Some people say you'll never stay close with your high school friends. This may be true for some but for others, growing up and progressing through life is just another test all friendships go through. Taking different classes or even going to different schools can be hard on the friendships you once had. However, I've found that the true ones stick around. With true friends, you don't need to see each other every day or even talk over the phone all the time. Yet you know that if you ever did reach out, they'd be there.
Through my time attending Southeast Missouri State University, I've met so many wonderful people in my sorority and in classes. I've been able to grow through forming these new bonds but nothing could ever keep me from being there for my "high school friends." That's because after being friends for so long, they'll always be a part of me. So they're really just my best friends.
No one can argue that high school isn't a rough time. It's where you experience most of your firsts: first party, first love, first heartbreak (even if you were never with the guy to start). Those are the friends you went through it all with, who experienced those highs and lows right beside you, tissues in hand. My friends and I went through a lot together, including several trips to the counselor's office. There were so many bad times that could be focused on but that clouds all the good from being seen. The times spent laughing till we choked at the lunch table or when we'd drive around just because we felt too lame to go home before ten at night.
My friend group consisted of four weirdos. We all met in band class if that tells you anything. I still can't believe how lucky I am to of happened to meet people that meshed so well with my personality in such a tiny school. Two of us bonded over how we could never get a date while the other two seemed to get too many. It can be easy to feel left out, or even like a place holder when your friend has something you've not yet experienced. The key is to be happy for them though. I can't even count how many dances I spent awkwardly third-wheeling during slow songs. At the time, I wanted what they had but looking back on it, I can't believe how amazing my friends were to let me intrude like that on what could've been a very romantic moment without me swaying right beside them and talking up a storm.
Things aren't the same when your bestie gets a boy but respecting their new relationship and understanding that they'll still make time for you, opens up a whole new level of friendship. The kind that stays long into adulthood. I recently got the opportunity to stand beside one of my best friends at her wedding. Not only was I there helping her get ready on the happiest day of her life but I was there the day she started dating her would-be husband. I was even there to witness the rise and fall of her past relationships. My other best friend has been going through the hardest breakup she's ever experienced, yet she was there too, putting everything behind her to be there for her friend. When she finds the right guy, we'll be up there beside her at the alter, just as they'll be at mine. With the right attitude, "high school friends" are so much more than just friends you had in high school. They're people who stick by you from crying in the bathroom stall over a boy or a bad grade to crying as she walks down the aisle. So don't lose touch with old friends but also don't let it bother you if you lose a few friends once you're out in the real world. The ones who were never true friends will show, leaving you to appreciate the ones who were that much more.
