Friends. Everyone has them right? You come home from your first day of school running to mom with joy in your eyes, “Mommy, I made a new friend!” 

“Aww, honey that’s great! Tell me about them!”

The cycle begins. The next day, “Mom, can my new friend come over to play?” Mom says yes, because why wouldn’t she? It’s her child’s first friend. That title of “new friend” then becomes “BFF”; Best Friends Forever. Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Well, if only I knew, best friends don’t last forever. 

As you get older, you meet new people, but that one person is always your best friend. For some, it goes “But if you’re my best friend, why am I not yours?” 

The response…”I already have a best friend.” 

You could never replace them, how absurd would that be? As middle school comes around, you think you’re on top of the world. With middle school comes a lot of new things: boys, drama, even more friends, but you always stick with your best friend. Nothing could ever tear you apart. You’re inseparable!

High school, it’s reality smacking you in the face. Freshman year. “Best friend, what if we don’t have classes together?”

“Oh that’s okay. We’ll still talk! Nothing could ever separate us.” 

Many things transpire your freshman year, exciting things, too. The world is open. Anything can happen. But then, anything does happen, and all throughout high school, you want your best friend to hear, “Best friend, I passed my test!” “Best friend, I made the team!” “Best friend, I met a boy!” “Best friend, he likes me back!” You could go on and on, but soon enough it turns to “Best friend, how are you? I feel like it’s been forever!” “Best friend, are you mad at me?” “Best friend, are you there?” “Best friend, why’d you have to go?” But they are not there to hear it. 

Before you know it, it's senior year, the end of school. All four years have passed in the blink of an eye. As time went on you’ve become strangers. Strangers with memories. You see them around all of the time, in the halls, at dances, at games. They seem to be better off without you, but how could they be? All you can think about are the times spent together. The laughs, cries, late night talks, gossip, all of it. But its ended, vanished like yesterday’s heartbeat.

In your cap and gown, you look across the field and there you see them, your one and only BFF. You think to yourself, “Best friend, we did it. Not together.” Why do you have to go? Aren’t best friends supposed to last forever? No. Friends are a lesson. They walk with you until their time in your story is up. Wouldn’t it be nice if “BFF” was true? But friends, they’re a cycle aren’t they? Sooner or later, another will come around.