The photo

"Oh em gee! Helen I canNOT believe you still have this!"

Marsha stumbled over the couch, pointing out a greyscale photo of three teenage girls in homemade rockstar costumes. Giggling, she lifted the black-and-gold frame it was safely preserved in, showing it around the room to their group of old friends. They shared in the laughter, trading stories about that wild week. Helen heard none of it. She was entirely consumed by the memory the picture held. Her body eased onto the couch as her mind drifted to the summer of '99. The year she convinced herself that she'd be the first rockstar to come out of their small town in Virginia. Marsha and Helen had been inseparable since the day they became neighbors their freshman year.

"She might as well be my sister, we're so much alike!"

Helen would often tell her mom.

"Honey, there's going to be a new girl coming to your school, would you be a dear and show her around?"

Helen's mother interrupted before Helen could list all the ways she and Marsha were similar. Helen shot a displeased look.

"Why do I have to take a new girl under my God-blessed rock star hands?"

She bent her fingers as if fire would erupt at any moment.

Her mother let out a sigh, the kind that let Helen know that she would be getting a lecture instead of the classic "because I said so" line.

"You remember what it's like being the new girl. You know how hard it can be to make friends especially in high school."

"Her name is Uma, and-"

Helen scoffed. "You CAN'T be serious! UMA?! Mom if you love me, you won't make me do this! PLEASE!!"

She clasped her hands together and gave her best puppy dog face. Her mom didn't bite.

"I've invited them for dinner. She and her family will be here at five, and I want you to be welcoming."

Her mother turned and walked off leaving no room for debate. Helen stormed off to Marsha's, her next door neighbor and best friend.

"I can't believe your mom is making you be friends with someone just because they're new. How lame!"

Marsha protested, shaking her head in disapproval.

Helen rolled her eyes. "It gets worse. They're coming over for dinner tonight!"

Marsha's eyes widened. "Jeez! That's such short notice! What will you do?"

Helen shrugged, defeated. "Do what my mom says, I guess I could be the first to give her a chance. Maybe she's cool enough to be our third member?"

Marsha gasped. "You'd dare?! Do you even know her name?"

Helen raised her eyebrows. "It's...Uma."

*Ding dong*

The doorbell sings at exactly Five O'clock.

"Helen honey, would you get the door!" Her mom called up to her.

Helen's heart sank into the pit of her stomach. "Just be cool Hel. Give em hell, give em hell." Helen chanted to the bedroom mirror, then darted for the front door.

There stood a well dressed man and woman. The woman wore a burgundy dress with a lace design on the chest, her necklace twinkled in the porch light and her hair in a tight bun. She smiled at Helen warmly. The man, wore a black tuxedo, with a burgundy tie and matching shoes. His watch also twinkled in the light and when he smiled his gold tooth sparkled. His hair was short and slicked with pomade. The smell of his heavy doused cologne tickled Helen's nose.

In between the two of them stood a girl taller than Helen. Her hair was spiked, dyed jet-black with beach blue tips. She had a nose piercing, lip piercing, and wore all black. Her jeans were slightly torn, and her black blouse fell slightly off the shoulder.

She greeted Helen with a pop of her chewing gum.

"You girls go outside and play, let the adults clean up and chat." Helen's mom waved the two girls off, sending them on their way.

"So? From Cali, huh?" Helen tried breaking the awkwardness with small talk.

"So, check this out Hellin. My mom says I should be your friend, but after seeing your room, eating your mom's dinner, I don't see that happen'n." Uma slipped in a piece of gum, chewing aggressively.

"My room is a front! You ain't seen nothin' OOMY!" Who needs you as a friend anyways, my mom told ME to be nice to you since you're the new girl. Me and my best friend are all the friend I need" Helen turned so fast her hair slapped Uma's cheek. She went inside and played piano until they left.

"Must not have been the best first impression?" Her mom sat beside her at the piano. She smiled gently. "Whenever you start playing music I like, I know something's up. What happened?"

Helen stood from the piano with force. "Uma is such a dick!"

Her mother's face flushed red, as she immediately clutched her pearls. "LANGUAGE young lady!"

