hate her.
Kat get in to Oberlin, Kat thinks James isn’t interested of it but she text James anyway. James congratulate her, Kat smile
at how much James sounds just like she used to. Responsive, full sentence, no detected boredom! and Kat want to
celebrate with James but James said she was busy. Kat not sure that James even cares that much about her dreams
coming true. So she decide to text Quinn, even though she have no idea how she might react. And she doesn’t. There’s
no response at all. Kat told her Dad that she got in and her dad is proud of her. The doorbell rings and suddenly her Dad
letting Quinn inside and she’s holding out a plant. Quinn wanted to get Kat a flower but Handy Market was out. So after
that her Dad taking them to the Smoke House which is super old-fashioned. The steaks are so big that Quinn and Kat split
one.
 CHAPTER SEVEN: February of Senior Year
JAMES

When James pull up to Kat’s house, she’s standing outside already wearing mouse ears and also Quinn walking to the
car and she isn’t wearing a Dodgers cap today but one with the old-fashioned Disney character Oswald on the front. The
annoying thing about Disneyland is that even when you pick a random Friday morning in February, the park can still be
packed. Kat gets out her phone and starts to take a selfie. James lean in, but she can see from the camera’s screen how
fake her smile looks. James check her message and then scroll down through Instagram. She keep scrolling but
something lodges there in her brain, so she scroll up a little and see it, on a selfie of Kat and her Mouse ears. You look
great as a rodent, Rydell. She click Kat’s profile and then tap through her photos Logan didn’t only comment on his selfie.
Somehow James haven’t noticed that Logan comments all the time, or, at least weirdly has been commenting plenty since
last month.
“Are you and Logan friend?” James asks
“Friends, like, how?”
“He commented on your photo,” James says “He’s commented on lots of your photos.”
“We don’t, like, hang out,” Kat says “We were friends”
“I’m really surprised you’d” James cut herself off to find the word. “After-“ what after what? James hate that she can’t end
the sentence and can’t even middle the sentence.
“I totally know it’s, like, a best friend violation,” Kat says
“So if you knew that-“
“We were friends too” Kat says “ I missed him. Also sometimes I need...” Kat nods to Quinn and drops her voice “Girl
advice”
“You’re friends with literally everyone at school, there’s no one else?” James says.
“I just wanted to have fun today,” James says.
“Well, duh, me too.”
“You’re almost eighteen, maybe you should cut out the whole duh thing.”
“I’m tyring to help,” James says
“Help what?” She blinks her eyes a bunch, clearly drawing attention to her tears. James not going to let Kat force her into
feeling sorry for her when there’s nothing about today that doesn’t feel like betrayal.
“Maybe we should just go home.”
“Only if you want to,” James says
“Of course I don’t want to! I wanted to have a super fun day, and I thought we were, yes like I’m social media friends or
whatever with Logan. I didn’t know if I had to tell you or not, but, like the last thing I wanted to do was to make you think
more about your breakup, which you still haven’t even told me a single thing about, you know so I didn’t.”
“I’m fine about my breakup, what’s there to say? No one should realistically expect a high school relationship to last.”
“I think we should probably go home and my head hurts and we should probably try to beat rush hour traffic.” Kat says
 CHAPTER EIGHT: March of Senior Year
KAT

Kat ask James to hang out because they haven’t made plans since the day that Disneyland became the saddest place on
earth and James agrees with it. Kat apologize to James about everything and want to fix whatever happened.
The doorbell rings and its Quinn wearing a baseball cap and Quinn says that she got accepted in Oberlin and Kat is so
glad to hear it. But after that they had a little misunderstanding. Quinn was upset because Kat always thinks that Quinn is
perfect and good in everything but things were hard for Quinn its not always that she's good at everything and she's
perfect. Quinn thinks that she’s different from Kat. Kat was good in math while Quinn was bad on math.
Kat’s Dad ask her if she might come out to eat with Diane for a dinner. Diane greets Kat and ask her if she’s okay and Kat
was prepared to lie but her stupid tears betray her. Diane ask Kat if she wants her advice and Kat says she loves advice.
Then the next morning Kat tries to follow Diane’s advice because it seems grown-up and right. Kat say sorry to Quinn for
hurting her feelings.

