Dear Old Friend,

We had a good run. We had some pretty good laughs and the great memories we share will never go away. I don’t know about you, but I can still look on them fondly. You showed me your favorite spots in our college town, we road-tripped together, and we learned that whiskey was the best push-up bra for our personality.But, as time went on, something changed. Your replies to my texts got shorter. The silences between our conversations got longer and more awkward. Then one day, one of us broke other’s trust. Maybe I gossiped about you, or maybe you kissed the boy I was hopelessly in love with. Neither side was clean, but both sides felt they were hurt the worst. Instead of confronting each other, we just dealt with it in our own way. A couple of weeks would go by, and then we would be friends again, like nothing had ever happened.Eventually, we stopped forgiving, if that’s what you could call what we were doing. Everything dammed up behind the new walls we had placed in our friendship. It was inevitable that it would break. We went from best friends, to friends, to enemies. The mention of the other’s name could cause those floodwaters to breakthrough onto unsuspecting people. We had the knowledge of how to hurt each other most and we didn’t hold back. All the while, these attacks on each other hurt more than if it had come from someone who you had never been your friend.No, this hurt worse because I still had the memories of when you told me you would always stick up for me. Every time I heard someone talk about you, I was upset that I no longer was your friend. I watched other people who hadn’t known you become my replacement. I got to hear those new people tell me about you, like I hadn’t ever known you. I never said any of these things to you. I already passed the point of no return. An apology would be impossible to accept at this point.Eventually, we had an unspoken cease fire. Now the person who knew everything about you is someone you avoid eye contact with. As time goes on, it gets easier to see that we both made mistakes.But I would like to thank you for those good times we had so long ago. For the nights spent convincing the other she was better than the boy who broke the other’s heart. For the gifts received for birthdays or passing that nearly impossible math class. The good times we had can never be changed; I hope that you can also look on them with a smile. I’d also like to thank you for teaching me what I need in a friend. Instead of staying bitter, I think of you as one of the free lessons I received in college. I’ve learned to cut the toxic people like you out of my life before they can hurt me again. Even though I hold good memories, I will never forget the wrongs that were made. I won’t ever let someone in my life again that would so easily turn their back on me.

So thank you for being you and making me into the person I am today -- a stronger person who won’t be stepped on or taken for granted again.