"Earth to Helen!"

Marsha waved her hand back and forth in front of Helen until she snapped out of her memory.

She pushed Marsha's hands aside.

"What is is Mars?" Helen blinked repeatedly, coming back to the present moment. The room of people all stared.

"I haven't heard about Uma since the day she ran away." A young man leaned against a wall called out. Marsha and Helen exchanged surprised looks.

"Joey?! I didn't think you'd make it!" Marsha screeched jumping into his arms. He twirled her, making her laugh like a school girl again.

"You know Helen and I don't believe she just ran away like that, especially without telling us. No way! I think something really bad happened. We were supposed to do big things, together. It was us against the world. She wouldn't just run away...I don't think." Marsha hugged herself, trying to comfort herself before she gets emotional. Helen is quiet.

"Helen? In the ten years that's passed you've never shared any of your theories or thoughts. Care to tonight amongst friends?" Joey raised his cup to her, sipping without losing eye contact.

Helen stared off in the distance of the room. A smile drew across her face.

"I hated her when we first met." Helen smirked, twiddling her fingers.

"My mother wanted us to be friends so bad because we were so much alike. Uma had a sour attitude."

Helen couldn't resist laughing out loud at the thoughts of Uma that danced in the forefront of her mind.

Marsha flopped on the couch in front of where Helen stood like a child ready for storytime.

"Tell me about it, I remember that day so well." Marsha said with an eye roll.

"New girl sucks! She thinks she can out punk me!? Who does she think she is!" Marsha stomped in the girls bathroom. She pulled a big tub of gel out of her bag and spread it across her short hair then brushed it back until it was slick. She applied her dark mascara under her eyes and red make up on top of her eyelids.

"Come to my house after school today Hel?"

Helen popped her gum at her reflection. "Totally."

"Mom! I finished my homework going to Mars. Love you even though I act tough!"

Helen called out as she bolted out the door before an interjection, interruption or word from her mom. As she opened, she was stunned to see Uma's mother, mid knock. Her face was flushed, mascara running under her eyes like she'd been crying before arriving. Helen could see Uma sitting in the car, arms folded, face reading irritated.

Helen is speechless. She stands stuck in the open doorway.

"Doors left wide open, like we live in a farmhouse honey?" Helen's mother commented as she approached. She was too stunned to see Caroline in the condition unlike what she was a few nights prior.

"Oh, darling, what's wrong?" She ushered for her to come inside, and led her to the dining room. Leaving Helen standing on the porch, staring at Uma through the car.

"I wonder what's going on with Uma and her mom?"

"Uma looks bothered, which isn't new, but this is a different bothered."

"Should I say something or just go to Marsha's?"

"Pretend I didn't see it?"

Helen's thoughts were interrupted by Marsha waving her over.

Helen's eyes locked on Uma, as her body dragged her toward Marsha. The girls dashed upstairs and peeped out the blinds of Marsha's room.

"Whaddya thinks happening?" Marsha's face pressed against the glass, her eyes scanned all around as she spoke.

Helen toppled over Marsha attempting to get a better look. "I dunno, but it's for real! Uma's mom was crying. Well not crying, almost like she just finished up crying."

Helen's gaze found Uma again. She backed from the window.

"I think we should go talk to her, for real this time." Helen looked at Marsha with a raised brow.

Marsha's face still against the window, she let out a breath that fogged the window.

"I guess you're right. I can't see anything from here!"

Uma is pressed up against her moms car chewing gum, arms folded. She darts her eyes and grumbles as Helen and Marsha approach her. She gives them each an uninterested look and continues chewing her gum aggressively silent.

"Helen and I noticed, uh you and your mom.. I mean your mom has been in there an awful long time, right? Should we be worried?" Marsha flashed a wobbly smile.

Uma said nothing, just squinted her eyes back and forth between Helen and Marsha.

Helen cleared her throat. "I saw your mom upset when I was leaving and-"

Uma popped her gum loudly. "-and you thought you show me some pity? No thanks."

