The first kind, is unrequited friendship:
You see a person interacting with his friends. You see him laugh, you see him joke around, you see him shove others around, and you think, this could make a good friend! You like the way he treats his friends, and you hope that he could treat you as one of them. You make the first move. You say hi, try to start a conversation, make some jokes. And to your horror, he doesn't reciprocate. He says a few words just for politeness sake, and if you are persistent, you try to ask more questions. You think, maybe he's shy. In the end, it starts to get to you. You find that you are an unwanted soul, an irritating annoying insect. You feel pathetic, you feel hurt. You decide that maybe this isn't worth your time. You start to avoid him, you move on to other friends. And yet the next time you see him with his friends, a hollow feeling forms in your heart. This is when you have felt it -- unrequited friendship.
The second kind, is a doomed friendship:
You go to a party, a school camp, or you meet some random person in some random way. You both hit off fine, you talk, you get to know more about each other, you joke and tease each other. Overall, you had a wonderful time, and you find that you like him a lot, as a friend. But then you know, once this random encounter is over (and you know it WILL be), you will lose touch with this nice person you got to know. You know that you'll probably never see this person again, or you know that if you see this person again, he'll probably be with his friends, and you with yours. Because you both knew each other for such a short amount of time, it would not be comfortable for you to approach him in his group of friends. The most you can do, is to wave and say hi. There is no more chance for you to talk to him like you did before at the random encounter. You know that since the very beginning. You're preparing yourself to suffer from-- a doomed friendship.
Thirdly, there is the short-term friendship:
You meet someone. He starts a conversation. He seems friendly and quite a nice guy generally. You start to become quite close to him as the days go on. You both may form a clique with perhaps some other people. You love the clique a lot, you think, I belong to this, nothing can take us apart. And then suddenly, one day, you realise that he is drifting away from you. Yes, he says hi to you, he talks to you, but you see him around other people more often than not. And perhaps one day he would stop talking to you altogether. Just distant hi's when you meet. You realise that he is the kind of guy that likes many but shallow friendships. He goes through friendships like a kid goes through toys. You feel discarded, like a used toy. And when you try to make other friends, you find that it is hard because the others have become closer when you were wasting your time with that seemingly nice guy. You should have invested more time in making other friends, instead of carrying on this-- short-term friendship.
Then, there is the long-term friendship:
At the start, you may not be the best of friends. You know him, he knows you. Maybe you talk a bit. Then as time passes, you know more about him and vice versa. You become closer day after day, unconsciously. You finally form a clique. You go to classes together, you talk about anything and everything, you tell each other secrets, you even go to the toilet together. You think you finally found your twin, your best friend, the one who understands you, the one who can make you laugh when you're down, the one that can make you stand up again when you fall. You feel so fortunate that you have found such a wonderful friend. He worms his way into your heart and becomes a part of you. From here, things can go 2 ways.
1) The failed friendship:
You find that you both are changing, and in different directions. You try to make it work, but soon you realise that there isn't much to talk about anymore. You feel awkward around him, you try to start conversations but things fall flat. You decide to hang out more with your other friends. He too thinks that way. You feel happier with your other friends, more at ease. You feel that you're throwing him aside, you feel that you should try harder, but you don't have the strength to do that. You feel even more awkward around him. You try to avoid him, and you all eventually stop talking to each other. Occasionally, at night, you think of all the happy times you had together, the moments only you two shared, and you cry. You cry and the memories that keep on flashing past your mind make you cry even more. You yearn for that friendship, but you know, this is just a-- failed friendship.
2)The lasting friendship:
You have survived being friends for a year, maybe two. You both are changing, but along the same path. You still have many things to talk to him about, conversation still flows easily. You still like him a lot. Circumstances may then pull you apart but you still find time to be together, doing things together. (like joining the same CCA, meeting up in the mornings before school starts) You make other friends, but deep in your heart, you understand that the best friend you'll ever have is HIM. Seeing him brightens up your day, and you feel that if you ever needed anyone by your side, he'll be the one. He'll never abandon you even if the whole world turns against you. You know that it is possible to go through a whole lifetime and never meet someone like him, and you feel fortunate that you found the one for you. You cannot imagine a life without him and you dread the day something pulls you apart for a long time, if not forever. But if such circumstances do not arrive, you know that this friendship is a --lasting friendship.
Of course, there are many other kinds of friendships, but those I have listed above are those that have touched me the most, made me the happiest or the saddest. The others aren't as important to me, so I'll just leave them out.
To all my friends, I hope that we could all have a lasting friendship. May we never have to feel the hurt caused by friendships.
[1257 words! I'm so proud of this :))]
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