Friendship is a funny thing. Every time I try to put a label on a friendship, it changes. The people I have called "best friends" have changed over the years. And I feel as though I have too many best friends. And doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a BEST friend?
The closest thing I have had to having an absolute best friend, is my darling Laura Ann. And the funny thing is, we weren't really friends until a few years ago. Friendships can come out of no where when you least expect it. And the people you thought would always be there, can be gone just as quickly. I have learned this lesson many times.
Summer, in my opinion, is the true test of friendship. Especially the summer "in limbo" as I like to call it, in between being a senior in high school, and a freshman in college. Why is that? Because you have no where you have to be. No mandatory sports practices, no marching band rehearsals, no nothing. (Which may sound nice, but trust me it gets boring very quickly.) And because you have no where you have to be, you don't see as many people as you would have during the school year. I will say, that the majority of my friends have done an excellent job of staying in touch this summer, and I have loved every minute I have spent with them. But every now and again, I remember those few that I believed were my close friends that have become M.I.A. The excuses vary from situation to situation, but mostly it comes down to the fact that they don't find our friendship as important as I believed it to be. Sure they may have legitimate reasons for not hanging with "us", like having a job or being out of town, but the evenings they are free, they make other plans time and time again.
This used to really bug me and for a while I tried so hard to keep this separation from happening. But I've learned that things don't always turn out the way we plan. "You can't always get what you want." But when I think back on this summer and the people I have spent it with, it really doesn't matter that much. The friends that have been there, are just what I needed. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. Sometimes I worry about leaving for school in 16 days, and that maybe I will lose touch with these people. But honestly, I know in my heart that a part of me will always love them and always think of them fondly. Always remember what they did for me and what I did for them. My friends have taught me so much, more than they could even know. Sure not every friendship has been a walk in the park, but with every conflict and every struggle, I became strong. I became me. When I look back on my life in high school, I find it silly remembering the things I wanted at the time. The people I wanted to be close to, who I thought should be there. When looking back I know for a fact, that the people I love have given me just what I needed, and have shaped me into the person I am today. And I can't thank them enough.
-Kat
