Ships in Chicago by Alisha Lertsachakul
"When time runs abstract
change, a sphere
It's a frightening fact
far from a fear
that you'll be there
for another beer."
I spent this past weekend in Chicago with a few of my high school friends. The original squad and the truest friends I'll probably ever know. It was just high school, but all of us have watched each other grow and develop into the the young adults we are today.
We are not the same girls that we were in high school. At this point in our lives, we are experiencing heartache and new relationships and, most importantly, the fear of the future. Despite the geographical distance, and having a completely different lifestyle and routine, we are able to sustain relationships with each other. In today's world where social media is able to connect all of us, we are still not able to stay in touch because of each one of our fast paced lives. While I am able to keep in touch with most of my high school screw, some of them slip through the cracks of our busy college schedules. Despite all the hardships, somehow, miraculously, we remain to be the bestest of friends, with stronger relations.
We may not be the same girls that stayed up till 5 am during every high school trip feasting on junk food till we passed out, but we the girls who have switched junk food with alcohol and bars. Nights lasting till 5 am have changed to 2 am because, let's be honest, we are old women who get tired easily, and college has worn us off. We may also not talk to each other often enough, but when we do, it is like we never
The original squad, as I like to call them, have seen me go through everything from death and college rejections to college acceptances and other happy achievements. They've seen me at my darkest, and that is not a relationship that I could let go of. We may be different girls, but we have seen each other through a lot of hardships. We are the same girls who still make the effort to send birthday gifts to each other, rather than the surprise pizza-fueled birthday parties and giant banners that we made in high school. Every birthday was celebrated with last minute planning, and that has not changed. When something exciting or bad happens, they are the first people I turn to.
We are all at a stage where our friend circles are decreasing and depleting. People are leaving and chipping away pieces from us. We are all growing up and changing, and you cannot blame anyone for leaving. So for those of you who are wondering whether or not you should keep in touch with your high school friends, I would say: try to because you never know when you'll need to start from scratch. Your high school friends have seen you from scratch.
