It's September, which means I'm moving into post-secondary. What happened in high school will eventually become a distant memory — along with some of the people from high school, as well.

To the ones I'm leaving behind, all I can say is thank you.

There are various reasons as to why I may be cutting you out of my life. You may have been toxic. Or maybe we weren't even close in the first place. Or we might have distanced ourselves from one another.

Regardless of the reason, you have made some sort of impact on my life. So, thank you.

To the toxic ones:

You tore me down at my worst and allowed me to learn how to build myself back up again. You toyed with my confidence and my passions. However, I quickly taught myself to deflect your harsh words and behaviors.

We may have been friends at one point, but I eventually caught on to how poorly you chose to treat me. You may not have noticed, but your small digs and efforts to constantly one-up those around you are not "jokes." Your comments may be funny to you, but trust me, not many others are laughing alongside you.

You are simply making others feel like less of a person, and that isn't OK.

I trust that you will eventually realize this and attempt to start fresh with those you have negatively impacted.

Thank you for your poor treatment, as I've now realized the signs of a toxic friendship.

To the ones I never truly had a relationship with:

You may have been a classmate, someone in my town or a friend of a friend. Either way, know that I appreciate the days you made me smile or laugh.

I very likely wanted to be close with you, but we unfortunately never established a true, raw connection.

You are wonderful. You have so much potential to live life exactly how you've always wanted to. Despite not being close to you, I believe so deeply in you.

Be true to who you are and stick by your friends' sides. Don't let go of them too easily. Thank you for being you.

To the ones who distanced themselves:

We were likely best friends at one point in time — if not best friends, then at least very close ones. For whatever reason, you chose to distance yourself. We have been through many difficult times together, along with quite happy, celebratory ones.

Whether we met at school, at a party or through mutual friends, we were able to create a beautiful relationship that, to me, will be unforgettable. However, you have distanced yourself, which allows me to believe that this feeling may not be mutual. Because of this, I will do the both of us a favor and end things on a light note.

You are absolutely incredible. You've warmed my heart on the coldest of days; you've made me smile on the ones where I only wanted to cry. We talked about our dreams and ambitions. I hope that you do pursue them because you have an impeccably bright future ahead of you.

I'm sorry for letting you go, but I know that this will be a better decision to than trying to keep a nearly-dead spark alive. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I am here. I promised you that, and I will forever live up to my promises.

Thank you for being there when I needed you most, but it's time for us to move on with our lives.