As a kid, I always thought I had to have a lot of friends to be cool and popular. I didn't understand the concept of friendship yet, and what it was to me. The fact that I didn't have many, I prided myself on the fact that I only had 3 friends and nothing more. I started wearing it like a badge and now it just seemed sad. The day I realized the importance of friends I didn't care about any number. My best friend showed me that indirectly throughout our friendship.

We were at a park just running and climbing all over the place. We played a whole lot of our childhood games. When we played tag with the other kids, we would run together. When we played hide n’ seek with the other kids, we would hide together. When we played any of these games, we helped each other. As friends, we would do things together and help each other through these challenges.

I learned friends are your companions not just a number. They are what get you through the day at school. They get you to try new things and live on the edge a bit. They get you to have fun and you can be yourself around them. They will always be there when you're in trouble and it's not until they're gone you become someone else. You're friends let you be yourself and without them you're different.

In the 7th grade, my best friend and I didn't have any classes together. It sucked we wouldn't be able to hang in school and then he got busy. He couldn't hang out over the weekends because he had stuff to do. It felt like we were drifting apart and I couldn't help but feel like someone else. I hated it, but after almost a whole year in 8th grade we had some classes together. He stopped his other activities and we could hang inside and out of school. Our friendship felt stronger than ever and I had more fun that day than I had the whole past year.
Even though it felt like we were drifting apart I knew my friendship couldn't be broken by the passing of time. Being a kid you make friends and better yet a best friend. I’m glad I realized my friends are what make me, me. Without them, I would be something else and I wouldn't wish it were any different. After all this time I learned that I didn't need a lot of friends to be cool or to be popular, I needed one to be myself.