Some Real Friends Are Not Meant to Stay!

I used to believe that when a "real friend" leaves our lives, that means they were not real in the first place. In other words, they are "fake friends".

To be honest, I don't have a lot of friends at the moment. I choose to keep my circle small. Three to four real ones are more than enough for me. These people who know me and people whom I can always count on are more than enough.

Back in Elementary, I had a circle of friends. There were 6 of us. We were an all-girl group. We were always the ones together. During break time or recess time, during lunch breaks, and during playtime, we were always intact. I thought they were the best kind of people back then. We even had a name for our group which is "the heartbreakers". We were so silly that we call ourselves heartbreakers. If I remember it right, it was because of a slum book that one of our teachers gave to us as an activity.

Then our all-girl group expanded. We welcomed 4 boys into our group. It was during our last 2 years in Elementary that this group was created. We were an almost perfect group back then. We were all doing great in our Academics. In fact, one of the girls graduated as a Valedictorian. I also graduated as a Salutatorian. The other girl was 1st Honorable mention, and some also belonged to the top 10.

Then High School came. Some of the members went to another school. Most of us went to the same school. However, we were not able to keep our group intact. Some of us found a new circle of friends, and some of us stayed together.

During my grade 7 days, I stayed with my original group. From 10, there were only 4 of us left. But we were doing fine. We were also friends with other groups. In grade 8, we joined the other group, so our group became bigger. As months and years pass by, all of my classmates became our friends. Well, there were still a few ones whom we were not easy to befriend because they have their group. And probably, they don't like us.

There were so many dramas back in High School. There were issues where one girl was accused of flirting with another girl's boyfriend. There were also issues that one group is backstabbing another group, or one friend backstabbing another friend. I also had a "best friend" back in Grade 8 who became a stranger because of some sort of misunderstanding.

Of course, these things are normal back in High School. It was just so amazing that even if we had a lot of fights, and misunderstandings, we became stronger over time. We became a huge family.

Then I stepped into College. On my first day, I didn't know anyone. I was quite scared if I will be able to survive my college life without my High School friends near me. I remember, when we were still in High School, we used to plan to live in a single dormitory or rent an apartment so that no one will be away from us. Sadly, some of my friends studied in Manila, some also entered private colleges, and some are studying in the same university like mine, but we never get the chance to see one another because our colleges are very far.

Back in my first year, I found a potential "best friend" during the first day of our classes. We were in the same section, so it was easy to get to know her. We became really good friends until 2nd year. We were always going out to eat. I would always go to her apartment. We would always wait for each other before we go to our classes. We would always talk about anything. We were "best friends".

Then, as days pass by, we met 3 girls from our section who also became our friends. The 5 of us would always find time to spend together. We made happy memories. There were sleepovers and eating out. There were group activities that became our way to bond together.

Sadly, my "best friend" found another group to go with. We became distant that we were not able to save our friendship because she found a new "best friend" in that group.

So there were only 4 of us left. I transferred to their dormitory to be closer to the 2 girls because the other 1 was living in an apartment. My decision was great in the beginning until our closeness and friendship got worse. There were a lot of misunderstandings and silly fights after living with them. We would go for days without talking with each other. The environment was kind of toxic for me.

To cut the story short, I decided to be distant and just stay neutral. Not friends, not enemies, just acquaintances.

It was a hard decision for me but it was what I needed that time to save myself from toxicity.

I have always been that person who can live alone, so it wasn't difficult to adjust.

The bottom line is that some of our real friends are not meant to stay in our lives forever. You see, I believe that I have a few good and real friends from High School to College. But losing them doesn't mean they were fake friends.

Alex Gonzaga says that we meet people in our lives for a season, for a reason, and for a lifetime. Maybe my Elementary friends were only there for a season. Maybe I met my college friends for a reason. And maybe my High School friends are and will always be there for a lifetime.

I am no longer worrying if I outgrow some of my friends and if they outgrow me because I believe that if it is what it's needed for us to be who we are, then we should be thankful that we have shared some good times together.