Leaving Friend Groups

I am a part of an eighteen-member group chat, consisting of upper and underclassmen, where we talk about anything and everything, from our songs of the day to whether there are more doors or wheels in the world. Although our conversations are often like the punch line to a good joke, I find myself experiencing melancholy.

As I near the end of high school, I have realized how our friends become such a valuable element of our identity. Although seemingly obvious, it is often overlooked. I spend five out of the seven days of the week with friends, whether it is during our school breaks ranting about the class we had before or during open periods where we impulsively go out for Ding Tea. The other two days can be filled with spontaneous FaceTime calls and planned gatherings. My friend group has become an integral part of my everyday life; they are an integral part of who I am.

Hannah Chung, a West Ranch senior, expressed how her friend group has also influenced her high school experience. “Friends have made the past four years so much more fun, and the memories I have made with them are ones I will keep forever. Being surrounded by people who genuinely care for you is so important, and I have realized that your friends are the people who are always by your side.”

Another West Ranch senior, Chris Taguba explained, “Throughout the tough moments of school and life in general, my friends and I have always made sure that we offered each other support and guidance in the right direction.”

With graduation approaching, the bittersweet reality of high school and friendships has begun to set in. Eventually, we will have our last brunch quizzing each other on the entire textbook for our following exams, our last lunch trying to eat through our obnoxious laughter at the corniest jokes and our last after-school hangout, squeezing into a car not meant to fit seven people. We will soon walk across the stage and just like that—high school is over.

Despite these events yet to happen, my heart grows heavy with them in thought. It is easy to become the world’s biggest pessimist when the word “last” precedes such meaningful moments and there is a set date that marks the end. Throughout these past four years, we have experienced tremendous growth and emotion. We have loved and lost people as they come and go in our lives. As that notion comes to fruition, so does the fear that these friends may one day be mere posts we come across on our social media feed or ghosts that haunt our adolescent mementos. Leaving high school can feel like we are saying goodbye to the person we are now and within that, we feel like we are saying goodbye to our friends. We are left to question: is this the end?

To simply answer—no. This is not the end. Although high school will come to an end, that does not mean our friendships have to go with it. A plethora of these intimate bonds were formed within the past four years and others have stuck together since their days on the playground. But, like us, these relationships will inevitably go through changes. We all carry a longing to keep these friends forever, but the actuality of where these relationships will go is unpredictable.

As West Ranch senior Pratika Prasad said, “I think it’s really important to understand that your friends will start a new chapter in their lives, and sometimes you may not be in that chapter. I plan on being there for my friends no matter how much time has passed and whatever space there is between us. The memories and time we’ve spent when we were younger will always be cherished and I know I would want my friends to succeed and have a fruitful life ahead of them.”

For some, everyone is going to the same college or are within convenient visiting distance. For others, they are factoring in time zone differences and when the semester ends for possible reunions. Yet, the battle to save these relationships will have varying outcomes. Regardless, we will try our best to maintain these friendships. Even so, things may still not go according to plan and we will have to painfully accept that it is okay. But from now until then, and many more years after that, what these friendships meant to us will always remain.