Many people go through their lives with at least one best friend. They form strong bonds and learn and grow together, sometimes arguing but making up in the end. Yet it is just as easy to lose a friend as it is to make one. In my personal experience, I’ve lost more than a few best friends, and time and time again they’ve left a lasting effect, leaving me in a melancholic mood. They say friends come and go, but how often do you lose 4 best friends?
In my elementary school years, I attended Sherman Elementary in the Cow-Hollow Marina district. I had two best friends, Alan Z. and Isabella N. I was practically attached at the hip with Alan. He had an earnest and friendly personality. Despite not sharing any classes together save for first grade, we would always hang out together during recess, lunch, and after school. Teachers and students alike knew us as the duo that was always together. Though we were best friends, with kids being kids and us being opposite genders, other students would often tease us.
However, once the end of 4th grade rolled around, Alan transferred to a different school. At the time, I was absolutely devastated, especially because the news came abruptly on one of the last few days of school. As 4th graders, we had no way to contact each other, so we drifted apart after that.
Another best friend I had was Isabella, who went by Izzy. We became closer in 5th grade when we were both in the same class and table. When we had free time, we would draw together, and when lunchtime rolled around, we would share our food together. I loved hanging out with her no matter what we did. Despite our closeness, we parted ways at the end of 5th grade when she moved away to attend a different middle school.
Transitioning into middle school, I became best friends with Jennie L. She had also attended Sherman, but during that time, we weren’t very close. Once we entered middle school, we got a lot closer because we shared P.E. class together. Our friendship slowly bloomed and we began hanging out together much more often. When the news came that she was going to go back to China, I was overcome with shock. This was the third friend I had that would move away, and as expected, we drifted apart.
As a new chapter of my life began with the start of yet another school year, I gained another best friend: Nadege S. She transferred to Marina as the new kid in the middle of the 7th-grade year. I first saw her in my P.E. class, and I immediately approached her to strike up a conversation and partner up. We started talking a lot more, and we would often talk together while walking. In 8th grade, we got into the same Science class and we would collaborate on work and share secrets between us. I could confide in her, and she could confide in me. She became my support, yet I lost that support when I learned she would be moving to the east coast for high school.
Today, I still wonder how all my friends are doing despite being separated from them, though I’m unsure how much has changed by now and whether we’d get along if we were to meet again today. It’s become much harder for me to make friends, especially because I feel that everyone will leave in the end. But while losing friends time and time again has certainly been devastating, I was able to grow from the fond moments we shared. In the end, all my best friends had a great impact on my life, supported me, and will remain as a sweet memory.
