"My friends always say we come in a package, and I think we do. We've become really close this year, and I think it's because we spend more time together going out. It's also because the three of us have pagers. "

It all starts at school on a Friday afternoon. It seems like forever until the 3:15 bell. At lunch, we usually invite friends to go out with us that night, but it always ends up just the three of us: Kristy, Mey and me. We usually plan to see the latest movie or just kick it at an arcade. I live about 15 minutes away from school, so we walk to my house.

Just the Three of Us

Kristy is usually the one to make the calls to people to see who's doing what. She's the oldest of the three of us, but she is the most childlike. She stands at about 4' ll”, without her platform shoes, that is. She is a petite Chinese girl who has a very innocent look, but when you get to know her, she is far from innocent. I trust her sometimes, but I can tell she is lying when she gives me this evil smile. When we first started to hang out together, she had a very strict curfew. Even though she is almost 18, she had to come home very early. Now she can get home by 1 a.m. That's pretty early for us because most of us do not have curfews. For example, I can come home at 3 a.m. and no one will ask when I got home.

Mey and I met in the seventh grade when I moved to Oakland. We didn't find out we were cousins until about a month after we became friends. I was transferred into her math class, and we started talking. She invited me to eat lunch with her and a couple of her other friends. At that time, I didn't really know anyone, so I was pleased to join them.

One day, I was showing my uncle from out of town where my grandfather's house was, and he wanted to stop by the house of a cousin of mine. I didn't know who the cousin was, and I found out later on that it was Mey. It's weird because our parents knew each other since they were children, but we met at school, of all places. We are both Mien and are about the same age. She is a couple months older than me and a few inches taller than me.

Life By Pager

Many Fridays, we go to my house and are stranded by people because they say they'll pick us up, but never show up. One time, the three of us were waiting for Kristy's friend to pick us up. It was around six, so we weren't stuck yet. As time went on, they would page each other back and forth. Pagers, to us, are a major plus to our social lives. When we need to reach someone, we simply pick up the phone and page with 411 (where are you) or 6811 1773 911 (call me, emergency).

He said he would pick us up. Each time he said was at a later time. That Friday night, he and a few of our other friends were going to pick someone up from out of town. That's why it was taking so long. Finally, around midnight, he voice-mailed her and said, sorry, he couldn't make it back to Oakland, but he would make it up to her.

Most of the times we go out, it's just the three of us. My friends always say we come in a package, and I think we do. We've become really close this year, and I think it's because we spend more time together going out. It's also because the three of us have pagers. Before, we would try to call each other, but now we just page 6811 and our code. Sometimes we use 555 (hurry), when we really need the person to call fast. We don't have our licenses, so we sort of depend on other people. If the car does not fit all of us, we don't go.

One Night Out

On one successful night, we actually went out. We met at my house to be picked up, as usual. A friend picked us up to watch a movie. We ended up in Emeryville. We watched “An American Werewolf in Paris.” The movie was supposed to be scary, but it was actually funny. Afterwards, we called some other friends and decided to meet a Camelot Park in Livermore. The three of us were the only girls, but it's always fun just as long as we are together. At Camelot, we met up with other friends and played video games and air hockey until almost twelve. We left because Kristy had to get home.

After we go out, Kristy usually pages me 111817178 78115 (wanna talk?). I usually change and wash my face before I page her to call me. We talk for about an hour or longer about what we just did, then page each other 979 or 5 012381775 -- nighty night or sweet dreams.