CHAPTER NINE: December of Senior Year

JAMES

At Kat house, James gave Kat a gift and Kat hands her a tiny gift bag with sparkly tissue paper. Wrapped inside the
sparkly tissue paper is a sleek pair of blue leather gloves. And actually James got jewelry for Kat but seeing the sleek little
ring on her finger that Quinn gave its makes James hate her gift so much.
James received a text from Kat that she will be coming over to James house. Kat was having a bad day and she told
James that her dad gave her a little box with sparkling gold necklace inside. Her dad gifted her with something she
already own just like the one that Kat wears every day. Kat thinks that her dad wants to stop wearing the old one. Kat’s
mom wore the necklace every time and it is the only thing that Kat has. Kat don’t want to wear it and James agree with it.
James think that her dad just wanted her to have her own initials on something beautiful. But after all these years, James
can’t guess what her dad would really want so after that Kat needs to go home and thank her best friend James for
everything.
People are going up on the roof to watch fireworks and Kat was with Quinn so James climb up to the roof ends up sitting
with Kat’s friend. James thinks that it is just like last year, but without Logan, and without Kat, it doesn’t feel like it at all for
her.
 CHAPTER TEN: May of Senior Year
KAT

On May of senior year Burbank Leader announce that Kat and Quinn became prom king and queen. Diane help Kat to
find dress for her prom. All people was already in night prom but James is not there yet so Kat text James but she says
that she’s not coming because she don’t have a date. Kat wants James to be with her at the prom and she was upset
after putting much effort into James and her perfect dress. Quinn thinks that Kat is the strongest people she know
because if it wasn’t for Kat the school never would have changed this rule about gender requirements for prom couple.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: October of Senior Year

JAMES

In this chapter, it explains how James's Mom and Dad split up and what made James break up with Logan.
"Hey there, your dad and I need to talk to you, why don’t you head to the living room now though?" Her mom leans into
her room. James follows her and search for some sign of what this very serious talk will be about.
"Your mother and I are separating," her Dad says in a horrible tone.
James was shocked and thought it’s only a joke but there was no coming moment where the joke's explained. Her Mom
and Dad just sit there with unchanged expressions. "It's incredibly hard to tell you. But I've met someone,” her Mom says
"Like you're having an affair?"
"I don’t like that phrase," her Mom says " I wouldn't make such a big decision that affects both of you if I wasn't so sure
that this is what's right for me."
"For you, clearly not for me or for Dad right?" James says.
"I was fifteen when I started dating your father I had no idea what I wanted then. And in a flash, I'm in my forties married to
my first actual boyfriend. It's like I don’t even know how I got here."
“Can I please be alone?" James ask.
"Of course." Her mom shut the door behind her.
James thinks that maybe the same thing will happen to her and Logan in the future.
James was on the path to Logan's dorm.
"Logan, we have to break up." She says, and the word feels heavy.
"Seriously, what's going on?"
"This isn't going to work and it’s stupid of us to pretend we have some big fifteen-year plan when-"
"What happened?" He says.
"Nothing happened, I have my whole life ahead of me," she says.
"Please talk to me," he says. James get out of there and leave without saying another word.
Over the course of senior year, Kat wants nothing more than James to continue to be her steady rock, as James worries
that everything she believes about love and her future is a lie when her high-school sweetheart parents announce they're
getting a divorce.
 CHAPTER TWELVE: July after Senior Year
KAT

