Friends

**Friends**  

It really surprises me that at an age when we don't even know our own names, people ask, *"Tell me your mother’s and father’s names, darling."* And that's when you realize... you’ve entered the education system — kindergarten.

Where everything is nothing but fun.  

Where you enjoy endless attention, no groups, no hard feelings, no bullying, no discrimination—  

And most importantly, no studies.

We were loved by everyone—family, neighbors, teachers.  

No one cared how we looked, what we wore, or even when we wet our pants. There was no judgment.

But they say happy times never last long.  

We eventually grow up.  

The chemicals in our brains begin to react and change—it's called puberty.  

Something impossible to skip and hard to erase.  

A curse for some, including me.

In our school, we had this policy—or should I say, *the program*—where every student was divided into three academic groups.  

Those who scored the highest were honored by being moved to the class of “scholars.”  

That was the sole reason I never experienced a stable, loyal friendship.

Each year, the girls I got close to were shifted to different classes.  

And just because they now belonged to an “intelligent group,” they never spared a glance at me…  

The *average*.

It happened more than once.  

And honestly, it was exhausting—putting in the effort to talk to new people, to make new friends.  

I don't clearly remember how I felt back then,  

But I do remember the girls I once talked to endlessly wouldn’t even smile at me when passing by in the corridor.  

We became strangers.  

And I used to wonder if they even remembered my name.

Well, of course, they do, I remember theirs. 

I would say I’m an ambivert.  

I don’t usually go up to someone and strike a conversation myself.  

That’s like the toughest thing to do.  

But somehow, I always ended up having friends.  

Don’t know if that even makes sense.  

I never had to work hard to have friends, though it was hard to keep them.

Like every kid growing up, you meet a bunch of people—some stay, and some part ways, never to meet again.

While writing this, I could recall every face I met.  

To me, they weren’t just classmates or desk partners.  

They were and will always be… friends.

Oh! I’m going off-topic. Sorry.

Back to school—  

**2008**.

Here we go again—new year, new students, new groups.

I was always scared of getting yelled at by teachers or parents.  

So, I never broke rules. Never acted out of character.  

It just felt… wrong.

But that year changed everything.

*It* happened.

I met four rowdy girls who, just like me, had been forced to leave their previous classes and friends.  

It was a tough change for everyone.

I remember the teacher rearranged our seating, and we ended up on the back benches—together.  

And don’t you think it all worked out perfectly?  

Like I was *meant* to be there.

With them, I realized I had never truly *enjoyed* school before.

It was all new, but I loved how it felt—  

Walking in late, breaking lab equipment, watching a friend get scolded for spilling ink on the teacher’s clothes,  

Sleeping through lectures,  

Bunking school for the first time—specifically, on the day of our annual sports event—  

Just to have a beach picnic. EPIC move.

My first birthday celebration with them—oh, it was cute.  

After school, they pooled together some cash, we bought pastries, and went to a friend’s house nearby.  

Placed the pastries in a circle on a plate, turned the lights off, lit up candles—  

I remember it so clearly.

But, remember, good times never last.

We passed school.  

We went our own ways—college, transfers, marriages.  

Life worked *perfectly* to separate us.

We lost contact.

At farewell, we made promises to stay in touch,  

Not knowing how easy it was to say,  

And how hard it would be to actually do.

Now, after so many years,  

I have no idea where those four girls are.  

What kind of women they turned out to be.  

Do they still miss us, like I do?

What would it be like if we all met one day?  

What would we even talk about?

*Sigh.*

Now I truly understand what my sisters used to say:  

*"Enjoy your school days now—you’ll miss them for a lifetime."*

I hope reading this reminds you of your school days too…  

And brings a smile to your face. 🙂