Going into summer last year before seventh grade, I had a huge group of friends. I went to parties and hung out with all of them on a regular basis. I never felt alone. At the time, I thought a good friend was simply someone with similar humor, someone who was caring and supportive.

As school started to inch closer, things got weird. I’d try to have conversations, but they’d either end abruptly or I’d get into little arguments with my friends, mostly about nothing at all. Our personalities began to change and theirs no longer matched mine like they used to. I hung on to them as much as I could, but on the first day of school I was left out of the group. I sat there all alone while everyone carried on around me, and then it hit me, I was no longer meant to be friends with these people.

No matter how hard I tried, I felt left out. School just started, but I felt completely destroyed. Later on in the year, I watched the rest of that group fade away, too. Maybe I had picked up on our dying friendship at the beginning of the school year and my instincts were right in knowing when to say goodbye to unhealthy friendships. Each of my old friends found new places to belong, so I started to open up a little as well. Eventually, I made a new friend in my fourth period gym class. She was new, and it was interesting to get to know her more.

And then another friend came into the picture when I asked her to join us, We all three realized we had the same interests, and it became fun to hang out. Plus, we were in a lot of classes together so it was easy to hang out and get to know each other better. Before I knew it, I had my small, happy group of friends, and I was delighted to fit in again.

Until, a few months later, one of my friends had a serious accident. She was the string to our little group, and once that string was pulled, everything seemed to vanish. Thankfully, I still had my other friend. We had been through so much together, but despite all the ups and downs, I realized so many of my friends have made an impact on my life in the seventh grade. I’m very thankful for all of them, even the unhealthy ones.

Losing friends can be so hard and might seem like the end of the world but I’m excited to see what eighth grade holds for me. Friends come and go, and I know I will always have someone with me and the experiences to take with me forever. And if we happen to grow apart, it’s not meant to be. I know life throws those twists and turns, and real friendship is more than just having a good time.