15/02/2023
F R I E N D S F O R E V E R
You are my best friend.
But I'll never be yours.
Doesn't it hurt a lot when someone you really love is obviously having a way better time with someone else than with you?
Friends...!
When she was twelve, Neha had no idea what that meant until she met Aisha.
They say friends come and go but when Aisha squeezed her hand and whispered the very words she'd been dying to hear into her ears , Neha was obliged to believe that the statement was false.
"You're my best friend, Neha."
Aisha and Neha were polar opposites.
Aisha was head of the popularity chain in class and Neha?... Well, she might very well be at the bottom. It felt like everyone knew Aisha. And everyone wanted to be her friend. It wasn't surprising- given her gorgeous hair, perfectly aligned teeth, beautiful dark eyes and not to mention-her amazing personality.
As for Neha, she wasn't all that good-looking. She wore glasses and had braces so that ruined 80% of her looks. She was used to her parents asking her why she didn't have any friends. It bothered her at first, being all lonely, but she slowly got used to it. She could understand- Anyone would have a really boring life if they were friends with someone like her.
But it all changed one day when that gorgeous girl with beautiful eyes offered to sit with her in lunch break.
She hadn't known until then just how much she starved for friendship and affection. Aisha had given her everything she ever wanted. Life became so much more colorful when she stepped into it.
Today was the day Neha had avoided all her life. Friendship day.
It was awfully annoying to see everyone with colourful bracelets tied on their wrists.
Or maybe she thought that way because no one had ever given her a friendship bracelet before…
Neha walked into class that day, trying to ignore all the excited chattering around her.
But then something strange happened.
Aisha walked up to her, took Neha's hand and tied the most beautiful friendship bracelet she had ever seen around her wrist.
"Happy friendship day!" She gushed.
The friendship bracelet was red- Neha's favourite color, and had white gems dangling from it, each holding a specific alphabet-
"F R I E N D S"
It was stunning!
Neha didn't know what to say.
She hadn't thought of anything to give to her.
Aisha's wrists were full of friendship bracelets that went all the way up to her elbows.
"Aisha.. Im so, so, sorry- I didn't know-"
"Hey-it's Ok, alright?" Aisha said quickly, understanding what had happened.
"No worries!
But Neha still felt so ashamed. It's not that she didn't know. She just never thought that she could actually be someone's best friend.
From the way everyone was staring at her, Neha felt like Aisha hadn't given anyone else a friendship bracelet and was waiting till Neha came to class…
Later that day, she overheard Aisha talking with the other girls in class.
"I feel so bad for you dudee~ How could she actually forget to bring a friendship bracelet?!" She heard one of the girls say.
"She probably just forgot…"Aisha replied, though Neha couldn't help but notice a shred of uncertainty in her voice.
Neha's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. She felt shameful as a friend.
I promise I'll get you the prettiest one next year, Aisha.
The year went by.
Even though Neha and Aisha still hung out with each other, she started noticing that Aisha was changing.
They no longer walked back home, like they used to.
They no longer texted each other, like they used to.
By the end of the year, they hardly even talked to each other.
But Neha was still Aisha's 'best friend forever', right?
Or had that changed too?
Because why did Aisha not give her a friendship bracelet the very next year?
Neha stood at the corner of the class and watched Aisha tie a bracelet around the wrist of the same girl who had doubted Neha the previous year.
Neha would be lying if she said she was shocked. All those unanswered texts, all those missed calls, all the times she saw Aisha smiling more widely with someone else than she ever did with her- the message was so clear but Neha didn't want to accept it.
But now, as she was watching Aisha and her new best friend, she felt like the truth had been shoved right into face.
She had lost the only friend she had.
Neha wasn't sure if she would ever be able to make friends again. She wondered if she had ever actually meant anything to Aisha at all. Because clearly, if they had been true friends then Aisha wouldn't be pretending like Neha was invisible right now.
Or atleast that was what Neha believed..
Because I'm ugly.. Boring.. Half lively... And I don't even exist for her other popular friends.
That's why.
That day Neha was gradually making up her mind.
No, she didn't want friends anymore.
She didn't want anyone else to hurt her ever again.
She finally understood why some people built walls around them so high that they felt completely hidden.
Aloof..!
Aisha made her feel so many things- Love, friendship, happiness, confidence- even, and within a year, the sweet had turned bittersweet.
Now she felt nothing but anger, sadness, shame, guilt….
She realized that no one, no one, can hurt you more than a person you love.
She looked at her empty wrist and took out the bracelet meant for Aisha from her pocket.
It was similar to the one she had been given.
It was Pink -Aisha's favorite color, with white gems dangling from it, each holding a specific alphabet.
"F O R E V E R"
She then took out her own bracelet and put the two together.
"F R I E N D S F O R E V E R"
-PAVITHRA SANTHOSH
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