There aren’t many times where trying to be friendly could end up with negative results, but I learned the hard way that sometimes there are people that you just need to avoid.

I was in seventh grade when my math teacher had announced that we had a new student. I felt that I could help this new guy and befriend him. It went fine for the first few months, we hung out, played some video games, and the list just goes on. However, after a while my parents started making excuses to avoid having my friend over. They later told me that it was because they didn’t trust him, he seemed like someone who could cause trouble in their eyes, in hindsight I really should have listened.

When I finally convinced my parents to let my friend back over I finally started to see some things that my parents saw in him. He started with stealing from me and borrowing money off of me with no intention of returning it under the excuse that “friends don’t ask for their money back.” These things angered me but I was too naive to stop him. Next came treating my other friends like garbage and since I was already in his little circle, I was completely blind to the impact it was having as I joined in their laughter. It took me till one year later that I finally realised his true nature after he and his group had switched their focus from my friends to me. I was teased, made fun of, and tossed aside despite the fact that I had done nothing to deserve it. I finally stopped hanging out with them and severed all ties that I had to that group, I was finally free from the manipulation and pain.

After breaking away from the group, I felt that I was all alone with no friends left to turn to. It turns out that I was wrong. One friend who was hit the hardest with all the snide and ugly remarks made by my previous group of “friends” was still there for me. Even after all the times that I laughed with the group at all the jokes made about my friends weight and how he wasn’t quite as smart as all of us. Here he was, waiting for me to open my eyes. His loyalty to his friend is what drove him through all the hate and the insults. I really couldn’t have asked for anyone more respectable than he is.

Even with all the people that I will meet in my life I know that there is one guy who will stick with me to end, no matter what the journey may entail. This is why I feel that the most inspirational and supportive person in my life is my friend, Tyler. The man who enlightened me to a new sense of loyalty and taught me to always defend my friends no matter who the person is.