Most high school friends are aware of the possibility that they may not see each other again, whether that be for a while or never again. It’s finally the time we all worked hard to get to, to be able to go to college. It’s the reason why I and all of my high school friends worked as much as we did, taking on so many responsibilities and extracurriculars to the point of exhaustion. Having finally reached that point, we forget about the fact that our friends may be going to different colleges, some of us going ten minutes away or across the country. The point is, we all go our ways; going from seeing each other all of the time to rarely ever.
It’s hard to go away from the people that you see every day, especially because we get so swept up in our own lives, it’s hard to stay in contact with people that you are no longer seeing constantly. The other day was the birthday of someone I considered to be my best friend, someone that I confided in and trusted throughout high school, and with who I spent most of my time. I texted her and told her how much I missed her and that I hoped she was having a good birthday, she responded with a “Thanks so much. I love and miss you too.” It was after this short exchange, which ended after only 2 texts, that I realized that I had not talked to her in months. I hadn’t even realized how little I had talked to her until this text, and it made me sad. Someone who I felt was the closest person to me in high school isn’t anymore. Both of us getting preoccupied with our own lives, busy with school work and the college life we now have. This also made me think about all of the other people I knew in high school, people who I haven’t talked to in 2 years. It hurt to realize I barely talk to my best friend, but it hurt a little more realizing I haven’t stayed in touch with anyone from high school. I guess it never really clicked in my mind because I still have them all on social media, and it’s somewhat like getting a glimpse into their lives. Social media has masked that loss of interaction because people post stories, photos, and videos. While it may not be how I used to interact with them daily, I still get a small glimpse of how they are doing. But it is still apparent that I don’t know who they are now, I have changed quite a bit from who I was in high school, and I am quite happy with who I have become. Maybe the reason I feel so sad is that I’d like for my old friends to see how I’ve grown as a person and that I am much happier and more open than I was when we were together. I want them to see that I am in a much better place and I hope that they would still like me, the new me.
We aren’t that involved in each other’s lives anymore and it sucks to think about that drastic shift, seeing as just two years ago, these people were the ones I saw every day and always interacted with me. I’m happy that we all have grown as people and we are all going down the paths that we set for ourselves, but it does make me sad that our paths have not crossed again (yet, hopefully).
While all of us are at different points in our lives, I hope that I can see everyone at least one more time to catch up, even if we don’t remain in each other’s lives, I made some great memories and I’ll always consider them my friends and the people who got me through high school.