When they were only fourteen, James and Kat buried a time capsule in her backyard. They mixed all the dorky stuff and
they decide to write each other letters about their friendship. James kept her feelings so close to her heart, and Kat want
to know what she’d write down. As they close up the time capsule, Kat sneaked the letter out and into her pocket.
Kat and Hannah met on campus, Hannah greets Kat and she told Kat that James is doing better even though her parents
are divorced and that she’s working so much with Habitat and getting therapy.
Kat text James that she wants to hang out and try to sound as normal as possible. Kat was in James house and she want
to blame herself for not realizing something huge had happened.
“So um, I ran into Hannah Padilla, it feels like she knows everything going on with you. Which like obviously we both have
other friends but it’s weird I still feel like I know none of it.”
“You didn’t ask”
“I assumed if something was going on, you would have told me, I tell you everything,” Kat says.
“God, I don’t know it. When would there have been room for my problems? For me at all?”
“James… it’s not like that. I tell you everything because you’re my best friend.”
“But it’s not like that, it’s like I’ve been your therapist. You dump all over me and then you don’t even stick around to
reciprocate. At least therapists get paid. I’m just doing all of it for free.”
“I ask how you are, I ask about Logan and college, and.” Kat didn’t ask about her parents because as far as she knew, Mr.
and Mrs. McCall were still living out their amazing, true love story.
“That’s fair. It was all so fast, and suddenly everything in your whole life was Quinn and being prom queen, just whatever
you could do to get attention.”
“I can’t believe you’d say that to me like I couldn’t figure out other ways to get attention.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that you throw yourself so hard into whomever you’re dating. It can feel like the rest of us disappear.”
After that Kat doesn’t hear from James every day and she misses James so much that she thinks that James isn’t part of
her life anymore. Kat is about to get into bed later that night when she, unfortunately, thinks about the time capsule, about
James’s letter, about how it’s still tucked away in her desk drawer. She knows younger James wrote it, not current James,
but Kat misses her words so much. Before grabbing for James’s letter she hug it against her heart just a moment before
sliding out the piece of heavy, pale blue stationary.
They’ve been best friends since kindergarten, and haven’t had any major scuffles since, but in senior year, they grow
apart. James and Kat mean well for each other, but they have different ways of communicating, and they have different
expectations of each other, which leads to conflict upon conflict until their friendship blows up in the end.
Kat tells James everything, James thinks Kat is oversharing. Kat expects James to tell her everything, and James expects
Kat to ask. And because they never talk about these expectations until it’s too late, the ending is inevitable, and all the
more tragic.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: August before Senior Year

JAMES
In this chapter, August before senior year everything was okay. James and Logan are still in a relationship and Kat and
Matty haven’t broken up yet. And of course, the two best friends are also okay and they’re happy with their lives.
 Half of the chapters moving forward in time and half moving backward. We Used to Be Friends explores the
most traumatic breakup of all that of childhood besties. At the start of their senior year in high school, James (a
girl with a boy’s name) and Kat are inseparable, but by graduation, they’re no longer friends. James prepares to
head off to college as she reflects on the dissolution of her friendship with Kat while, in alternating chapters, Kat
thinks about being newly in love with her first girlfriend and having a future that feels wide open. Over the
course of senior year, Kat wants nothing more than James to continue to be her steady rock, as James worries
that everything she believes about love and her future is a lie when her high-school sweetheart parents
announce they’re getting a divorce. Funny, honest, and full of heart, We Used to Be Friends tells of the pains of
growing up and growing apart.
 MORAL LESSON

We all know breaking up is hard to do, but breaking up can be even harder when it's with your best friend. Losing
someone you've been friends with for years, who may have known you since high school, and who has been there
through all of your romantic breakups, can be even more painful than losing a romantic partner. Unfortunately, some
people aren't meant to be best friends forever and, like romantic relationships, there are usually tell-tale signs that you
should end a friendship. Probably the most important thing a friendship needs is trust. It's important that you trust your
besties in many different ways with your secrets, to protect your heart, to be dependable. If you sense that something is
wrong with your friend or loved one, asking them if they're okay can let them know you're there for them and give them
space to talk about what's wrong. Wait for a time when the two of you can be alone without any distractions. Breaking up
with your friend will teach you more about yourself and what you want from your relationships with other people. After the
end of a relationship, it's important to take care of yourself. Be the best friend to yourself that you wanted your friend to be
to you.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to thank almighty God for guiding and giving me a good state of well-being while
making this task. Second, is to the author of this book Amy Spalding who is a very good and passionate writer with
precise and clear words for me to comprehend. To my parents who always support me morally and financially even
though there are times are rough. I would like also to express my special thanks of gratitude to my English teacher for
giving me such a substantial experience in working on this task. Without the support of those I mentioned, I will not able to
complete my task.

Last but not the least, I will also express my thanks of gratitude to my friends and classmate who gave and
shared their different ideas about our task. Indeed, because of this task or project, it gives me the opportunity to explore
more knowledge that I am sure it will help me in the future.

THANK YOU…