Friends

It's easy to go up to someone and say, "Hey, let's be friends." You do it all the time, whether you know it or not. The hard part is keeping your friends. In school, it isn't difficult keeping in touch with them. You literally see them everyday. It's staying in touch after school ends.

I've been to four different schools growing up. I had a lot of friends. I remember some of my best friends from kindergarten. After moving each time, I lost track of all my friends. The second school I went to was only for a semester, it was when I was in second grade. I was living with my grandparents and I met this girl across the street. We became friends because our moms knew each other. Throughout the years, she became a cousin. We weren't related by blood, but it was one of those situations where a family friend became an aunt or uncle. I have known this girl for like fifteen years or so. We still keep in touch from time to time. She taught me a few things. She may not know it but she did teach me how to be confident. I looked up to her even though I am eleven days older than her.

The third school I went to, it was from third grade through the first half of sixth grade. I had a small group of friends. At first, it was only the three of us. I met one of the girls the first week of fourth grade. It was in line at lunch. This girl and I started talking and bam! we were friends. She introduced me to our third and we were all best of friends even for a little bit after I moved. I remember some fun times with them. They taught me how to have some fun.

The friends that stayed with me until today I met at my fourth and final school. When I first moved, I hated it. I threw a fit and everything. I befriended three girls. For a week I became apart of there group. For my twelve-year-old self, I thought they were too much for me. I was innocent and still getting used to new people. I met this girl, Mariah, and we instantly clicked. She introduced me to four more people she hung out with and once again I was apart of another group.

We were friends all throughout junior high. Then Mariah moved away. The group still stayed together though, we still missed her. We had so much fun in junior high. Obviously, we all dealt with boy drama and all that jazz. We both dated the same boy, not at the same time, who was a friend of ours. But we still stayed friends. In eighth grade, we added two more people to our group, but one left.

In high school, everything sort of changed. Mariah moved. My best guy friend stayed. I was still friends with three more girls that were also apart of the group. I met a few more friends my freshman year.

Keeping friends in high school is hard. I almost lost my best guy friend twice. (I also dated him, but it was so short that I doubt it counts.) However, I did have two best friends a majority of high school. I met Ashley freshman year. She was this outgoing fun girl. She became my best friend quickly. She was like a sister to me through thick and thin. We did almost everything together, I could talk to her about anything. I don't really remember why, but I pushed her away and we stopped being friends. I won't lie I do miss her but stuff happens.

There was one other girl I became best friends with. She was younger than me by a year. Shannon. Through boyfriends and family drama I stayed by her side and supported her. I was there for everything she went through four years. She was there for me when my dad died. When we got to junior high, we began to lose touch. I didn't understand why. Talking every day became a few words throughout the week. Then I a guy messaged me one day. It was her ex. I will never know if it was true or if it was a revenge plot. But he messaged me telling me rude things that my "friend" said about me to him. I was heartbroken. Maybe I should have asked her but the 16-17-year-old me didn't have the balls to do it. Any confidence I had in myself was shot. I felt used.

Senior year was a better year for me. It was my last year of high school and I wanted to spend it doing fun things. I had my two best friends Amanda and Sam. I also had my gay best friend, who was in the class under me, I had a few extra friends. Hell, I even had a boyfriend, (didn't last long, my fault to be honest), it a good year. In the first semester, a friend of mine was going through a tough time. She had lost her friends. I was only a school friend, someone to talk to occasionally. She came to class really upset and told me that her best friends left her. I looked at her and told her, "I'll be your best friend now."

We grew closer throughout the year. After we graduated, we stayed friends. Eventually, I ended up staying at her house more than mine. We became sisters. We know everything about each other. We've been through a lot, from fights to me moving 600 miles away. Through tears and fun times. We thought me being in a totally different state would be hard on our friendship but it brought us closer. It was hard on us mentally, though. We had separation anxiety. We barely left the house unless we had to. I didn't have any friends in this new state and she didn't have any that would actually hang out with her. We were lonely.

I had lost touch with another friend I had. We only talk once every few months. It been over a year since I've seen my best guy friend, we still talk but not as much as we used to. Savvy became my closest friend and when I moved I felt like I was gonna lose her too.

I eventually moved back to my home state. I had also moved in with Savvy. Reuniting with my best friend was like I never left at all. When I first came back she came with me to a concert that meant the world to me. It was a very personal concert for me. Even though she isn't a fan she still went because it was important to me. she took pictures for me so that I wouldn't miss anything. This girl knows everything about me. She has been there for me through everything, as I have been for her.

The friends I've had throughout my life have impacted me somehow and someway. They taught me that it's okay to lose friends, it happens. They taught me how to be strong when I feel weak. They taught me how to be myself. I wouldn't be the person I am today without all of the friends I've had in my life. Yeah, I miss being friends with most of them but I realized that maybe it's just how it supposed to be. Even though we don't talk, I still see them grow on social media. It makes me happy knowing that I used to be friends with the people who are now making a life for themselves. I see them getting married and having kids. I see them going to school to have a career. I see them traveling and doing the things they love. It makes me happy that at least I was apart of their lives at some point in history.

Like I said making friends is easy. The hard part is keeping them. Sometimes you lose friends. All that matters is that you have at least one friend that will stay by your side no matter what life throws at you. Just one friend that will make an impact on your life, whether it be big or small. You need one person to keep you going. One person to keep a smile on your face. I know I don't know where I would be without any of the friends I have had at one point. To be completely honest I don't want to know either. Without them, I wouldn't be me. My story wouldn't be the same. And I'm fine with that.