Onyx and Tiffany had been friends since Kindergarten, the kind of friends that always seemed to be joined at the hip. Their friends thought it was cute and had nicknamed them "Ebony and Ivory" after the then-popular song, Onyx being dark as the stone for which she was named and Tiffany being about as blonde as any girl could get. Their teachers rarely saw them apart and they worked and played together.
Their parents weren't happy about the situation, not in the least. Onyx's parents, the Douglas', thought that Tiffany's parents were snobs of the highest order. They were right about that. The Taylor family thought that Onyx's parents were low-class black trash and they were equally correct in their assessment.
The girls didn't care about any of that. They played together every day, did their homework together and helped each other out whenever necessary. Both girls got exceptional grades. If one girl excelled in a subject the order was doing poorly in, they helped each other until they were at par. For example, as Onyx's family tended to be lazy and use far too much slang at home for her teacher's, Tiffany tutored her until Ebonics were a thing of the past. Tiffany didn't particularly do well with math or science ... her family had accountants and staff to do a lot of the piddly stuff and they saw no reason she needed to know any of this. As far as her family was concerned, why did she need to know these things if she was going to marry some rich man and raise his children?
Around the time the girls were 12 years old; Onyx's family came into a bit more money and moved to a nicer neighborhood in another school district. Jeb Douglas was thrilled because now his daughter wouldn't be hanging around with the uppity white girl. His wife Bianca had about the same feelings on the matter. Kathleen Taylor encouraged her daughter to make new friends in a "higher social circle". Tiffany was almost livid with rage at her mother's bigotry.
What neither family counted on was the fact that this was now the computer age, the days of E-Mail, Facebook, Twitter and the like. Within a month of Onyx's move, she and Tiffany were talking on-line at least 2 hours every day and meeting at the Public Library or for coffee at least twice a week. They still helped each other with homework and talked about their lives and maintained a friendship they swore would never end.
Yet, it nearly did. When the girls entered High School, they drifted apart a bit, Tiffany became a cheerleader and did a lot of other activities, Onyx took a part-time job so that she could afford to go to University. They stayed in touch, but before either realized it, it had been nearly 2 years since they'd seen each other. Graduation was upon them and both girls realized if they didn't do something about it now, they would drift further apart. Neither of them wanted that, they wanted to put things back the way they had been.
Onyx reached out to her friend and asked what University she would be attending. Naturally, Tiffany would be going to Hudson, as her family tended to spend piles of money there with various endowments. Many of her relatives were Alumni or chaired various committees. As for Onyx, she had earned herself a scholarship.
"What do you think Tiff, should we find ourselves a place nearby and actually move out on our own?" Onyx suggested.
"I'd love that Onyx sweetie, I really would, but you know my family ... they'd never give me the money if I moved in with you." Tiffany sighed.
"So what? Get a part-time job and earn the money yourself," Onyx suggested. She knew the fatal flaw in that theory the moment she said it.
"Doing what? In case you've forgotten, I've never had to work a day in my life. Unless someone wants to pay me to go shopping with them, I'm kinda fucked," Tiffany sighed.
"Not necessarily," Onyx told her. "What about your Grandma Peterson?"
Tiffany brightened at that thought. Her Grandmother on her mother's side, while wealthy in her own right, had worked hard with her husband to earn the money and didn't buy into the snobbery of her daughter and son-in-law. Onyx had figured it out once again ... if Tiffany reached out to her Grandma, she more than likely would be willing to help. Once again, by working as a team with her best friend, they had figured out a plan.
After hanging up the phone from her conversation, Tiffany got dressed and went to visit her Grandma. Bella was always glad to see her granddaughter, who kept in touch because she genuinely cared about her, not because it was an obligation or because she had money.
Tiffany was honest with her Grandma, telling her the reason for her visit. "I want to go to University Grandma, but I don't want to live at home any more. I'll be 19 in a few months and I want to live on my own without doing everything my parents want. My best friend and I want to get an apartment together. Can you help? I'll try to figure out a way to repay you, Onyx will help me ... she's really smart."