She spat her gum out on the ground in front of them and got back in the car. They could hear cold play muffled music through the windows.

Helen and Marsha turned away whispering "I told you so's and I knew it was a bad idea."

"I haven't heard you mention your new friend Uma since you all met two weeks ago. Is everything okay?" Helen's mom questioned, hands still eagerly cleaning the dishes.

Helen's eyebrows frowned. "I'm pretty sure I never said we were friends. Besides she don't like me and I don't like her. Enemies can't be friends!"

Her mother waved her off, as if she said something silly.

"Honey, sometimes people have to put up very strong walls to survive. That doesn't make them a bad person, they just have to learn to trust again. All it takes is someone to see beyond that wall, to see them. I never push friends on you, but I have a good inkling about her."

Helen repaid that remark with a massive eye roll.

"Pretty sure that's just gas mom. Plus I've tried...TWICE already."

Helen held up her two fingers proudly.

Her mother shrugged. "

Third times the charm, I've heard."

She kisses her cheek and poured herself a drink to close out her day.

"Hey mom? The other day when Uma's mom came here crying, what was wrong?" Helen asked softly.

Her mother thought about it, but only said, "that's for grown folks to figure out, not Helen." She gave her a reassuring smile that displeased Helen.

"My mom is really pushing me to give Uma another chance, can you believe that?!" Helen fell forward on Marsha's bed, mumbling complaints into her pillows.

"Ugh! Glad my parents mind their business. Did she say why? OH! OOO did she tell you what was up with her mom the other day?" Marsha's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Helen merely shook her head with a face that told Marsha her answer.

"Ugh! Well how does she expect you to talk to someone who isn't your biggest fan either! Whaddya gonna do?"

Helen shrugged defeated.

"It was easier with you. Uma's a dick!" Helen stuffed her face back into Marsha's pillows and groaned.

"Enough about her, we need to focus on getting our third member this summer. We also need a badass name. Marsha pounded her left hand with her first.

That week Helen and Marsha put aside their attempts to befriend Uma and focused on making flyers advertising their audition for talent. The flyers had red and black cutout letters. Guitar and star stickers. "Join toxic Hel and Mars this Saturday to see if you got what it takes to join the band!"

Ten people showed up to audition. Marsha wasn't impressed with the first half, while Helen thought they showed potential. While Helen didn't enjoy any of the second half performances, while Marsha thought they had great rock enthusiasm.

Uma walked up to Marsha's garage with her bass guitar. She laughed at the ten contestants before playing "in the air tonight" by Phil Collins.

Helen and Marsha exchanged amazed looks at Uma's performance. She was beyond good.

Marsha folded her arms, and squinted her eyes. "Are you auditioning because you want to join us, or you just like showing off?"

Uma smirked, pleased with herself. "I'll join, but only if we have a badass name." She smashed her left hand with her first.

Helen smiled. "Lucky you, we were brainstorming names. Maybe we use our initials? Or do you want a cool name like us; Toxic Hel and Mars, you could be....uh..

"Oom and doom!" Marsha blurted out.

Uma thought about the suggestion, and shrugged. "I like it enough. What about HUM? It's all our initials and we could totally make people think we're some sweet quiet girls with a name like that and rock their minds and soul!" Uma bent her fingers as if fire would erupt from her palms.

"Awesome! Now, picture to make it official." Helen ran for her house to grab her camera and mother so she could take their picture.

The girls laughed and giggled their way into position. With no warning or count down, Helen's Mom took a picture that captured Helen on the far left looking and laughing at Uma, tall awkward leaning back into her laugh straight back into Marsha, who is to the right reaching both hands out on Uma's shoulders keeping her from making them both fall. Her eyes are closed shut from her laughing so hard.

"We practiced damn near everyday that summer. Then one day, Uma just disappeared. Not a word, not a trace." Helen started off into the distance again.

Marsha walked up and grabbed Helen's hand. "No note, no goodbye, nothing. It's like she never existed." "Shortly after that her mom moved." Helen and I searched for a couple years, but never found anything. So we just have to accept that she ran away and is alive somewhere." Marsha held Helen's hand tighter.