Meghan's Memories
Fifth grade. Kirk Road Elementary. Mr. C’s Class. Back in the day when matching your scrunchie hair tie to your clothes, and passing notes about which boy you thought looked cute that day, were the cool things to do. When we finally got to get our hands on make-up and the days when we waited for our bus number to be called on the loud speaker. Back in the days when I was extremely fortunate to meet, and grow to know, the greatest, most genuine, beautiful, hilarious, girl I will ever know. Stephanie Anne Oliva and I became friends right away, and could talk about anything and everything. Steph, also known as Stephalicious O, always made me laugh no matter how terrible of a day I had. I am sure so many other people have experienced the same thing. She just had the knack to light up the gloomiest of days. In sixth grade at Arcadia, we used to have sleep overs with the girls and perform songs for each other pretending we were the singer. Steph was always Sandy from Grease, she knew every line and would sing and dance around the room with every bit of energy in her little body. She and I were obsessed with the song “Finally” by CeCe Peniston. She used to make her voice do this growl when the “Finally, Oh No No” part came on, as she put one hand on her hip and the other with her pointer finger waving in the air. She did this thing with her neck that used to make me cry with laugher. She would scrunch her neck back to create this illusion that she had no neck and walk around and tell people to touch it. And I loved when she did her little old lady voice. She would put a blanket over her hand and wrinkle her eyes and say things in this crinkly, scratchy, old woman’s voice. It was hysterical.
Anyone who knew this girl knew how important her hair was to her. She used to crack me up with the frequent visits to her locker mirror in between every class, just to check it and re-comb 
those little hairs that might have slipped out of place in a matter of 45 minutes. In 7th grade, we played basketball together, and I specifically remember waiting with her outside after practice for Cind to drive up in the “blue box.” She loved that van. At practice everyone always made her do the pretzel. She was always modeling her contortionist ways. Always had her legs scrunched up real close to her body every time she sat down. We had to take care of snails for our science class that year, oh did she love that. I will never forget how she used to grab her nose, scrunch up her face, and wave her hand back and forth at the stench seeping emitting from the snail cages. She did the best impersonations of our teacher when he would call us to leave the room for talking too much. We had great times in middle school, and even though I did not continue to go to Arcadia for highschool, we still were close friends. Stephanie was the type of person who I could go a few months without seeing, but when we did get together, nothing had changed. She still knew me better than anyone and we always had fun. I cherished every time I got to get one of her little “midge” hugs.
I had the opportunities to do some traveling with Stephanie. In our freshman year of
highschool, her family was generous to include me on their annual Florida Trip to Disney and Vero Beach. We had so many laughs during those couple of weeks, it would take forever to write them. I specifically remember one night when we went to Magic Kingdom and rode Splash Mountain. We had been on the ride on numerous occasions previous to this one particular time, and had only gotten the expected “splash.” We got on the ride as usual, traveled on the track, went into the cave, and went down the dip, but Stephanie and I did not experience a “splash”. It was more of a soak. We were drenched when we walked off of that ride. This girl was furious. She had done her hair in these adorable little pig tails with a zigzag down the middle (which, by the way, took her about 20 minutes to get the zig and the zag to match perfectly) and jean shorts, all which had gotten completely wet. She swore she would never go on it again, and that the ride was deceiving. It seriously had felt as though someone threw a bucket of water on top of us. Steph was basically in love with the People Mover too. I don’t even think it was a legit ride. It just sort of took you all over to look at the park. We definitely knew how to be lazy with one another.
When she came along with my family and I to Myrtle beach our sophomore year, we were the laziest people I know. We all know how much Steph loved her tanning! She would lather herself with her baby oil, and one time I told her she reminded me of Britney Spears, and she thought it was the funniest thing. All day she kept saying “o my gosshh you look Just like BRITNEY Spearsssss” I love how she used to pop out her tummy really far and walk around saying she was carrying a baby. There is no one like that girl. In Myrtle, she got this beaded necklace that had money signs and dice on it. She put it on and started singing some song she made up on the spot, it went something like this, “I got my PIMP juice, going on!” with her little gangster finger flopping in the air. She told me that she had the Pimpette skills and she code named me “Spunky- the pimp in training” My usual nickname to her was Chap. I really cant remember how she started to call me that. She just used to write it in all of the notes she would send me when we were younger, and it sort of stuck.
