"Friendship" by Abigail R

     Friendship is something that must consist of an endless amount of effort by both people.
When I was in the 6th grade, I learned that not everyone who claims to be your friend, actually
is. At the beginning of 6th grade I was friends with a group of girls that I believed fit the
definition of true friends, but I was horribly mistaken. We were a typical group of friends. We
ate lunch together, we went to the mall together, and we shared all of our secrets with each other.
It all started one day during lunch when I decided to finally tell my friends about the boy I liked.
Let’s call him Billy, obviously that’s not his name but... I had known Billy since the early years
of elementary school and I always had a crush on him. I didn’t want to tell my “friends” I had
liked Billy for a while because I was afraid they were going to tell him. But, when Billy started
dating a girl I didn’t know, I had to get it off my chest. I planned to back off and let Billy and his
girlfriend do their own thing but my friends had other plans. “You have to do something about it
Abby!” That’s all I heard for the next week. I listened to their plans and how we were
supposedly going to break up Billy and his girlfriend but I really didn’t agree with sabotaging
their relationship. The next day at lunch, I was standing in the field and a big group of people
came up to me and they forced Billy to tell me he didn’t like me and didn’t even want to be
friends with me. I ignored it as much as I could but just as I thought it was done and over with, I
showed up to school to find my so called friends talking and giggling with none other than
Billy’s girlfriend! I was extremely confused.
     At the time I didn’t really know what to do but since they were unfortunately my only
friends I hung out with, I had no choice but to walk up to them. “Oh hi Abby. This is…” I knew
who she was. I smiled at her and she smiled back. She seemed nice and she didn’t seem to even
have any idea that I already knew who she was. Time passed and she hung out with us more and
more but I never really got to know her personally like the rest of my friends. I would have,
except for the fact that all my friends told me she didn’t like me. I was confused because I never
gave her a reason not to like me and my friends wouldn’t tell me why either. As we were
preparing to go to 6th grade camp, we were told to pick partners to bunk with and stay with at
camp. Unfortunately, I was left without a partner and they consistently changed the person who
was supposed to be my partner. Billy’s girlfriend and another girl were the only two left to
choose from. My group of friends obviously were trying to leave me by myself so they paired up
Billy’s girlfriend and the other girl together, leaving me out of the picture. I remember feeling so
left out and upset that I went home and as I was explaining the situation to my mom, I started to
cry. I did everything I could to make the best out of the situation. I came to school the next day
to find that Billy’s girlfriend had left our cabin and I now had a partner. I was happy but also
couldn’t help but wonder why she left our group. Camp was fun and the girls acted like nothing
even happened. Until we got home... Shortly after we returned, I was told “Hey Abby, today we
are going to hang out with different people and not with each other.” I thought that sounded
somewhat suspicious but I just went with the flow, as usual. It came time for lunch and I planned
to sit with some old friends instead of them which was fine, until I walked in the MPR to find
them all sitting together. As I was walking up to them, I felt someone grab me by the arm, and
say “Do you want to come sit with me?” To my surprise, it was Billy’s girlfriend.
     That was the start of our friendship and we have been best friends ever since. I ate lunch
with her every day from then on and never once did I look back. Come to find out, the girls were
also telling Billy’s girlfriend that I didn’t like her just like they had told me. Through the
situation, I learned a lot. I learned that people will always come and try to tear you down as they
go. They will use you and walk all over you to try and get to where they want to be. They will
fill your head with lies and do anything to make sure you believe them. I also learned that
communication is an extremely important aspect of friendship. If Billy’s girlfriend and I would
have just talked to each other to begin with, none of that useless drama would have even
happened. Now I know what to look for in my friends and I also know that trust isn’t something
that can be earned in a short period of time. Friendships take time to build but once you have
them, they should be cherished and cared for because some of them are once in a lifetime
chances. Not everyone has good intentions but everyone deserves a chance and that is something
that everyone should remember. So, now that you know my story, I think it’s only fair that I
reveal something to you. I said I wasn’t going to name names, but Billy’s girlfriend is none other
than my best friend of 6 years now, Ashlyn. You might know who she is but you should also
know that she was the first person to show me what true friendship really looks like. And to this
day I try to be the very best friend I can to everyone around me.