I’ll never forget how she made me feel that night.

“We can’t be friends anymore, I’m sorry.”

My heart was shattered into pieces.

I didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be friends anymore. She had blocked all my socials, and for the next few weeks, I tried to reach out to her by texting her on her phone number, the only thing she didn’t block, but she never responded.

After about a month, I slowly started to get over her. I had slowly started to delete our messages and our pictures. Until then, I had nothing left of her.

That’s when I let her go.

One day I had seen that she had unblocked my Instagram. I couldn’t help myself. I messaged her.

“Why’d you unblock me? You okay?”

No response. Just left on seen.

I sent one last message the next day.

“If you need anything, text me.”

One day I saw a notification from her, something I thought I would never see. I opened it faster than a kid opens presents on Christmas.

“I do want to be friends again, if you’re willing to try.”

“Maybe it won’t be the same as before, but what hurt is there in trying?”

I had no words. I didn’t know what to think, what to say.

She had made it very clear we couldn’t be friends anymore. I didn’t understand the change of heart.

My biggest question was why.

Why did she want to be my friend again?

Did I want to risk getting hurt again?

Or could this be a good thing? Maybe we needed no contact to come back stronger.

I decided I was willing to try. She hurt me once, so if she hurt me again, it would hurt way less the second time around.

I never really understood why we stopped being friends in the first place, but I had a gut feeling her boyfriend had something to do with it.

Things started off slow, until a few weeks later I woke up to three missed calls and six text messages. I opened the messages, and the last one said:

“He broke up with me.”

Although I never liked her boyfriend, I still felt heartbroken for her. I knew how much she had loved him.

The first couple weeks were rough for her, and one day she learned that he cheated on her.

She asked me to sleep on the phone with her that night, so I did.

This became a continuous thing, and to this day, we still call almost every night.

One night she explained the real reason why she stopped being friends with me, that being her boyfriend forced her.

We are now so much closer than we were before. I guess I’m grateful for the couple of months we didn’t speak, because if something is meant to be, it’ll always find its way back.

**This is a true story :) **

The key they'd given me still fit the lock, but the house no longer felt like home.

Everything on the outside looked the same. Mom loved the fall season, and she always went all out to decorate the outside of the house. Walking to the front door, I could see the pumpkins on the porch. We carved pumpkins every year, but this year it wouldn't be the same.

I put the key into the front door and opened it. I wanted to move, but my feet stayed stuck. The inside of the house was the same, but it had no life. Mom always greeted me when I came home to visit from college.

I took one last walk around the house. A wave of nostalgia went through me as I saw each empty room. I was an only child, and I had already moved out before she passed away. I regret that decision because maybe I could have spent more time with her.

I didn't want to stay in the house any longer, so I got ready to leave. I locked the front door for the last time, then returned the keys. I got into my car, took one last final look at the house, then pulled out and drove away.

Hey, I miss you.

I miss our late night facetime calls,

We would laugh about the stupidest things for hours.

I miss staying up after you fell asleep,

To send you a paragraph to wake up to.

I miss trusting you,

Telling you every little thing about my day.

I miss sending you Instagram reels everyday,

They always reminded me of you.

I miss loving you,

The way you deserve to be loved.

I miss seeing your notification,

It always made me smile.

I miss our little adventures,

With you driving me around everywhere.

I miss you.

Cross country. My favorite sport. I love running out in the woods, it clears my mind. But I have never been a fast runner. The real reason why cross country is my favorite sport is because of the people. In fact, I met my best friend from running. When I first started cross country, I was always among the last to finish. I was never actually last, but it's been very close. One day, this changed. All because a fellow runner gave me some encouragement.

This happened on my third-ever race. As soon as the gun went off and I started to run, I could tell it wasn't going to be a good race. My whole body was sore. My legs felt like jello. At the one-mile mark, I started to slow down. I was out of breath, and I was gasping for air. That's when I heard footsteps behind me. I thought I was the last one.

"Come on girl you got it! Run with me!" I looked over at her and waited for her before starting to run. I recognized her, I had seen her at another meet before. "What's your name?" She asked me. "I am Emma, you?" I looked over at her and she had the kindest face, I could tell she was a genuine soul. "I'm Lizzy. Nice to meet you, Emma!"

Lizzy and I continued to run and talk together. We ran up and down hills, and we were passing people as we ran. Soon enough, the finish line approached. "Look! We are almost there. Come on, let's sprint to the finish!" Lizzy held out her hand, and I grabbed it. Together, we crossed the finish line. We finished 31st and 32nd, out of 100 girls. The top 35 girls got a medal since it was a hard course.

