My friend and I are dancing and performing for a small audience of people we trust. The song is “Break My Face” by AJR, she is mouthing the words and I respond. Your tongue fell out, it’s right there on the ground. I look down in amazement and shock, gaping at the non-existent tongue lying on the floor. Life gives you lemons, at least it gave you something. We shrug and move on to our next dance moves. You would have thought we practiced this hundreds of times, but this is all coming straight from our heads, coming up with it as we go.

It only took a moment for me to think, this is who I am meant to be with. I need them, and they need me. Life is riding a rollercoaster, swerving around every turn, almost tipping over the edge, hanging upside down, waiting for the moment when you are set free from your pain and can smile again. This could be fun for someone who had other people helping them along the way, but these incredible people did not always surround me, and some people will never find a true friend.

I would wander around the playground during kindergarten, shyly talking to myself, and running away in embarrassment someone approached me. Keeping to myself, I went through so many hardships on my own that I could have done it with a good friend. I had a thought stuck in a loop inside my head; I don’t need friends, I am meant to be a loner, Negativity thrived in my brain. On the outside, I could be seen as an optimist, joyful around my family and the few friends I had, but for some reason, I could not find the courage to fight the pessimist who wanted to take over my head. Moving into a new town with a new school did not help much. The new girls in my school looked at me once and saw an outsider. I took that as a sign that nobody was here for me, and put up a wall, trying to convince myself it was easy to be alone.

I have my reasons for thinking that I should not have companions. I went through multiple friendships that scarred me and made me feel as if nobody was trustworthy with my secrets, That nobody would let me shine my true colors. I shielded myself from the world and dug a deep hole to be in. I was shy and unwilling to share much information about myself. Then, I met friends who yanked me out of my hole and made me explore the world with them. I found an amazing, outgoing extrovert side to myself and began using it as much as possible.

I became friends with all my people during gym class, it took a few years, but it was worth it. Ashley was first. We met in 6th grade and soon discovered that we enjoyed each other’s company. Lauren and Arica were next, I met them in 7th grade, and they included me and asked me for assistance with their problems. And in 8th grade, when our group began to form, I met Malena. Meeting my friends in gym class seemed like a strange way to meet them, but it is what happened, and I liked how easy it had been to find my people.

One thing each friend group needs is a variety of personalities. Ashley, for instance, loves cats and is the shortest in our group. She is joyful and energetic, although, like everyone, she can have bad days. Arica is the one with style. She comes to school daily with the best outfits and is confident and outgoing. Malena is an introvert. She loves to read and can be very scary when angry. She owns about 30 cats and has an amazing skill of keeping calm and dealing with what is important. Lauren is the leader of our group, in a way. We all watch out for each other, but she knows us all and will help as much as possible. She is smart and honest in every situation. Fearless, she can walk right into a battle to help.

Life is best with companions. Living a life alone can only push you further away from potential friends. Maybe there are people out there like you, hiding and waiting for a new friend to approach you. But what so many people in this world do not see is that they are new friends and that if you want a companion, you need to go for it, grab that chance, and shove it in someone else's face. If you do this correctly, you can gain so many friends who can guide you, and you can help to guide them.