Partners on the Journey

The Setup:

In high school, freshmen year was a complete new start for me. My first friend in high school is named Marguerite and I met her by playing on the freshmen soccer team. We were inseparable: we bonded over shopping and soccer. We were both on the freshmen soccer team and I remembered I offered her some of my wheat thins while we were on the bus on our way to a game—after that we were best friends. It seemed like we got along so great because every time we would hang out we agreed on everything and could not stop laughing. Sophomore year went great, as I made the soccer team again with Marguerite and even made a couple more friends, Karina and Maddie. It seemed like I had finally found my group of friends, people I knew would have my back no matter what. Then came junior year and it was definitely much more difficult: there was the SATs, concentrating about colleges, and my overall school workload. Not only did have more pressure from school, but also my friends. During my senior year, I decided to distance myself from Marguerite and Maddie and by doing that I had so much more fun! I made new friends, Katherine and Sarah, who are still my best friends. My current friends, Katherine and Sarah are the most dependable friends I have ever had. 

The What:

My friend Marguerite and Maddie became much closer because they lived right down the street from each other. I didn’t mind until they started making plans without me. They would make fake excuses about family dinners, when in reality they were actually hanging out with each other. I quickly caught on and I confronted them. I told them that I didn’t mind driving and that I just wanted to hang out with them. However, they still ignored my suggestion, which was when I should’ve gotten the clue that something was not right. During my physics class, Marguerite outright told me I was stupid in front of my peers. She was always trying to build herself up while pushing me down. 

The So What:

So what? What does this story matter? It matters because I found out that just because you like hanging out with someone does not mean that you should trust that person as your friend. Also, even if you invested so much time into a person and a friendship, do not be afraid to start over with a new set of friends. During my junior year, I kept telling myself to keep being friends with them because high school was almost over and it would be too hard to find a new group of friends. This experience mattered to me because high school was all about having your set group of friends and I liked the feeling of belonging in a certain group. It was my safe spot and I did not want to feel vulnerable by joining a new group.

The Now What:

Looking back on this experience, everything happens for a reason. I learned that if you are not happy in a relationship, then what is the point of being in it? If I did not stop being friends with Marguerite and Maddie I would have never met Katherine and Sarah. Also, I am not saying that Marguerite and Maddie are the worst friends on the entire planet,  but we did not fit as being friends. I could not trust them and that was a major problem of mine. Also, Marguerite did not respect me as a person. I believe that every person in your life teaches you something and Marguerite especially made me realize that if someone is not treating me right, then it is better to find people who do treat you right. Sarah and Katherine look out for me and see the best in me that sometimes I don’t see and have told me that they admire my confidence. They inspire me too with their determination and strength of character. This experience impacted my life in such a way to go through life smiling. Why go throughout life not smiling? I realize now that my junior year I really did not smile that often. I was always worried about my friends or other people in general judging me. Let’s face it, people will always judge you, but it is how you handle their judgments. I let Marguerite’s judgments affect me in a negative way. I let her get to me as she made me feel insecure. Now, my new friends and I share a trustworthy and respectful relationship—I am honestly so thankful to have them in my life. Without all of them, I would not be the person I am today! In life there will be numerous people that will treat you wrong and disrespect you, but do not let them make you feel inferior, instead find friends who do make feel happy and confident. Find people who you can be yourself with because we all are unique who deserve friends who will love us for who we truly are.