“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

This famous quote from Romeo and Juliet describes precisely what I felt when I had to leave my best friend, Reina. It is only when it is time to part that you realize how much you have come to care for a person, and the difficulty of leaving them.

The first day of 3rd grade, I was very pessimistic, as I had difficulty making friends previously. I thought that this year would be no different, and I would be stuck sitting in the corner during recess for another long year. I was partially right. Until halfway through the year, I was not successful in the struggle to make friends. But then I met Reina.

She had been there the whole year -- I just hadn’t noticed her. I remember talking to her a few times throughout the beginning of the year, but it never occurred to me that I could potentially be best friends with her by the end of the year. We started speaking more often, and I started to look forward to talking her everyday. We sat next to each other at lunch, and we loved to quiz each other in math and geography in the cafeteria. We played at recess like hyper little children, and everyday, we couldn’t stop laughing and giggling. Somedays after school, we would stay after class long after the teachers left, and sneak around the classrooms looking through people’s stuff (Shh -- don’t tell anyone!).

Reina had moved in from Japan and sometimes struggled with English. I helped her. She was an amazing artist, and sometimes I couldn’t quite get my drawings to look right. She helped me. We made fun of each other. We gossiped about people. We went to the park after school sometimes, and played in the tennis courts. We went over to each other's houses a few times, and invented a new game which we played for hours. (We were drenched in sweat by the end!)

Then… it happened. What is it? Well, it was the day I found out that Reina was moving back to Japan. I remember it like yesterday. My teacher asked “is anyone not going to this school next year?” At first, no one raised their hand. I didn’t expect it at all. Reina had never mentioned anything to me about her moving. I remember her saying “oh!” and then raising her hand. I didn’t believe it. How could Reina, my best friend ever, be moving? Why was she raising her hand? My teacher called on her and asked “where are you moving?” She said “Japan.”

I cried after school. I didn’t want it to happen. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Why did she have to leave so soon? We had barely had a year together, yet so many memories. I remember playing with her the last time, seeing her in person for the last time before she moved. We tried to make the most of it.

After Reina moved, I tried to move on with my life. We emailed each other regularly at first, and she sent me pictures of herself every year in the mail. Now, we are in 9th grade. She still sends me Christmas cards every year, but during the year, we are both are too busy to email. Still, she is to this day one of my most treasured friends. One day, we will see each other again, relive old memories, and create new ones. One day, we'll laugh and giggle like we used to. One day... we will make up for the days we didn’t spend together.