“We’re going to be best friends forever!” We have all heard at least one person tell us that statement in our lives. But what the hell does that statement even mean? Because the word “forever” could mean a lot of different things. It could mean best friends for one week. Best friends for one year. Best friends for two years. Or best friends ever since kindergarten and it turns out that she hasn’t been acting like a best friend this entire time.

We have known each other ever since we were in Mrs. Kassouf’s kindergarten class at Stratfield Elementary School in my hometown of Fairfield, CT. We were close back then, but we became even closer when we were in 6th grade after bonding over how cute Niall Horan of the boy band One Direction was. We were One Direction superfans, aka, Directioners.

That’s literally all we talked about whether we were at a sleepover, going to the mall or the movies--we were your typical teenage fangirls. And that’s how we became “best friends forever.” Or so I thought.

It all went downhill during my junior year of high school. She met a new group of girls, so to be the so-called “best friend” that she was supposed to be. So our group had about fifteen girls total. And those fifteen girls were basically the only girls that I hung out with from 6th grade to 11th grade.

I primarily hung out with those girls for five years. For five years, I was naive and too nice. For five years, I thought that all of those girls really cared about me. For five years, I thought that all of those girls would always be there for me no matter what. For five years, I thought that all of those girls accepted me for who I am.

For five years, I thought that I was included in all of their activities. For five years, I thought that I could trust them with my middle school and high school crushes. For five years, I thought that all of those girls actually liked me. For five years, I followed all of those girls around like a puppy when really they were talking trash about me behind my back the entire time.

What I’ve noticed during my four years in high school is that each year my friend group got smaller and smaller. Until I ultimately ended up with five friends.

I’ll admit that it was scary to go back to the bottom and build my way back up to the top again, but all five of my friends from back home really care about me, they are there for me no matter what, they accept me for who I am, they include me in all of their activities, I can trust them with my middle school and high school crushes and so much more, and I know for a fact that all of them like me.

Less is more because as long as you have a few people in your life who you know are your true friends, then you are all set. Because being surrounded by a bunch of fake people who pretend to like you isn’t worth the popularity. And in the end, being surrounded by a few real people who actually like you is worth the popularity.