To the "family" that abandoned me,

It hurts me to write this letter. I never thought that there would be a day when you were no longer in my life. Sometimes things happen and people change... and here we are.

I will never fully understand what happened to make you guys turn away and leave me. We had gotten so close in such a short amount of time and spent what felt like every day together.

We were all nearly inseparable.

You always said that drama wasn't anything you were interested in being a part of, but you were the definition of drama. In fact, I believe you almost thrive from it. You have created this drama, overreacted and blamed me. It hurts, too, that you would turn on me and stab me in the back like that.

We weren't just close friends, we were a family. You told me multiple times how welcome I was at your house and how much of a family we were. I did the dishes at your house, I took out your trash, we all went grocery shopping together; just like a family. It was an unbreakable bond, or so I felt. Yet, when you came to my house I served your every need and didn't expect you to do a thing. If I was “family” in your house, why were you simply “guests” in mine?

You have blamed me too many times for something that I didn't do wrong, and I just wanted to say that I am tired of feeling like I'm not good enough for you. I forgive you for all the pain you've caused me, but I will not be there when you need me anymore. I've tried to reach out and be the friend you needed, but all you wanted was someone to rant to rather than a friend. I'm sorry that you felt I was turning people against you. I kept all your wrongdoing to myself, bottling the hurt inside and letting it destroy me.

You had such a special place in my heart and I would've done anything for you. I tried so hard to constantly make you happy — I even made my own happiness not just a second priority, but a third, fourth, fifth priority to yours. I put you before myself, but I honestly can't name one time you did the same. When you truly care for someone, you put their needs above your own; you don't expect them to wait on you every single time.

Please remember that.

But hey, no hard feelings. I forgive you for everything. You asked me to act like nothing happened and like we're still friends.

This letter is a goodbye; a closing to that chapter in our story.

I can act like it never happened, but I can not be the one to fix this. Just remember, you're the one ignoring me, not the other way around; you're the one with some grudge. Not me. I have forgiven you through Jesus and I will continue to pray for you, just as I have for months and months and months, even before you left me.

I hope you will be able to move on from whatever new hatred you have towards me in your heart. I have no ill-will towards you. I just want you to know how bad it hurts when people you thought were your family leave you in the dust with a knife sticking out of your back.

I hope you know how blindsided I was.

I hope you know that I never meant to hurt you.

I hope you know I still think back on our memories or drive by the stores we used to always go to and think of you and our old times together.

There are times when strangers become family and when family become strangers. We’ve gone through both. What a ride it’s been.

Sincerely,

The friend you lost.