Steph was such a little “reb” One day on the bus, we sat all of the way in the back, and she 
was eating a sucker. We had gotten told that there was to be no eating or drinking on the bus. Steph thought she was a bad ass and would stick her sucker purposely out in the isle, hoping the driver would catch a glimpse. She called herself “such a risk taker” She always had the funniest thoughts and responses. One day we asked each other what the one and only thing we would bring on a island if we were stranded, her answer: “my mascara” I loved how she used to put her hair up in her “Steph Buns” and her chap stick, that she kept “in stock” I am so proud of her to follow her dreams in cosmetology. She talked about it all of her life. She and I talked after she started hair school, and she told me right away “Meg, I love it, I am in my “el.” (Element) And I believe that was definitely her calling, she was amazing at it. She used to talk about how she was going to get a silver car so it would match her “bling”. She was so hip.
Although Stephanie and I seemed so opposite from each other, (we look so different, I am 5'10 dark hair and she at 5 foot, blonde) we were so similar in the greatest ways. We shared many great obsessions, such as food. I’ll never forget her always having “dorito breath” or when she ate sour 
cream and onion chips it was her “cab breath” (cabage) We loved vanilla coke and would do anything for it. But her all time favorite was chips and dip. Cind recently taught me how to dip the chip the right way. (From now on, that’s the only way ill dip my chip Steph, I’m sorry for all of the times I just jabbed my chip in the dip and didn’t keep the dip even!) We loved watching the Real World and American Idol. She used to join in and mock my Mom for liking Clay. (She called him claydough) Whenever Stephanie came over for a birthday, New Years, or 4th of July, I made sure I had fruit salad gummies for her, she ate them like it was her job. She was a lot more girly, and loved her cheerleading, where as I was very laid back and was into hip hop. We both had a case of OCD and had to keep things neat and orderly, she was a little better at it than I was however. We both were ditsy at times. Her birthday is April 9th and mine is November 9th. We used to think that we celebrated our half birthdays on one another’s birthday. Come to find out, we were a month off.
Another thing we both had in common was our love for our family. Stephanie absolutely adored her father, mother, Nicholas and John. She would talk about how smart her dad was, and compare herself saying how she would never be close to his “smartness”. Cind and Stephanie’s relationship is something so special. She used to love how her mother cleaned 24/7. We would talk on the phone and all of a sudden “kurbs” would fire up in the background. Her eldest brother, Nicholas, was an important role model to her. She used to tell me how he should go to Hollywood and be Billie from Greenday. She loved her “twin” John as well. She used to tell me how he was such a great guy and needed a good girl. She was so proud of him in his athletic abilities. She looked up to each and every one of her family members. They meant so much to her, and she loved them unconditionally. We both used to have anxiety and would call each other when we needed someone to calm us down. Stephanie was always there for me and I am so glad to know that she was never afraid to call me for anything. I would stop whatever it was I was doing to be by her side. She understood me like no one else. She truly was my best friend that I’ve had. There will n
ever be anyone who would even come close to her.
I have experienced so many wonderful times with Stephanie. It has been a year, and there hasn’t been a day that has past that I have not thought about her. It has taken me so long to sit down and collect my memories and thoughts. Every time I went to start to write, I would cry with sadness, cry with anger, and cry with laughter all at the same time. Whenever I get sad about her loss, I can’t help it at the same time but think of her silly little faces. I can’t help but hear her laugh and her voice telling me to “stop being a poop” and how there is nothing to be crying over. As John told me at her wake, “Stephanie wouldn’t want all of us to be crying and having your make-up run, she would want us all to smile and be pretty” That is so true, and every day that I put on 
that mascara I think about her and those beautiful lashes I was always so jealous of. She was a gift from God indeed. I am blessed to have gotten to become so close with her and have her be such an important part of my life. The days are hard to get through, and will continue to be so, but I know we will see one another some time soon. For now, she is keeping us all safe and wishing us all the best. In one of the assignments posted on her page, she mentioned that she would be me if she were another person, and that I was like a hero to her. I hope she knew that I felt the same way.
To my BFF, I miss you terribly, and love you deeply. I will never forget everything we shared. Always in my heart.
Chap.
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You can Contact Meghan on Screen name: "Meggs119" or email: meggs119@aol.com