Growing up I was always an outgoing kid. Up until about middle school, I surrounded myself with lots of different friends, usually those in my classes. In the earlier years of growing up, popularity was based on how many people liked you and how many friends you had. Come middle school, I started figuring out who I was as an individual and with whom I wanted to surround myself. I had my best friend from when I was little, the friends I made through sports, and numerous other small groups from different things such as clubs, my lunch table and even those on my school bus. While I wasn’t a “popular” kid, I had friends alongside me in all of life’s different components. I went to these people for support, encouragement and comfort in social situations. While at the time I thought I was doing everything right by expanding my friend groups as far as I could, something was missing. Actually, someone.

Entering high school, I came in excited to take on some of the “best four years of my life.” I assumed these memories would be made with my teammates because they were my closest friends. These were the girls I knew best and spent so much time with. We struggled through losing seasons, numerous coaches and so much more. They were my support system. However, life can sometimes throw you curve balls.

Near the end of Junior year, I found myself expanding my circle of friends due to common interests, similar classes, etc. and I bonded instantly with another group of girls. So that summer, we continued making memories, whether it was us going camping, late night Sheetz runs for slushies and mac and cheese bites, or just hanging out in someone’s basement watching movies. We came to be a core group of friends, looking for colleges and eagerly waiting for our senior year to come. I was excited about this new group and saw both my “quantity” and “quality” continue to grow, especially after we found a group of boys that we also enjoyed hanging out with.

At the beginning of my senior year, I was lucky to have these two close groups of friends. The seniors on my team whom I had known for years, and the other group of girls I grew so close to that summer. As much as I tried to have these two groups blend so I could spend time with both groups, expanding both quantity and, hopefully, quality, it did not go as I had hoped. So, after many futile attempts to invite both groups to the same events and have them become close just like I did with both groups, I gave up on the hope of making a larger, blended group of friends. I spent the majority of the first half of my senior year splitting the time between the two groups. After our season came to an end, while I would still see my teammates in school, we just slowly stopped hanging out as much. This being said, I still considered them some of my best friends at the time.

So, senior trip rolls around and I went with my teammates. After all, this was the group of girls that I spent most of my school years with and we did have a special bond. That trip was one I’ll always remember. We laughed, we cried, we got burned,, but more importantly we made memories that will always be remembered. Coming home from our senior trip, I was optimistic about how our friendship was strengthened and thought we got through the “rough patch.” However, I soon realized that I saw things differently. Activities were planned and I was being excluded from this group I had known for so many years and just spent an amazing week with. I will be honest, this really hurt! I tried very hard to keep all of my friends, even when my plan to blend the groups was not well received. I valued these relationships and worked to maintain my friendship with both groups. But after being excluded numerous times, I got the hint.

It made me very sad to realize that my friendship with this group I was so close to through so many seasons and so many years was fading. I thought our friendship went beyond our common interest of sports, but I think I was proven wrong. It took some time, but do you know what? That is okay by me. With age, I’ve come to realize that the quality of friendships I have is a million times more important than the quantity of friends I have. You see, life is too short to hold on to friendships that are not meant to last forever. It’s important to surround yourself with people who truly have your best interest in mind and to distance yourself from negativity and those who exert it. My close friend from when I was little was part of my “team” group, but she is more than just that. We have remained close throughout all of the friendship shifts and we have the type of friendship that picks up right where we left off the last time we were together. She was there while I was growing up and remained by my side even through those God-awful middle school years, so she’s pretty special. Quality and quantity!

I never imagined that the girls I became friends with during junior/senior year would have become my best friends so quickly. It is not the quantity of time that we have known each other, but the quality of time we spend together. These friendships happened for a reason. And junior year, when I became close with my three best friends, happened for a reason. These girls are the best friends I’ve ever had. They bring me up when I’m down, are brutally honest when I need it most and every time we hang out, lifelong memories are made. We have blended into one person in four different bodies. So here I am, at my dream school, while my best friends are at their dream schools hundreds of miles away. While we always wondered what would happen when we all went our own ways, distance is irrelevant and we have remained closer than ever. Quality trumps quantity, and I am so grateful for the few quality girls I have surrounded myself with so far in my life. They’ll be my best friends, my bridesmaids, my “sisters”, until the day I die.