Lonely On a Saturday Night

Then and Now

I just can't believe you're here alone
Sittin' in the corner while a party's going on
My heart made my feet walk up to you
There's so many things that we could do

Someone like you shouldn't be lonely (shouldn't be lonely)
Someone like you shouldn't be lonely (shouldn't be lonely)
Someone like you shouldn't be lonely
Lonely on a Saturday night
(Oh, yeah, yeah)

~Hootie & the Blowfish, Lonely On a Saturday Night

It was amazing, really, how effortlessly people left Yasmine. Gaining those followers was almost as easy; all she had to do was walk with poise and keep her lips twisted in a condescending sneer, making any passerby frantic not to get on her bad side. 

Now... well, she didn't know how to describe it. Basically, this was different in a sense. Different in a bad way, bad different. It had been a few months, and she was still thinking about it. 

Yasmine still recalled the front wedgie incident as though it had only happened yesterday (although it had actually happened two or three months ago). Her popularity was slowly declining, and her followers were now gone, having washed away like a bargain perfume in the shower; they were temporary, skin-deep and fake, the scent of chemicals, plastic and artificial additives masking anything genuine.

Yasmine just never thought Moon would be one of those people.  She looked so happy in her Instagram stories, laughing with her new friends and making kissy faces at Eli "Hawk" Moskowitz, the guy with the blue Mohawk, whom she now called her boyfriend. He'd gotten his hair redone, and now he somehow looked different from the person Yasmine remembered when she first saw him. 

For Yasmine, it was beyond embarrassing; Moon had passed her over for Eli Moskowitz and his karate friends.

************************************************

It was a strange thing. The same girls who once sat around her table and answered to her without question were now snickering at her in the hallways, whispering among themselves as she passed by them. She'd never been on the other side of this, as she'd always been the scoffer, and never the one getting scoffed at. At that moment, she couldn't help realizing she now knew how it felt to be a victim of bullying... the kind of viciousness she used to perpetuate. 

And every time someone shouted a taunt at her, it was simply another pinprick, another painful reminder of how her popularity was now thoroughly destroyed and couldn't ever come back the same. There was no way to tape all the pieces into anything resembling the original. 

Yasmine wondered if the crowds she used to run with and the people she used to command could always see her for who she really was, and had been merely waiting for her to weaken enough, so they could gather up the courage to leave her behind, to be honest.

If they had been, it was unsurprising now. It certainly seemed likely, what with all her old clique having turned to hostile, jeering adversaries (except for Moon, who still chose to be her friend, although she knew Moon had been right to stand up for herself about being an ex-bully when she sternly lectured Yasmine about her needing to change her behavior if she still wanted to be friends with Moon).

Of course, she saw how Demetri fought his battles physically in karate tournaments, since he was now in Miyagi-Do, whereas before he only fought with his wit (which she now noticed was almost as sharp as his tongue, or maybe even more so).

"You're just jealous because Yasmine can be just as witty as me, or possibly even more so. And besides that, you're also jealous because there's something Yasmine and I have. Something you wish you had yourselves. And that's a loving relationship," Yasmine heard Demetri calmly say to the girls from the "rich girls" table who'd been picking on her a few moments before he stepped in. Placing an arm around Yasmine's waist, he then gave them a glare with his dark brown eyes narrowed, even though his words were infused with shades of tranquil fury. His anger switched to remorse as he turned and saw Yasmine, only to see she actually agreed with his words and actions, if the smile on her face was anything to go by.

"Yasmine, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have..." Demetri began, but then shrugged. Yasmine then turned to the now shocked group of girls and gave them a glare (as her way of saying she wasn't going back to being the Queen Bee anymore). The "rich" girls now looked as though they'd been stopped short — as though they possibly knew Demetri was right.

Luckily, Yasmine understood. "It's all right, Demetri. I understand. And thanks for having my back. I was too scared to defend myself," she said, her smile showing she appreciated him defending her (because she'd felt frozen and unable to defend herself, whereas her old bully self would've verbally torn those girls to pieces). "There's no need for you to apologize. You're absolutely right." 

"I am?" 

"Yes," Yasmine shook her head. Smiling still, she took his hand in hers. "To be honest, you hit the nail on the head. Those girls are jealous, and they do wish they had the loving relationship you and I obviously have."

It was true. Every time Yasmine looked at those girls now, she couldn't believe these were the same girls she used to hang out with. She now knew they were just another example of the bad popularity, which she didn't like anymore. Also, deep down, Yasmine was really angry at those girls, because she'd since outgrown their mean selfish behavior, which she herself used to exhibit. 

However, she showed she'd changed for the better when she became more humble thanks to the front wedgie incident. And speaking of which, Yasmine now viewed said incident as a blessing in disguise in a way, since it helped her realize how it felt to be the person who was made fun of.