Kindergarten, first day of school. I don’t remember much about the day, except for where I sat. I sat at the first table that you saw as you entered the door, and to the far right, second seat from the end. On my right, a short red-headed girl; on my left, a tall blonde. And a seat over from the blonde sat my best friend.
First thing I asked was her name. And then it snowballed from there: play dates, and as we go older, sleepovers and phone calls. “BFFLYY!” We called each other. Only we knew what it meant: best friends for life…yo yo! It was a symbol of the bond between us.
Once we entered sixth grade, however, something changed in our small thirty-person class. The girls got catty and boy crazy, and the boys grew up. There was a new fight every day, with a new side to take. There was a boy to be considered cute one day, annoying the next, and unavailable after that because he was now part of a couple. Those couples stayed together for maybe a few days at the most, and then the cycle began again.
My best friend and I never got caught up in fights, and we didn’t jump into the world of pubescent boys all at once either. A few other girls joined us in our little group; the little redhead that sat next to me in kindergarten, a twin, and a girl who would become one of those who obsess over celebrities.
The twin tried to steal my best friend away from me. I didn’t notice it until a few months later, but she was jealous of our friendship. She would tell my best friend secrets, she wouldn’t include me in any activities, and she would blatantly ignore me. I was hurt, but found refuge in my other two friends. My best friend would never leave me, and it was easier just to pretend nothing was happening.
My best friend, who is much quicker to pick up these things than I am, called her out on it; that when world war three started. It was an even bigger fireball because the class knew that my group didn’t usually get into fights. And so started the division: pro-twin and anti-twin.
Four years later, and we still haven’t spoken much. I’ve moved on, but kept my best friend. I don’t think she can forget what happened, and is still searching for her best friend. But I was lucky to bump into my best friend in kindergarten. Usually people have to wait to find their best friend, and it sometimes takes years to find him or her. But patience: just like soul mates, you’ll know your best friend at once at first sight.