"That's the black girl you parents disapprove of so much, correct?" Tiffany nodded and Bella shook her head. "I honestly don't understand their snobbery in today's day and age. I didn't raise my daughter to be like that ... I blame your father, sorry dear. Of course I'll help and don't you even think of paying it back. You do that by getting good grades and being a good person and making me proud, do you hear?"
Tiffany hugged her grandmother tightly; Bella had once again shown why she was Tiffany's favorite relative. She called Onyx that night and they met the next day for breakfast and went apartment hunting. They hugged and cried, happy to see each other after their long separation.
It didn't take them long to find an apartment, not long at all. One of Onyx's friends knew a place and it was gorgeous, a huge loft with a skylight, two bedrooms, a huge living area and kitchen. It was a bit more than Onyx thought she could manage, but now it was Tiffany's turn to save the day. Her Grandmother had given her almost enough money to manage the rent on her own.
"You put in for the utilities and some of the food and do most of the cooking and we'll call it even," Tiffany told her friend as the landlord waited for their answer. "Fair trade?"
"Yep, just like always," Onyx said, hugging Tiffany. They signed the lease and the deed was done. Onyx's parents weren't too thrilled she was leaving and taking some of the extra income with her, she was fairly certain Tiffany's parents would be equally angry. She underestimated them by 1000%. When the girls met for coffee on Saturday to discuss their moving plans, Onyx saw it in Tiffany's face.
"The fuckers, they threatened to disinherit me, can you believe it?" Tiffany said, tearing up even though absolutely furious. "I told them to go fuck themselves, that I didn't need their money, I had Grandma's support. I called her to tell her and she sent me another 10 thousand and told me whatever I need, ask for it. You know what she said? She said it's only money and what good is it if you're not happy?" Tiffany sighed. "I wish the rest of my family was cool like her."
"Sorry babe, I know what you mean. I wish my family weren't such trash at times, I love them, but they seem content to just ... settle. I want more out of life, you know?" Onyx smiled as she sipped her coffee. "Let's finish our coffees and go and hire ourselves a Mover, I doubt your family or mine will be much help."
They spent a few days arranging their move, Onyx had gone and bought some very good used furniture for their new place and Tiffany was bringing most of her own furniture from home. At first, her parents weren't going to let her have it, but she vowed to make a stink that would certainly land them in the newspapers, so they relented. After that, the move went smoothly and the two girls got settled and started their time in University, happy to be together and support each other like they always had.
"I HATE my Classical Literature class," Tiffany told Onyx late one evening. "Going to help me study?"
"Always," Onyx answered, handing her roommate a much-needed cup of coffee. "You can help me with my Drama class."
"I hope we're not going to spend ALL of our time at University studying," Tiffany sighed. "What's the point in having our own place if we don't enjoy it? You know that we haven't been out once since we moved in here? I wouldn't mind going to a club and meeting some cute guys, you know?"
Onyx smiled and as always, her entire face lit up when she did. "I wouldn't mind going out, but as you may remember, I suck at dancing and Tiffany Taylor, don't you DARE make a joke about my people are supposed to have rhythm."
Tiffany nearly choked on her coffee, she laughed so hard. She hugged her best friend and told her that she'd teach her how to dance. They began the lessons that night and in a few weeks, Onyx could move well enough to hold her own on a dance floor. They went to a few clubs and Tiffany flirted with some very attractive men, although Onyx seemed to keep to herself, not dancing much and just watching the activity and having a few drinks.
They arrived home and Tiffany was giggly, although relatively sober. "Wow, were there some cute guys there. Not that I'd know a lot about what to do if I met one, you know? I didn't exactly get a chance to be very ... social ... when I lived with the folks. Hey, maybe you can give me some pointers about guys and sex, you know, a trade for my helping teach you how to dance."
