Ever notice how friendships fade and break away when you leave middle school for high school? I used to have several different groups of friends, and they were all really different types of people. I always acted differently around each group, and actually thought I had a multiple personality disorder at one time because of it. Adam Pope and the guys who all played instruments in a band, that turned out to be potheads and punks in their sophomore year. David Muzal was one of them; oddly enough, we haven't said a single greeting to each other since seventh grade. Sara Longtin, Stephanie Begg and a lot of my female upper classmen buddies faded away as well. I never talk to Sara anymore, and only really talk to Stephanie when I'm with one of her friends. I can't even remember the last name of the Katie who went to a different high school. She was the girl that knew me through the little notes that the choir director in Doerre had us write to the singers one grade level above us. I actually remember still knowing her in eighth grade- she would hug me enthusiastically during the annual men's concert, and other functions where Klein Oak high school was involved. Kathryn Streeter was such a vibrant and happy person, we would always talk on AIM or MSN, but it was yet another friendship whose ties broke with the transition into high school. I see her in the career center often. I actually used to know Allison Scace a little better, I talked to her occasionally in my eighth grade health class, but after she got the impression I liked her, and actually asked me about it, we didn't talk too much anymore. I didn't like her for anything more than a friend. Even Katie Maier is fading from my long list of old friends- the most cheerful person in the world, I never saw her with a frown on her face. She still cheers me up every time I see her. I actually think I had a little crush on her at one time. Then there's Luan Nguyen, my Asian choir buddy who quit after freshman year and never went on to be one of the elite singers in chorale. Very mellow guy, for the most part. Even played EverQuest. Erica Moses is one that stands out. Probably one of the only girls I will ever know who told people she loved them in sixth grade, she was probably the first girl I ever seriously liked. She came from a divorced family, and has recently moved around a lot to different subdivisions. I actually was able to talk to her about how things were going this year. Despite her appearance and family history, she's still the sweet, stronghearted girl I knew from the community pool every other day during summer vacations. I would meet her there so often, and we became great friends. One might even say we were going out, but I think she was a little more serious about that than I was. Now, you can find her lying in the arms of her boyfriend in the mornings on one of those big plastic bins which hold the sandbags for flood prevention. They've been going out for a year or so now, I believe. The guy was in my geography class last year, all I remember from him was that he announced one day that his highest report card grade was a 47. Of course, he was quite proud of it. I wonder if Erica is concerned about his academic success? I should really talk to her more often. I think I can say now that Erica was my best friend during my late childhood, leading up to my teenage years. Mostly during the two summer vacations during which we spent the most time together. Not a friend that I want to completely lose.

Dare I go on? I can think of so many other friends that I've really just lost over the past few years. I've got a picture framed on my desk with a bunch of people at one of my birthday parties. Only about three of the people in the photograph are still my friends.