I think we can all agree that at some point in our lives we have had a friend group. For me, I had a few of these throughout the years. You'd hang out in front of each other's lockers, make up secret code names for cute boys in class (or teachers), and you constantly planned trips to the mall and sleepovers together. Depending on how big your friend group was, there were about 2-4 who were the "OG's" and were the closest out of the bunch. The others had been recruited from one of them to join the group. I was always one of the "other friends." And the larger the group, the bigger the drama. People were constantly coming and going from the group chat, and there was also always gossip occurring in one of the three side chats with a select few elite members of the group.

At some point though, you leave the group chat scene and never come back. I was in my Junior year of high school when I was booted out of my last friend "group." Since then, I've learned the importance of making genuine and lasting friendships.

If you've ever been a Freshman in college, you understand how you'll never talk to most of the people you meet in your first week again. I only have a handful of close friends I met in college that I would voluntarily hang out with. I'm also extremely introverted, so that doesn't help my case.

I've only had one friendship that has lasted through elementary school, middle school, high school, and now college.

We met in 5th grade and have really been friends ever since. As you grow older, you realize you don't have to talk every day or even every week to be friends. We all get busy. I'm pretty sure we even went half of a school year rarely talking just because we were so busy. Since high school, I moved states but that hasn't jeopardized our friendship at all. Arguably, it has made it stronger. Whenever I do come back, we usually plan a fun double date with our significant others and just cherish our time together that much more.

I remember how complicated friendships were for me back in the day. I was constantly fighting to make everyone like me and to avoid drama, but it never worked out that way.

I'm glad I learned early on that not everyone close to you is your friend. I'm also glad I went through the heartache of losing those close friendships and those who I thought would be there by my side 'till the day I died. Some will use you for money, because they are lonely, or simply because they envy you. It takes a long time to find your people with a good heart, and when you do, never let them go.