An unfamiliar place

By Alysiana P

How long would you wait till you consider someone a ‘best friend’? Some would say a couple years, maybe even one. Though, there's always those friendships where you would have known each other just for a few months and they'd already be considered a best friend to you.

Well, that's how it is for me. I've known my friends for not even a whole year yet, perhaps just a couple of months, but they already feel like family to me. More like family than anything else or what other people could have provided; same as if I were to have known someone for years compared to months.

Of course, I did have friends before them. It didn't end the best though. We had a downfall from an incident that occurred due to miscommunication and feelings that affected me that were expressed on my part but never resolved.

I won't say it was absolutely dreadful because there were good times, though things had to be dealt with for the best. It was a realization that maybe it was time to have cut ties with those people, which was a confusing thing to go through. People I've known since middle school suddenly vanished.

It hurt a bit but was confusing for the most part. The friendship seemed toxic and I hadn't realized it until I sat myself down with my own thoughts and realized it. That's where a new story began.

And with that, I slightly felt more comfortable with him asking. Though I still remember feeling anxious. What would their answer be? But I was extremely grateful to hear that it was a yes.

Upon hearing this is when all my anxiety occurred—how would I act around them?

I'd have to be cautious in case I accidentally said something to upset them. I'd have to stick with Elijah and about two more of his friends I knew until I got more comfortable considering I'm not too much of a sociable person. I mainly stayed around him the most though.

Scared. That's what I felt, like a fish out of water in a place that I wasn’t too familiar with.

I remember my routine: I'd get out of class and walk to where we’d eat lunch and typically make small talk with the others as a way to get more comfortable until he’d show up and I’d follow him due to me feeling like an outsider.

This only lasted for about a month until I was able to talk more and became comfortable with everyone else as well as they were to me.

I'm grateful that as I tried to get close with them, they did as well, striking up convos with me or complimenting—things that were different from what I had been used to. I felt relaxed.

The feeling that I had felt upon first hanging out with them of ”it's going to be hard for me at first to get comfortable, it'll take time” had mostly disappeared.

I remember feeling joyful, happy, excited, and more such feelings as I slowly and surely talked more and more with others. My worries seemed to be slipping away into beautiful friendships in the making.

Now along the road, I seem to be able to hold convos with all of them with no doubts, as I'd talk with anyone else. We can laugh, discuss random things, concerns, anything we please.

But I can definitely try. The bonds I've created with them feel so healthy, comforting, and overall an amazing feeling to have. I love them all so much, and I'm glad to have met them.

For the Warrior Times, this is Siana Perez.