She came up to me in gym class. Freckles dotting her cheeks, glasses and short brown hair. The class had just finished a set of push-ups for a warm up and the teachers were setting up for a game that stemmed from the forbidden dodgeball. New to the area and transitioning from a Montessori charter school back to public school, sixth grade was a pivotal point in my young life.
I had just moved to Forest, Virginia, from North Carolina, leaving behind a best friend and the state I had grown up in. I would be with these kids and in this new town until high school graduation, and I was fresh meat slipping into the treacherous world of middle school friendships. I was ecstatic when Samantha walked up to me. It would not be until years later until Samantha told me why she became my friend.
Skip forward to freshman year of highschool, I had formed a close circle of friends — Samantha, Allison and Alison. We quickly became each other’s allies and sleepover buddies. These girls saw me through the bumpy road of highs and lows that is high school. We have been each other’s shoulders to lean on and number one supporters.
When senior year rolled around, we all had completely different schools on our lists. Allison and Alison were staying local (Go Hornets!). Samantha was looking into Radford, JMU and CNU (she picked Radford, Go Highlanders!). None of them had Tech on their radar (GO HOKIES!!!). Lingering in my head was the fear that these girls I had in my life would soon fade away once I stepped onto campus.
Summer was bittersweet. Our group dynamic was about to change, big time. Your high school friends watched you grow up and were around for some pretty big moments. Transitioning into college means you lose the accessibility; seeing the people you once saw every day turns into a big event.
So you text. You send each other the same silly Snapchats you did back then. You FaceTime when your day was rough and you need to hear from someone who knows you best. While you do this, you make new friends and take on a whole new world. No doubt, it is hard. Your life with high school friends is no longer entwined. Trust that as you grow, so will the friendship.
Now I know why Samantha came up to me that first day. During the push ups she looked around the gym, for someone who was as bad at them as she was. Thank God for my poor upper body strength.
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