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A Closed Letter To My Temporary Friends (Or Maybe Not So Temporary)

To the strangers who became my friends.

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A Closed Letter To My Temporary Friends (Or Maybe Not So Temporary)
Deanna Nicolari

Make it to the end of this article, because the endings are always the best.


There are many times in my life where I thought I understood the meaning of friendship.

For the past 2 years, I've had the most amazing group of friends, who I truly did love to death. I knew in my heart I'd do anything for them, and they would do the same for me.

But in the past few weeks, life has decided to teach me a lesson.

The lesson was that I truly did not know what friendship was up until a few days ago.

Hard times will make you reflect on life and look at things differently. Maybe even think about things a little bit more than you should.

My last article was all about a new person coming into your life and making it so much better.

And it was all true. It really had happened to me.

I had met the most amazing person, and he invited me to ride shotgun in his life for a while.

The part I failed to mention in that article was all the amazing people that he seemed to add into my life, too.

It seemed to be too good to be true, that I had not only gotten one amazing person, but a group of them.

I realized it right away. That I had truly met the most interesting group of boys I think I'll ever meet.

I am a naturally shy person when I'm unsure of my surroundings.

They were not like that.

I like knowing where I'm welcome, and if I'm liked, and having solid answers on these things are very important to me.

This had not been the case for the past few weeks.

These boys were comfortable not only around me, but around everyone, and expected me to feel the same way.

The person who introduced me to these amazing people, who I will only refer to as the great person from my last article, truly meant the world to me.

And it became clear to me very quickly that his close group of friends, would soon also mean a great deal to me.

And if I was being honest, they put my group to shame.

I envied them a little.

Seeing how their group worked, and how diverse they were, I really had wished the same for my friends.

Everyone basically shared parents; they acted more like brothers than friends.

Everything was said upfront, and the jokes were always non-stop.

And yeah, sometimes the jokes crossed lines, but it only made everyone laugh even more.

Helping hands were extended no matter where they were needed.

Funny pictures were sent in the group chat daily, with a couple of roast seshes put on a few people in between.

Going to the local car-wash or Dunkin' Donuts to talk cars or just hang around was a regular thing for them.

It really had only taken me a few days to realize that these boys were close, they had each other's backs, and they had more memories together than you could imagine (but don't worry, you won't have to imagine, they'll be telling you their stories all night.)

They fight like any other group, they get annoyed with each other, but to me, the outsider, they were different.

They were a group of friends who had been around each other for a long time. With so many memories, and so much behind them, they were a friend group I wish I had.

At first, they were as unsure of me as I was of them. Which I totally get it.

I'm quiet which can be off-putting sometimes. And they're definitely the opposite of quiet-- but that was only the first difference. I need not explain more.

More quickly than I thought, I had slipped my way into being with this group constantly (only because I was with that great person all the time, but that's not the point.)

I realized I grew very fond of all the amazing people and their amazing girlfriends too. I like to think that they grew fond of me too.

They each had unique personalities, and something special about them.

They could make me laugh in a second, and after a few weeks, I had finally felt like I was a part of the group.

I began looking forward to seeing them all. I had even been upgraded to getting hugs and kisses from some of their parents.

I had become a regular in their lives, and I was prepared to keep it that way.

But, sadly, my time with this amazing group of people had been cut short.

Life caught me by surprise, and had made some random u-turn, to go down a road I did not know. After I had come back to earth and got a grip on where I was going, it had become clear to me that I would not be able to see these people any longer.

Or at least not as often. I'm not really sure.

It had gotten me so bad that I had even cried about it a few times.

There would be no more stories to be heard, and no more hugs to be had, and no more "see you soon!"'s to be said.

And I think the worst part was, I couldn't do anything about it.

It has not even been a question to me, that they were not my friends to keep.

They were not my friends in the first place. They were the friend's of that great person, and I wasn't even going to try to find a spot to be there.

You know, people will come in and out of my life (and your life too), but not many change your life like they changed mine.

I don't want to make it seem like I was randomly dropped by them and that they were bad people. They really were good people. It's not like I was texting these people every day, and calling them my best friends.

They were the people I saw mostly every night, or every weekend depending on who it was.

I just got used to having them be around me.

As I've been reflecting these past few days, I realized what this group had done for me.

I had not known them long at all, but most of them knew about some of the most important events of my life. They had been there, making memories with me.

I had somehow found my way in the middle of their group, and I had found invites to just about everything they did.

I had been a part of the memories, and I like to think they will tell a story that I'm in.

I had learned what it meant to be a good friend. What it truly meant to be there for someone.

The fun loving, high energy, and caring group of friends had made me, a complete stranger, feel like one of them. Kind of like, I belonged there.

In my short time with these people, so much had happened.

I had taken a road trip to Pennsylvania to drop off a car, I had learned way more about cars than I thought I would, I had sleepovers with them, I had gone to countless car meets, I gave countless hugs, and shared countless smiles. I learned about their inside jokes, and even made some of my own.

I had felt comfortable around them.

I cherish all these memories. And I hope that I'll be able to make more with them at some point.

Because if these past few weeks have taught me anything, it's that life will catch you by surprise. Anything can happen.

This group of boys (and their girlfriends) have really taught me the meaning of friendship. They taught me what it means to be a good friend, and how to treat people.

It's not very often in life where I'm the "new girl" somewhere, so this was an experience.

And I thank them for making it a good one.

I wrote this article knowing... and hoping that some of them would read this... so...

To that great person, thank you for introducing me to all these amazing people. They meant a lot more to me than I think you know. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life, it's been a privilege (and a very fun, very wild ride). I don't know if I'm welcome in your future, but I think we all know I'd like to be.

To that tall kid with the glasses, even though I fought you a few times (like the time I smacked you in the bowling alley), you're hilarious, and I appreciate the fact that you read my articles sometimes. Because I know even my closest friends don't.

To that shorter kid with the glasses, you're hilarious (the time you cleaned your car with the windows down and soap got in really made me smile), and you're a better friend than I think you know. Thank you for the pep talk, it was needed.

To that kid in Pennsylvania, I appreciate how quick you warmed up to me (we smacked each other every time we were together (then you'd call me a bitch, and I'd call you stupid. All in good fun of course)), and I'm really glad I got to know you. You're great, as well as your girlfriend (Thanks for being dumb with me in the driveway while we tried to kick our legs up as high as possible. Everyone thought we were being dumb).

To the other kid with the mustang, I may not know you well, but you kicked my ass that night we played pool (don't worry I saw you hiding you laughs at me). Your girlfriend, who I also really liked, was probably as bad at pool as I was (thanks for sucking at pool with me, I'm happy I could laugh at myself with someone).

I don't know if this is goodbye, or if it's just see you soon, but either way, this helps me say the things I could not possibly say on my own.

What I really want to say to all of you, is thank you. Thank you for accepting me, and for making me feel like I belonged, even if I didn't. You've all taught me what it means to be not only a good friend, but a good person. The lessons from you guys, will be ones I keep close to my heart.


I don't know where this article will get me, or where my life will go after this, but I'm hoping all of this was not done in vain.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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