I never knew I would look back at a
toxic relationship and be thankful that I had it, but if
it wasn’t for, let’s say his name is Robby, I would’ve never
met my best friend.
I was friends with Robby for many years, but as we got
older, he started hanging out with the
wrong crowd, and our friendship grew toxic.
I learned that best friends make an effort in staying
friends; it’s not one-sided, and it shouldn’t
feel like you’re the only one keeping the relationship
together.
I was excited. After being busy for so long, Robby finally
came to the youth group again,
and he brought a friend. Someone, he said, I was guaranteed
to like.
She walked in right after him. She had tan skin, black hair,
brown eyes, a Hello Kitty hoodie, and
a perfume-like smell.
“Hi, I’m EM,” I said, sounding shy.
“I’m Zoe,” she said.
Zoe, Robby, and I hung out at youth group, then, before we
all left, we exchanged social media
accounts.
“I actually have my tablet taken away, so it might take a
while to answer your request,” I said.
“No worries.”
One day, when I was done with school, I rushed to my mom’s
room and grabbed my tablet to
talk to my new friend. It had been two weeks since I had
seen her at youth group.
“Hey, Zoe, this is EM. How are you?” I texted.
“Oh, hey! I’m good!” She replied.
”That’s good. Why haven’t you been going to youth group
lately?”
“I didn’t know if Robby was still going or not.”
“Oh, what happened?” I asked.
“Robby and I got into a fight and aren’t talking anymore. He
and I were thinking about dating, but he didn’t like that we were still in the
talking stage. So he started fat shaming me and calling me all sorts of
things.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but he doesn’t come unless I invite him, so
you come Wednesday!”
“I will!”
After that, Zoe and I got closer; she even became good friends with my sister, Lila. We
created our own little friend group at youth camp. We hung out with Tory, Jenna, Courtney, and
Lila, but they weren’t as close as Zoe and I. We were there
for each other through the highs and
lows.
Later that year, Zoe told me she was heading back to Hawaii
in a month. I couldn’t believe it, I
had just made a best friend and she was leaving. It was rare
for me to even make friends, so I
was sad knowing my best friend wasn’t going to be by my side
anymore.
It was our last night at youth group together. Tory, Jenna,
Courtney, Lila, and, most of all, Zoe
was there.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow!” I said, sobbing.
“I know,” she said, tears running down her cheeks.
We pulled each other into a hug, and I said, “I know you
don’t like him anymore, but I’m glad
you knew Robby. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have found my best
friend.”
She pulled out of the hug and smiled slightly, tears still
running down her cheeks.
When her mom arrived, we all walked her to her car and gave
her a group hug. As she was
driving away, we followed her car while waving goodbye till
she left the parking lot.
Zoe helped me through a lot, and still is, and I do the same
for her. If I never met her, I don’t
know how I’d be now, I probably would still be friends with Robby.
But I don’t need to know
the what-ifs of the past; I’m just thankful I have her as a
friend.
Because of her, I now know that friends are there for each
other no matter the distance, and
there are always silver linings; some are just harder to see
than others.
In previous relationships, I was the only one making an
effort to stay connected, but Zoe taught
me that friendships are not one-sided and don’t use you for
personal gain. She taught me the
true meaning of best friends forever.
