After reading Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (check out the review, guys!) I realized that our lives are all based on a million chance meetings . . . like the people I met at the Taylor Swift concert a few nights ago. Or the friend I went with. Maybe I'll never see those new people again, or maybe, one day they'll replace that friend I went with. It's all so random . . . this life, this world.
Without friends, we wouldn't be the people we are, right? We all have friends, different kinds with their own little quirks. I decided to write a post about those friends, or, about my friends. Maybe you'll be able to relate, maybe not.
My Best Friend:
We love the same music, books, snacks . . . we're practically twins in some aspects. Despite that fact, we do have our differences.
She loves softball, I'll always be a die-hard volleyball fan. She goes to a personal trainer, I go to the gym. She doesn't like to write short stories, I live off of them.
So, we have our differences. The key to our friendship though: we let things be. There's no arguments over stupid things, no begging for sleepovers, no persistent text-messaging and calling. We talk when we want, say what we want to say and do what we feel like. Friendship should come easily (that's not to say it's all butterflies and rainbows, you've gotta make an effort); if you've gotta
really work at it, it's time to leave it.
The Know-It-All:
We all have that friend, right? Either they're always getting top grades or they know about the latest gossip, and they flaunt it. It can get annoying sometimes.
My friend is super-smart, and she doesn't let me forget. While, sometimes, I want to narrow my eyes and stick my tongue out at her, I just remind myself that she might know all about math and reading, but there's stuff she doesn't know.
Keeping things light lets us stay friends with each other. We don't argue and we don't get annoyed when the other wins (whether that be a geometry final or a writing contest). Friends shouldn't argue over the little things. So stop yourself if you find yourself bickering without reason.
The Butterfly:
I once heard about a girl being described as a butterfly, no faster was she tacked down than she was escaping and running off. My friend reminds me of Bridget from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She can't be tied down.
Not by a boyfriend. Not by a friend. Not by anyone.
I used to try and keep a leash on her, but there's no point. Friends like these come and go, and you just have to let yourself have a good time while it lasts. They come quickly, but they leave oh so soon.
So, enjoy them. Let them in, but know they will go. Butterflies can never stay forever, you know.
Here Tomorrow, Gone Today:
She laughs at your jokes, agrees with your decisions and makes you feel like you could be friends forever. Then, suddenly, you're realizing she wasn't always like this. She used to be mean, used to be evil.
People change in the blink of an eye. One second, they're an enemy and then . . . they're an ally, standing beside you. It all changes so much, though. I once had a friend who promised me forever. When the tide shifted and the sun stopped shining. . . friendship's a fickle thing. It comes and it goes. It rains and it snows.
Here's a poem I wrote after the fallout of a really, really long friendship:
Our Friendship’s Fall
Friendship is built from
Love, hope and trust.
When we’re little, it’s formed
From faith and pixie dust.
It’s supposed
To be strong.
It supposed to
Last long.
So why didn’t ours?
One day, it was there.
Now it’s gone.
This doesn’t seem fair.
We were so close;
I knew your dreams.
You knew my wishes,
But nothing is as it seems.
Was I just a toy?
Something to be thrown away?
Is it because I changed;
Stood up for myself that day?
You promised that we would
Be best friends forever,
So why has our friendship
Suddenly been severed?
We’re both at fault;
We can both be blamed.
Honestly, though,
I’m not ashamed.
Our friendship was rocky,
Before this whole mess.
All because you started
To care about it less.
Our texts were short,
And you stopped calling.
When I wanted to make plans,
You were always stalling.
I backed up,
And I stepped away.
I promised myself my emotions
Would no longer sway.
I’m sorry I really saw you,
For what you truly are.
You were no longer my friend;
No longer a shining star.
Friendship is built from
Love, hope and trust.
When we’re little, it’s formed
From faith and pixie dust.
None of that matters, though,
When you’re only acting.
Your lies and the stories you wove,
They’re all so impacting.
I’m turning away,
And ending it now.
I can’t do it any longer,
So go ahead and take a bow.
Don’t bother calling.
It’s over, once and for all.
I’ll try not to remember
Our friendship’s fall.
It hurts, doesn't it? When suddenly your 'best friend forever' is defriending
you and deleting your phone number from their contacts. It comes down to one
question though: Do you really want to be friends with someone who can erase you
so quickly?
The Friend of the Opposite Sex:
that you almost always wind up falling for. Yeah, I've got one of those. Actually, you know what? I've got two of them. I let myself fall in love with one of my closet guy friends and it was a really big screw-up on my part.
But you know what? I don't care anymore. I like him somewhat now, not as much as before. Call me all the names you'd like, but I even find myself leaning closer to my other guy friend. 
The thing is, I know nothing will ever happen between us. It makes me feel risky and confident to lean in and brush an eyelash from his cheek.
Let yourself fall in love with that guy you hang out with all the time. If you fall, he might just catch you.
Or he might stay a friend and put a trampoline where you're going to fall.
And then, a week later, my friend was texting me to tell me you asked her out. I played the role of a good friend, patching up your arguments and letting you two be happy. It broke me inside. It broke my heart into pieces that nothing could put back together. When she broke up with you, I waited. I gave you time.
