Feelin': Nostalgic
Hummin': Here I Am by Bryan Adams
I am in a cleaning mood today. And as most of you prolly know, cleaning up means digging through old stuff and most of the time, stumbling upon an object long forgotten. I found a lot of things today that just made me reminisce the good ol' days, days when life was so much sweeter, smoother, easier.
It seems like eons ago, but in fact, barely six years has gone past.
I feel sentimental, like something inside me just wants to return to the past, the time in my life where the gift of friendship was tested and proved to be strong. I still remember fights over petty things that left some friendships in shattered pieces and some into stronger bonds.
There's this one fight that destroyed one of the most comfortable friendships I ever had. She and I used to laugh together over the littlest things. But one petty crush turned her against me. I didn't know she liked the same guy, neither did she know I had been eyeing him for quite some time. When she found out, I expected us to chatter about him non-stop, but she was never the same. She severed any of the ties we had and I found myself hurting and alone.
I moved on, changed and met new friends who I became close with. I slept over her house a couple of times, and we were inseparable in school. She and I didn't have the same interests but we enjoyed each other's company. We were both happy-go-lucky, had infectious laughter and loved passing notes in class. I had a good year with her, but then one morning, it suddenly felt different like she turned over a new leaf overnight. Nothing was ever the same again. When I look back now, I feel a pang of regret because she and I had shared so much fun just by being together.
All through the trials and challenges of growing up, my bestfriend since kindergarten never left me though. She was there to listen, to support, even though we belonged to different groups of friends in school. I told her about my problems, how I felt like an outsider to my friends who were changing faster than I could say, "highschool." It sounds silly now, but back then, it felt like a spark of hope in a cold, dark room. She offered her own group of friends.
I was hesitant at first. I mean, becoming friends with a certain person takes time and chemistry. I can't just barge in their group one day and start inhaling in their personal breathing space. But my bestfriend was insistent. She reassured me over and over again that everything would be fine. I finally agreed. Back then, everyone in their group had to agree that I could be allowed in their group before I was considered one of them. (It's a girl thing.) Fortunately, everyone said YES.
Soon enough, I found myself belonging to this new group, a tight circle of girlfriends who managed to stay together despite the tides of time. When almost all cliques we knew of dissolved or parted, theirs remained whole through the bad times and the good. I am glad and proud to say that 6 years ago, I found their group and they welcomed me with open arms and willing hearts. In a week's time, awkwardness was forgotten. In a month's time, I belonged like I've known them forever. Now, six years past, I can say they've become a major part of my life. I wouldn't be the ABI I am now if it wasn't for all of them.
T.F.F. stands for True Friends Forever.
Naming a clique sounds childish, I know, but when I think back of how we came up with this name, I realize, it's the meaning of the words that mattered. For until today, despite time, change and distance, we still vow to be True Friends Forever.