"We did it!" Lizzy pulled me in for a hug. This was a true friend right here. I hugged her back, smiling. “Wait. Let me get your phone number!” Lizzy said excitedly, letting go of the hug. “Sure.” I smiled. I was in shock, Lizzy was so nice, and I could tell she genuinely wanted to be my friend.

I gave her my phone number, and we have been talking every day ever since. We had become really close, and we were the best of friends. Every weekend we would hang out. She was the only friend I needed. This just proves you can meet your best friend anywhere.

Her words constantly echo in my head: “We can't be friends anymore.” What a waste of an incredible friendship. She was my clear sky on a rainy day, but now all my days are filled with violent storms.

The pain I feel is more intense than any amount of poison, drugs, or alcohol. Ever since she left me, I have had this constant nauseating feeling. She was the one always there for me, as I was for her. We used to stay up past midnight talking with each other. We shared many special memories. It brought me so much joy. I wish I knew what was going on in her mind, so I could help her. Maybe then we would still be friends.

It's hard to carry on without her, but the best thing I can do is take it one day at a time. I will always love her, but now she has found someone to clear up her storms. I wish it were me. Maybe one day I can have clear skies again.

The lake. It’s my town’s go-to hang-out spot. It's the place where many people make their happiest memories, but for me, it’s the place that holds my worst memories. Every time one of my friends asks me if I want to go to the lake, it brings back the haunting memories of that night.

I mean I never meant to kill Bailey, and ever since, I’ve felt horrible. She was my best friend. What makes this situation bad is that I never told anyone, and when I accidentally bumped Bailey into the lake, I ran. I ran back home, where I should've been in the first place. I wish I had never snuck out to meet her.

While I ran towards the direction of my house, I could hear her muffled screams as she tried to stop herself from going underwater. The lake was 15 feet deep, and Bailey had never learned to swim.

I wish I could go back in time. Maybe I could have saved her. Maybe I could've gotten help. But I was too scared to hear about what this town would say. In this town, rumors fly. And one rumor can ruin your whole life. It’s every person for themselves.

Disclaimer: Please be considerate as this is something I have been dealing with.

"We can't be friends anymore, I'm sorry. I wish you the best of luck in the future. But I can't do it. I just can't. You will find someone who can love you more than I can, but I can't be that person. We have different needs in life, and we just can't be compatible like this. I'm sorry."

It felt like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest. I instantly felt nauseous. I couldn't believe she was making such a big deal out of this. I was just worried about her, like any other good friend would be. I understand she has a lack of communication skills, but leading me on for so long, and suddenly ghosting me, just wasn't right. If she would've just told me she needed space, I would've given her space. She can't expect me to be able to read her mind, she needs to communicate with me, instead of hurting me.

This whole situation has had me out of sorts. she was the person I would go to for everything, and now I can't talk to her. I know one day in the future we will meet again, and maybe we can try again then, but no matter what, I will always love her. Even if that means loving her from afar.

⚠️This is something that happened to me, so please be nice!⚠️

June 12th, 2024, 10:45 AM. I saw a notification from her, And when I read it, my heart sank.

Ever since then, I can’t stop thinking about it. “It’s not your fault.” She says, But a thought lingers around in the back of my mind: “Yes it is, it’s all my fault.”

It makes me sick when I think about what you said. “I feel suffocated in this friendship.”

And all these unanswered questions float around in my mind. “How long has she been avoiding this?” “How do I fix this?” “Why didn’t she tell me sooner?” “What did I do that made her feel like this?”

Everything seems to be back to normal, But I still think about it. June 12th, 2024, 10:45 AM.

“If I pay you, will you please pretend to be my friend, just this week?” Brayden had no idea who this girl was. He hasn't seen her around before. He took a minute to think about what this girl has just asked.

“How much are we talking here?” Brayden asked. He was captain of the football team, and he wasn't about to end his social life over a couple of dollars. Twenty dollars.” She answered. His eyes instantly lit up. “Deal.” Brayden agreed. “Now, what was your name?” He asked. “Oh sorry. It’s Hailey.” Hailey answered. Brayden noticed that Hailey was looking down at her shoes, avoiding eye contact. At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder why this girl was paying people to be her friend.

