I Had My Best Friend

3 years ago, my parents sent me to a new school (particularly a private school) where I didn't know anyone aside from a two classmates of mine in my previous school, but I am not close to them that's why I felt a little nervous (not just a little, I know, but I don't want to be exaggerated) especially about how will I get used to that new environment.

Before the start of classes, of course everyone should look for the list of names in each classrooms for every grade level and section where they belong. With those 2 former classmates of mine, I got no choice but to go with them because I don't want to get alone in a place I am not yet familiar with.

Everyone is noisy.

Some are giving a high five to each other because they are on the same section.

Some are chit-chatting about their expectations with new classroom environment.

Some girls are retouching their looks because they've seen a handsome guy, and those guy acted like a heartthrob that made me cringe.

Some are just silent because they didn't know even a single person in that school.

Some have this gloomy faces because their names weren't on the same section with the person they are expecting to be with — and sadly, I belonged to those students.

The coordinators commanded us to proceed on the covered court of the school where there are speakers around, a flag, and a podium with a microphone on top.

A flag ceremony started and all we can hear is the music, obviously the National Anthem of the Philippines, the Patriotic Oath, followed by the Mission, Vision, and the Goal of the said institution.

After the Flag ceremony, the advisers for each respective section announced the name of their advisory students, and they made us fall in line for proper arrangements. When everything's settled, they allowed us to proceed to our classroom that made my feet trembled due to nervousness slowly climbing up on my system. My palms are cold but sweating, and my stomach hurts a bit (my usual reaction when nervous).

As I enter the classroom, a new classroom with different interior designs from my previous classroom before, the soft yet maintaining a strict face of my new adviser, and the several faces of the new students I am bound to get along with as part of that section, greeted me with a confused eyes because basically they didn't know a single background about my whole existence since I am a transferee.

My first day of school that time is the most unforgettable one as it is my first time as well to transfer into another school. To tell you honestly, I spent 11 years on the same school before and obviously I already knew who will be my classmates their as I am already familiar with everyone, given the fact that our school before isn't as big as others.

But that feeling of nervousness and gloominess for a couple days inside a classroom where I don't know anyone else were replaced by joy when one of my classmates got to get along with me as she was a transferee as well like me.

Oh, well I had a friend already in my new school and I'm very happy with that in a sense that I'm always excited to go to school everyday.

She became my seatmate since our surnames are arranged consecutively. She is very fun to talk with, very kind-hearted because she likes sharing her stuffs with me, have a strong faith with God since she always share her thoughts about the Bible verses she had read before, plus she always pray before she eats, and a cheerful lady who never got defeated by problems.

As I am getting comfortable with the new environment as I've got to know my other classmates as well who are very kind and approachable, I still chose to be with her all the time as I already considered her as my new best friend.

We reviewed together, go to the comfort room and later on to the cafeteria together, eat together, share problems with each other, talk about random stuffs including what are the routines we did before going to school, and laugh together with our corny jokes.

I spent the whole 1st semester with her and I will always be thankful to be her friend. But things are not meant to stay as they are forever.

Everything's change and that included our section. On the second semester we separated from different sections since we are about to pursue different strands. I am in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) Strand and she belonged to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand.

So, another classroom environment embraced me again but I wasn't that nervous unlike the first sem since I knew some faces already as they became my classmate on the previous section I belonged.

But the sadness of being separated with my best friend was lingering on me.

I'm not used to sit quietly since I can't talk comfortably with my new seatmate.

I'm not used to eat with other people aside from her but I can't do anything about it since we have different schedules.

They had their lunch one hour early than ours, and they start their first class on the afternoon at the same time with our lunch.

Slowly, we rarely see each other more often because of different schedules. We just get along when we have the same vacant time, but that's not always the situation.

As time passed by, everything started to change even our closeness. She met new sets of friends in their section, same with me. We still talk and laugh together but I can count those interactions in a week for I think twice only.

As much as I wanted to preserve our friendship and strengthen it again, there comes another conflict.

After the 2nd semester, she bid me her goodbyes saying that she will be studying to a new school for the next school year. I didn't cried in front of her while saying goodbye to each other but right after that, I went to the comfort room, and let my tears fall.

I comforted myself saying that it's okay since we are living in a digital world and it's very easy to communicate with someone just by using gadgets even in a long distance. But, I was wrong all along.

Even on our vacation, she didn't contact me, same through when the new school year came. I tried to contact her from time to time, but she didn't replied at all. I thought she was just busy and that's what I'm always reminding to myself. But, I knew all along that I was just fooling myself if I said that. She never replied even though she been's active in Facebook for how many hours and had been posting and sharing random stuffs from time to time. She never replied to me, but she's communicating with my other classmates when I asked them about her.

Being paranoid as I am, I messaged her asking if there's a problem with me. I asked her If I did something wrong but she just seen me — no replies again.

Even until now (three years had passed) we never talk to each other again even in a virtual way. I still messaged her but she just ignored me. I don't know what happened but I didn't cry anymore. Enough with those tears I wasted just because someone didn't want to communicate with me anymore.

Whatever reasons she has, I still respect her and treasure the moments we had before. I will never regret that she became my best friend and will always be happy with whatever she's doing right now. I am still grateful because even when I lose her, I still gain and manage to strengthen my friendships with my other beshies.

Even though she completely ignored me, I am forever be grateful as I HAD A BEST FRIEND like her before.

Author's Note: