Take a minute to think of who your best friend is. Chances are it’s someone you’ve grown up with and trust unconditionally. You know how they fall asleep, what they do when they’re nervous, their favorite outfit. You’re each others confidants, having stuck together through thick and thin.

Now take a step back and imagine a world without your best friend. Not having the person to call at 1am when your hands are shaking. Realizing that they weren’t who you thought they were for years. Imagine walking in the hallway and passing your former best friend. You’re lucky if they even look up from their phone to make eye contact with you. Every little thing you took for granted about them is lost. You are no longer friends. You’re cordial at best. The person who held your hand through everything. The person who came over and knew exactly where everything was in your kitchen cabinets. Your best friend, the person you thought you would stand next to while you graduated, is the same person you don’t even want to look at anymore.

Losing friends is a major part of high school. Everyone is going through it, has gone through it, or will go through it. The biggest changes in our lives are happening right now. Our interests, ideas, and friendships are changing. It’s just something that happens. Even though you may lose that best friend that got you through the first big struggles of your life, please don’t let that stop you from being open to getting a new and improved friend. You will be amazed at how quickly you can make that new friend into one of your best friends.

There are so many kids that you are able to meet during your four years at Ames High. Whether it’s through your after school activities, clubs, or classes, you are bound to meet many new people that you can relate to. Just be sure to put yourself out there. There’s bound to be someone out there that’s as strange as you. You just have to find them. Making these great friends is one of the few reasons that leaving high school is so sad.

The most important thing in a friendship is making sure that you both build each other up. There is never a need to bring down your best friend or to let your best friend bring you down. If people are bringing you down, chances are that they are not your friend and that you will be just fine without them.

After you lose a friend, you don’t have to get back on your feet right away. Taking some time alone might be necessary. Maybe you’ve lost yourself a little by being friends with this person. Take some time to remind yourself that you are a separate person from them and that you’ll be okay without them. Some times you need to just take a step back and remember that you miss the memories with that person and not necessarily the person themselves.

Just remember that you’re awesome, and that anyone out that is your friend is lucky to have you. Don’t let one broken friendship get you down, because they usually lead to having more friends than you thought possible.