Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (73/90)

I fell asleep at my friend's last night, so I figured I should just do a catch up post instead of trying to write last night.

I met up with a friend from middle school yesterday. I hadn't seen her in about six years, and we fell out of touch soon after I moved away. In that space of time I had: joined marching band, pep band, and jazz band; got my first two boyfriends; went to Disney World for band; failed a class; liked Neuqua Valley High School; never smoked; never did drugs; never drank; applied to 17 colleges; graduated from Neuqua. Not only that, but everything that happened at college.

In that space of time she had: moved; went to Hinsdale South High School; gotten her first boyfriend; smoked; drank; did drugs; graduated from Hinsdale South. We used to be best friends, all through middle school. She was one of the reasons I didn't want to move, and one of the reasons I was determined to hate Neuqua. She used to say she would be the first person in her family to go to college.

She is planning on going to college, once she saves up the money. She was going into the Marines, but that didn't work out. We didn't really have too much to talk about yesterday, besides for talking about our old friends and catching up on big things in our lives. And while we were talking, I started to think about what could have happened if I hadn't moved.

I'm not sure, because our other best friend probably wouldn't have gone down the same path. But she moved too, soon after I did. I'm not sure who would have had an influence on my life. I just have this feeling that I wouldn't be where I am if we hadn't moved, and I think my parents were keen to make sure we could be where we are today.

I feel like I'm passing harsh judgment against her, and it sickens me. I know everyone has to go do their own thing, but I think that if I had stayed there, I'd probably not be going to school. I'd probably be working somewhere to pay rent to my parents, or trying to live with my boyfriend. A lot of my middle school friends that I've reconnected with are doing that. And I quite like the place where I'm at.

I'm extremely grateful now for everything that I got at Neuqua: excellent schooling, an extraordinary music program, great friends, and the chance to go to any college I wanted. I'm grateful that my parents knew what they were doing when they moved us out here. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

There's probably a good reason we fell out of touch.