“Cool, so this starts tomorrow?” Brayden asked. “Yes, but can I get your phone number?” Hailey asked. Brayden nodded then pulled out his phone and read out his phone number. “Thanks,” Hailey muttered, then turned around quickly and left. Brayden thought it was weird that she quickly left, but he didn’t think much of it.

That night, Hailey texted Brayden, letting him know about the things she expected. Brayden replied with a simple “Ok.” and then turned off his phone for the night. The next morning, Brayden met Hailey at the gate. He had already let his friends know, so they weren't surprised when he didn't meet them at their usual spot.

At lunch, Brayden sat with Hailey, and surprisingly, he had a good time. Hailey was a very interesting person, and he wondered why she had no friends. She told him about how she could speak four languages, that she could hold a handstand for one and a half minutes, and that her favorite kind of chocolate was dark chocolate. After lunch, he was excited to see her after school, and he actually looked forward to hanging out with her every day.

The end of the week came quickly, and Brayden didn’t feel ready for the week to be over. All day, he was looking for Hailey, to talk to her, but she was nowhere to be seen. At the end of the day, Brayden finally saw her. “Hailey! Wait!” She turned around, looking sad. “The week is over now Brayden, you don’t have to pretend to like me.” Then she walked out of the school. Brayden just stood there, looking like a fool.

Brayden had really enjoyed spending time with Hailey, and he wasn’t ready for it to end. Luckily, he had a plan. He packed up his things and got into his car, ready to go. He wasn’t going straight home like he usually would, instead, he went to the store. He picked up some flowers, a poster board, a pack of markers, and some dark chocolate. He checked out at the store and then headed home.

Brayden spent about an hour at home until he got back into his car. Brayden had driven Hailey home a couple of times, so he knew where she lived. He pulled into her driveway, with the poster, flowers, and chocolate in hand. Brayden knocked on the door, and Hailey answered. “Brayden? What are you doing here? I told you, the week is over. Whats with all this stuff?”

“Well, I had a great time with you this week, and the truth is, I like you. Will you please be my girlfriend?” Brayden asked, holding up the sign. You could tell in his voice that he was nervous. “Oh my gosh, yes! I would love to be your girlfriend!” Hailey squealed, jumping into Brayden’s arms.

“Here is your twenty back. I don't need it. I already have you, and that is worth more than any amount of money.” Brayden said, handing her a twenty-dollar bill, along with all of his other stuff.

Ever since that day, Hailey and Brayden have been inseparable, and to this day, they are still together.

Today was my last high school track meet. It was my final chance. I have tried, and failed, to break the 800-meter school record. I have been trying to break this record this season, each race coming seconds short. Here I am, standing on the starting line, feeling extremely anxious. My stomach hurt, and I felt sick. I wanted to break this school record so bad.

"Just shoot the gun already," I said anxious to start. Sometimes it felt like the officials prolonged the start when it came to track. The gun went off and I exploded out and went to the front of the pack. There was a girl who ran almost as fast as me, so she was some tough competition. My first lap felt pretty fast, but I wasn't sure exactly how fast it was. On the second lap, I felt myself slowing down about halfway through, but I pushed it. I crossed the finish line, looked up at the timer, and felt my heart sink. "Two minutes point 37 (2:00.37) seconds. I can't believe this. less than half a second off." I said to myself, feeling disappointed.

I walked on the infield and my coach walked over to me. "That was one hell of a race, Alyssa. Even though you didn't break the school record, you should still feel proud. You came in first place almost every race this season, and your times have only gotten better." My coach said, trying to be reassuring, but I still felt really disappointed in myself.

"Coach?" One of the track officials said, walking over. My coach turned around as the official started to speak. "There was an error with the timing system, so Alyssa here actually ran a One-minute and 59-second (1:59.00) 800. We have already made the changes and they are posted online." The official explained. "Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. "You are a very talented runner, and I can tell you will do big things." The official said. "Thank you so much sir!" I started to say, shaking the official's hand. "This new time actually breaks my school record for the 800 meters, I thought I didn't break it, but this new and correct time means I broke it!" I said, trying to contain my excitement. The official congratulated me once again then I went online to see the new time, and it in fact was exactly a minute and 59 seconds.

I walked off the track, feeling as happy as I could be. I worked my butt off for this record, and it paid off. What a great way to end the season! I got to school the next day, and I was presented with a plague of the broken school record time. They also replaced the old school record with my new school record. I had done it. After all the countless failures, after all the countless hours of hard work, I had done it.