Going into my freshman year of college, I was terrified of making friends. I'm pretty passive, awkward, and painfully terrible at small talk. So, needless to say, I was nervous I was going to be friendless in college.
I knew my roommate, as she and I had graduated high school together. For the first couple days, she was really the only person I talked to. She and I kept each other company, trying to fight off the inevitable wave of loneliness that accompanies going to college. From the moment we moved in, we were inseparable.
That is, until the day we decided to go to separate events.
As per usual, we spent the day together and then went to dinner. Except, this particular evening was a little different.
In an effort to make friends, we decided to sit at a table filled with strangers--except for one familiar face. This didn't change much of our dinner routine, however. We still spent the majority of the time talking primarily to each other and clinging to the security of each other's company.
Then, the moment she had to leave arrived. She formed a half smile, but her eyes seemed to apologize. This was it. This was the moment I'd have to make friends, or so I told myself.
As she left, I looked down at my plate, seriously contemplating whether I should leave too.
That's when I heard, "Lindsey, you need to make friends! Talk to that girl across from you."
I looked up right as the girl across from me looked up. She blushed, obviously flustered that the guy next to her had thrown her under the bus.
We looked at each other for a second longer, each hoping the other would speak first.
Neither of us said anything, so we just stared.
I finally looked down, embarrassed by my blatant lack of social skills.
Then, I saw the egg roll.
There was a hand pushing a plate with a single egg roll towards me.
"Do you want an egg roll?" the girl asked.
"No, thank you," I replied.
Silence.
The seconds creeped by.
Finally, I looked up again and got the courage to explain that I didn't like egg rolls. Surprisingly, this opened the door to conversation, and we've been talking ever since.
Now we're roommates.
Long story short, sometimes the best friendships are forged in the strangest ways.