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immediately thought about how my parents had because we never stopped talking. I could 5
always been especially fond of Mavis, and here have an argument, in earnest, about who was
was this moment when I understood exactly the best “Kid” in the Hall, without having to
why: she was a good person. It felt so good explain who they were. One friend with whom section one
to realize how smart my parents had been all you have a lot in common is better than three
along. “Are you kidding me?” I said. “We have to with whom you struggle to find things to talk /
go home and film this sketch.” about. We never needed best friend gear
By the time we got down the escalator and because I guess with real friends you don’t
walked to the parking lot to get picked up by her have to make it official. It just is. Mindy Kaling
parents, my ego was still bruised, but I was also Junior year of high school, the Lehrmans
able to identify another feeling: relief. moved to Evanston, Illinois, but Mavis and I kept
Pretty soon after that, the rest of JLP disin- in touch. She would call me and tell me about the
tegrated too. Polly was getting into music more amazing shows her dad took her to see at Second
and was getting chummier with the kids who all City, and we planned for me to visit, but it never
smoked regularly across the street in the Fairy materialized. When we graduated high school,
Woods. It was Jana, surprisingly, who first got a she went to the Cooper Union in Manhattan
boyfriend. A cool Thai kid named Prem, who was to pursue her love of set design, and I went to
a senior, asked her out. Prem was pretty posses- Dartmouth to pursue my love of white people and
sive, and within weeks Jana was learning Thai and North Face parkas. We e-mailed a bit for a year
I never saw her. Lauren and I, with whom I had the or so, and then by sophomore year, the e-mails
least in common, faded out quickly without the stopped. We both just got so consumed with
buffer of the other two. It was almost a lifting of a college. I would be reminded of Mavis when my
burden when we weren’t required to stay in touch. parents asked about her over summer and holi-
By the end of freshman year, it was just 25 day breaks. “How is Mavis doing these days?” my
Mavis and me. I once half-jokingly suggested mom would ask. “I think pretty good,” I replied,
naming our friendship M&M, and Mavis vaguely, reminding myself to send her an e-mail
looked at me with friendly but mild disgust. one of these days, but never following through.
That was so not Mavis’s style. She stayed Mavis helped me learn so much about who
friends with her techie guy friends, and I even I am, and who I wanted to be. I love comedy and
had lunch with them sometimes. They were now surround myself with people who love to
smart guys, funny and edgier than any other talk about it just as much as I do. I like to think
guys at school, and they were knowledgeable that Polly is in a band, that Lauren joined the
about politics, a subject barely anyone cared right knitting circle, and that Jana found a nice
about. But my friend group definitely shrunk. horse to settle down with. Even though Mavis
I was without a posse, no small herd to con- was my secret friend, she is the only one I hope
fidently walk down the hall with. There was I see again. She’s the only one I wonder about.
just Mavis and me, but it never seemed lonely I hope she wonders about me too.

Understanding and Interpreting

1. How does Kaling use details and description to characterize Mavis in paragraph 3? What is
the reader expected to conclude about Mavis and Kaling from this characterization?
2. What is the JLMP group like and how does Kaling feel about her group at the beginning of the
narrative? How does she contrast this group with Mavis? Why does Kaling draw this contrast?
Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample. 153
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
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