Whether or not it was for the better is a question that is still, eleven years later, up for debate in my mind. All I know is this: procrastination changed my life for good.  It led to my awakening, it led to the truest form of friendship, it led to curiosity, it led to real love, and it led to heartbreak, which, in turn, led to further heartbreak. It led to my life.

How could I know that when I got dropped from all of my classes for non-payment, that I had way more to tangle with than an annoyed college advisor? That it would lead to my choosing to take Communications II with Mrs. Withers instead of Mr. Berser. That when I walked into Mrs. Withers’ class late on that first day (you already know I procrastinate, this shouldn’t come as a shock), that I was about to walk in embarrassed, because I had to take the very last seat in the back row. That this last open seat would place me between two boys, Ryan and Matthew, who would change my life forever.

How could I know at the time, that I was sitting between my future ex-best friend, and the best friend who would lead me to my future?

I knew none of this at the time, of course. I was merely a nineteen-year-old girl who thought herself too grown up. Who thought herself wise beyond her years, having lived a ton of life already, yet truly had no clue. A nineteen-year-old girl who thought the skinny boy to her left, with his long, shaggy brown hair, smelled a little funny and possessed a slight resemblance to Pee-wee Herman. Yet, there was something about him that she was drawn to.

But, as always, I digress.

***

January 8^th, 2006 

“Hmmffflllo..” I answered, not caring if the idiot with a death wish on the other line understood me or not. I glanced at my clock. Two in the A.M. Who the heck would be calling me at this hour? I had just moved to the smallish town of Melbourne, Florida to begin my college career and hardly knew anybody yet

Ah, those were the days.

“Hey, it’s Ryan.”

Ryan? I racked my brain, which was momentarily working slower than a herd of snails stampeding through a tub of glue. I came up empty-handed.

“Ryan who?” I asked, not bothering to hide my agitation. The laughter on the other line only heightened it.

“Did I wake you or something?”

“As a matter of fact you did, so will you just tell me who you are so I can get to tellin’ you off and go back to sleep?”

More laughter. I mumbled something that I had planned on sounding like a harsh stream of obscenities, but had really come out as, “Frumcckblas!”

The idiot was obviously enjoying himself. “Look, I just called because you’re in my English class,” he managed to get out through chuckles. “Remember? Our professor made us get the numbers of other students. You sit next to me. I was just seeing if our paper was due tomorrow.”

Finally the cowbell clanged in my head, followed by the sudden realization that he would be within poking distance tomorrow and revenge could easily be exacted.

“Why the heck are you calling me now? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Yeah. So is it due?”

For serious? “Um, yah it’s due tomorrow. We only have a few weeks of class left til midterms.”

“Thought so. I knew it was sometime soon.”

“I take it you’re a procrastinator? I myself am one at times. For instance, I’m going to put off kicking your butt til I see you tomorrow. At the moment, it’s not worth losing sleep over, or the gas to get to your house. Even if I knew where you lived.”

“Interested in finding out, huh? Why don’t I tell you and you can come over. And, after you fail miserably at kicking my butt, I can calm you down?” I could just hear the laughter in his voice.

“Are you coming onto me?”

“Not yet, but if you insist…”

“Look assjack, you can just take that idea and shove it up your-”

“Kinky.

“Why are you still on my phone?”

“I dunno, you tell me. You’re the one with the power to hang up.”

“Well…you have the same power. I think you’re just a masochist who likes being told off by a girl.”

“You call that being ‘told-off’?”

“Jerk.”

“Sexy.”

“I’m going.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“After the black eye I’m going to give you, you won’t be seeing much of anything.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“Do me a favor, and just stop talking. In fact, don’t speak to me ever again!”

“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow!” He laughed as he hung up the phone.

And with that, Ryan catapulted himself into my life, bringing with him a highly unlikely, inexplicable, yet inseparable friendship.