We all have that one friend that makes us feel special, maybe it's because we know they will always be there for us, maybe it's because there's something that just clicks, the friendship works out but there's no specific reason, it just does and it seems perfect. We all have these friends and we all go through though times with them, whether they are the ones to cause the argument or if they are the one to comfort you throughout the whole time. I have many friends but I want to talk about one friend specifically that made me realize so much. Friends teach you things, you may not realize it immediately but they teach you trust, hope, and patience. Friends will teach you these things in many different ways.

Trust. In my opinion trust is a key component of a great friendship. I have one specific friendship that taught me a lot about trust. This friendship was my first experience with that feeling that you have when a friend just clicks. This was the first friendship that made me feel invincible. You feel special and happy whenever you see them and you hope the friendship will be forever. A lot of cases this is the truth, the friendship will last forever. But for me not so much. The friendship started in sixth grade; it's kind of an ironic story because when she first came to the school I absolutely despised of her. I thought she was trying to take my other friends from me. I started hanging out with her more and more until we were best friends, nothing could ever separate us. We hung out everyday at school, we did everything together, and every Saturday night we would have a sleepover. I thought it would last forever. The summer of seventh grade was the best summer of my life. I spent the whole time with her and nothing could beat that.

Seventh grade came around and we were nervous together. We talked about our plans for the year and what classes we would have together. Soon we found out we had no classes together. That couldn't stop anything. We hung out as much as possible. Through all of this I grew away from the rest of my friends. I didn't realize it but I was. They were still my friends, I just didn't hang out with them. Then something happened, we had a big fight, then some more. We grew apart but my other friends were there for me. From this experience I learned that no matter what I can trust the friends that will always be there for me. For a while after this experience I didn't trust many people. I knew I couldn't go back to being her friend because soon after our fights stuff started going around middle school, stuff that you don't want to hear especially when it is about you. No one knew if the gossip was true or not but that didn't matter, my heart broke and I realized I couldn't trust anyone, but if you can't trust then you can't grow closer with anyone. So I trust people now, but only the people that have always been there for me and the people I know will always be there. Every time we fought I would go home and usually cry. I was devastated that there was even the slightest chance that our friendship could end… how can something so perfect just end? This leads me to my next point. Patience. I learned so much about patience through my whole friendship experience.

I learned about patience a lot because every time my friend and I would get into a fight I would, obviously, be very upset. I would go home upset because my day was always ruined after we fought. Usually I would end up crying, a lot. I was patient with our friendship, I didn't push it too far and I stayed my distance for a while. Keeping my distance worked, after two months or so of not being best friends we were close again. Then we started fighting again. The same thing happened I was patient with her and I respected that she wanted other friends too. She had patience with me too after we fought she wasn't really rude to me or anything. Then we became friends again. Are you seeing a pattern yet? Now it's eighth grade and we are so close. We go hang out all the time, her family is like mine and I love them now. Then I started hanging out with other people as well, this time she wasn't as patient, she got mad maybe jealous. I was mad that she couldn't trust me enough to be friends with other people as well as her. The vacuity of our friendship was obvious to both of us. This time when we fought it was mutual, our friendship was over. Now I see her in the halls and the memories come flooding back, I see her mom and I want to run to her and hug her like I used to, I see her older brother who was hard to socialize with at first, but then we became close, and I miss him. I miss her luminous smile that brightened my drab everyday world. I miss her and as much as I say I can never be her friend again there is still a part of me that has a sliver of hope for us.

I also said I learned about hope. I know so much about hope after this friendship because when we were fighting so often I would usually lie in my bed and think about everything. A lot of times I would start to cry because I thought that our friendship was over. I thought someone that made me feel so invincible couldn't be gone from my life just like that, she was the best parts of my day. But she was. And after a couple more fights I knew there was no going back. So as much as I want the friendship (even still) I learned from my mistakes and I know we can't be friends again. I know I will never be able to forget any of the memories we had and maybe that's good, because I have a piece of her to hold onto forever. I hoped every night that our friendship would last forever, during those fights, but somehow I knew that it wouldn't last. Our friendship was something that can never be replaced; however, I'm sure someday I will find a friend that is as great of a friend to me as she was.

I learned so much from her that in a way I need to thank her. I learned that the friends that are there for you no matter what will be the friends that are always there, the ones that never leave your side when you get hurt. I also learned about trust and how easily it can fall to pieces if just one little thing happens. The last thing I learned was hope, because every night I hoped and hoped that I would wake up the next day and when I walked into school she would be there yelling my name and hugging me. One of her hugs, the one you couldn't escape because you wouldn't want to. The kind of hug that makes you happy no matter what. I know everyone will have these friends and I hope everyone's experiences are better than mine. I know that I will find a friend just like her someday. When I say somebody like her I don't just mean any best friend, or the friend that you know will have your back. I mean the friend that you can wake up at six in the morning because you can't sleep, the friend that makes you read her favorite books and even if you don't like them you read them because that's how much they mean to you, it's that friend that you have dance parties in the middle of the road with, the one that you will never forget, the one that you will always remember and most of all the friend that made you feel invincible.