#5 : Friendship -- "Never Give Up"

A collaboration with mspanda97 on a short story about friends ;]

Starring Park Shin Hye.  Written in Shin Hye's POV.

Please don't give up on making friends.

Even if you did, there's always someone there. 

ALWAYS.

It has never been the same. My whole life, I have just been moving around endlessly. Sometimes it is hard to admit but we have just so little control over our lives. There was once though, when I had a period of stability, but that isn't the main thing I want to tell. This short story is to you out there who have to go through the experience of being a new kid, over and over again. The one thing that I hope you will get away by the end of this is that 'Please, don't give up on making friends.' Needless to say, it's painful to leave them but at the rate the world is developing now, there are so many ways to stay in touch. How much I wish we had this technology as children, so there wouldn't have had to be so many painful farewells. For those middle School and High school new kids though, you all are much luckier. Even if you give up, there's always someone there. ALWAYS. 

'How is there always someone?' You may ask. Well, here's what I want to share. I gave up at one point. I was angry at my parents, so angry that I just gave up. I was tired of trying to explain myself repeatedly when I'm sure that it won't end up the way I want it to be. 'So be it,' I said. I wanted people to leave me alone, so I pushed everyone away at school. I had decided just to be myself when alone, and even when people came around I never put on a smile. I kept that poker face on for months. I kept it until that one person broke through. Were they persistent, I don't really know about that but at the time it sure felt like it.

It was during a break in our day and they just kept on talking. I started off with simple short replies. I didn't want anyone to break through then. On the contrary, without me realizing, the short replies I gave became longer and longer and in the end, I was actuating conversing with them. The isolationism that I insisted to wrap around myself disappeared bit by bit miraculously. Time passed unnoticed. We talked and shared. We were so lost in our conversation that we didn't even know what time it was. Suddenly though, we paused for a moment. We looked around and no one was in sight. We were the only people around. The next thing I know, I was caught late in class. Never would I have expected myself to be in the bad records but what surprised me more was that I was not being caught alone but there were others by my side. We got detention that day, and it was the first one I have ever received in my life. Undoubtedly, it was a punishment but somehow it didn't seem like that since I wasn't the only one facing it. I definitely don't regret it, because I was together with that person who helped me to open up. Because of that somebody, I did get a detention but I also earned a good friend after that.

I think that later on as well, it is the reason why I'm even surviving now. I didn't move after that, until now. It's been about six years? That person is long gone now, but they left a good experience with me. An experience which I can depend on and learn from. I just want to let you know that there is someone out there who want to reach out to you. There is always someone. So, I beg you to trust that there's someone out there trying to give you a hand, and please stretch out and hang onto that hand until you can get up. 

There are definitely times when we just want to shut people out but think back about the reason why we made that decision in the first place. Won't it be just be so much better if someone was willing to listen and understand? But before that can happen, we need to tell them. If we refuse, how else can they try to comprehend? If we do not tell, how can they even try to know what we are feeling? It may be luck, to meet such person. But sometimes, it may not necessarily be luck. What if that person was there all along? 

It may be hard, yes. Making friends that is. You don't have to be so friendly suddenly. Just be yourself. And when there's someone making the first approach, just please do not run away. Be thankful that you had the chance to meet a new person. Exchange, share, unravel yourself bit by bit. Allow that person to judge you not only from the outside but also on the inside. Try to put in this small effort and before you know it, you earned a new friend. It will make your time in the world more worthwhile, don't you think?

After going through so many farewells, I realize that every friendship has its own expiration date. There will be times when we get distant from each other and eventually cut off ties with them. There will be good and bad times. But, what's important is what we gain from that friendship that will help us get back to our feet and become a better person to live in this world full of challenges. That's just one thing I really treasure a lot from all my friendships, past or present, new or old and I hope you will treasure it one day as well.