Scarlet Letter

24 hours.

The last 24 hours have been strange. Odd. Almost creepy. Looney.

It all started with a friend-request on MySpace from a guy I went to High School with a long long time ago.

Which seems normal enough, except I don't know this guy. I had to read his profile to figure out that we probably went to HS together, and then I had to get out my yearbook to even place him. I have never in my life spoke to him, and he wasn't in my grade. I still don't know why he wants to add me.

Then on his profile, I found in his friend's list the younger brother of my best friend in HS. Last I remember seeing him, he might have been a freshman in HS. He's now all grown up with 3 kids. I feel so old.

While both of these aren't anything to write home about, a conversation I had tonight with my best friend is.

She and I have (had?) a network of friends, some mutual, and some not, but they all vaguely know each other. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why several of them hated me so much. I knew there were rumors rolling around, but I could never get anyone to tell me what they were.

Anyway, we began talking about these old friends, most of them we are no longer in touch with, and comparing stories. Then she hinted something about that we'd "shared" the same men.

I have to say that made me laugh quite a bit. I'm actually still laughing about it. Its so preposterous that I couldn't help but laugh.

Controlling my laughter for a bit, just to say: "but we haven't shared the same man" I also racked my brain trying to find a man that we had shared or at least had been both physical with. I even tried to comb through those drunken college nights of "wild abandon" and I couldn't come up with anyone.

Turns out, that a couple of her boyfriends had told her while she was dating them that they and I had had sex.

I seriously cannot stop laughing. How she believed them? That I don't know. She said back then she didn't have much self-esteem. Well with boyfriends like that, who can blame her?

Anyway, we got to the bottom of it, and cleared the air. But it seems she had told a couple people in our friend-network, and of course gossip got out.

No wonder people hated me and kept trying to tell her I wasn't really her friend.

Its so far back in past history, that all one can do now is laugh. Though it is finally good to know why I had that scarlet letter.

(I do sorta feel like going to a gathering of our old friends, and wearing a t-shirt stating "No, I did not have sex with that man!" But that would be all to Clinton-esque and I doubt they'd believe me anyway.)