Dear High School Friendships,
There truly was a time when I thought we'd be forever friends. After all, we'd endured the four grueling, yet amazing years of high school together. The football games on Friday nights, prom, and graduation, and, of course, all the little moments in between. These moments seemed like such great milestones, surely the happiest times of our lives. Yet looking back, the really weren't all that great, and although only a year has gone by, many of those moments have already slipped my mind.
Much like those memories have quickly begun to fade, the friends I made them with have started to slip away. Am I sad? Truthfully, no. I have allowed these friendships to slip away and have not really missed their presence. I think most of these friendships were built on the foundation of going to the same school with the same people for four years. Their structure was built on parties and football games and driving around smoking a joint. We exchanged secrets, but they were all so superficial -- who we lost our virginity to, gossip about other people, and who could buy us alcohol for the weekend. I thought we'd always be there for each other, but when it came down to it, nobody every really was. There was always some element of drama and the desire for popularity. You were my best friends, yet I never truly could be sure of your loyalty.
So many people say they wish they could go back and relive their high school years, so I must be the exception. If those were the happiest years of your life, then I am truly sorry for you. In my first semester of college, I met people that made my dearest high school friendships seem like mere social acquaintances. You guys were good, but these people are great. Perhaps it makes me seem like an a**hole, but you can never compare. I don't miss the backstabbing, the separate group chats that left one person or another out. It was petty and stupid, yet seemed so normal at the time.
I do thank you for the times you were there, and the milestones we did reach together. However, I would like to put that part of my life into a neat little box, with no lose strings or open-ended friendships. Perhaps I'm selfish, but it's time for me to grow and blossom, and I cannot get tangled up in the weeds of days and friendships past. I hope you too are able to flourish and make a life for yourself, but I won't be watching. I wish you the best, and I hope you find the kind of friends I've found in college.
Sincerely,
Your Best Friend from High School
