Just Friends | Teen Ink

Just Friends MAG

By Anonymous

Final class of the day; I’m almost done. I’ve managed to avoid him for the majority of the day, somehow escaping his attempts at conversation. Always somewhere to go, something to do. Sorry, no time to chat. If I can just stay out of sight for the next fifteen minutes, I’ll be home free.

Rushing into the crowded hall, I push through the swarm of buzzing students. I fight against the flow of bodies, the warm crush that threatens to overwhelm me. Desperate, I keep shoving, longing to reach the safety and quiet of my locker. I’m almost there, just a bit further. Finally I’ve made it, and he’s nowhere in sight.

I open my locker and lean into it, sighing with relief, when I see him. I straighten up, hurriedly shoving everything into that tiny metal box, but my hands aren’t cooperating. My nerves are making me shake, disconnecting my mind from the rest of my body. I struggle to remove myself from the impending situation, but as I start to spring away, he grabs my arm and says, “Now can I talk to you?”

And that’s when my heart sinks. My stomach starts to churn and I know nothing will be the same again.

Somehow I always knew it would come down to this moment. A silent showdown in some empty hallway, the echo of slamming lockers long since faded, but the shouts of students still lingering in the air. He stares at me, expectantly, awaiting an answer. I look at my feet, purposely not listening, not looking at him. I don’t want to hear it, don’t want to see him proclaim his love. It makes no difference; it doesn’t change the situation.

I’ve known him since first grade. I’ve seen him pick his nose and suck at kickball; I watched him grow six inches like a beanstalk and, with all the grace of a newborn calf, give himself a concussion on a shower head. We’ve been friends for what seems like always, but never ventured anywhere beyond that. To be honest, it never occurred to me that he could someday be more than a friend.

“Did you hear me? I said I like you. I like you a lot.”

Don’t say that. Anything but that. Talk to me about the weather, how horrible Mrs. Matthews is with her evil calculus equations. Even sports would be better, (and you know how much I hate sports). Just don’t say those words. Why would you say something that could irreversibly change our friendship?

“I’ve liked you for so long. Didn’t you know?”
Yes, of course I knew. I’m not stupid. I was – I don’t know – I guess I was hoping it was just a crush. Something fleeting, a passing fancy. Puppy love, if you must, but apparently not.

“Say something, anything.”

You don’t mean that, not really. I know what you’re hoping to hear, what you want me to say. I can’t and I won’t. I look at you and I see a brother, a friend, not a boyfriend. I don’t think anything could ever change that in my mind.

Everyone knew we’d end up here. That’s the rub. The whole freaking world probably knew that sooner or later we would clash at opposite ends of the spectrum. My parents, my friends. Hell, even your parents and friends knew it. They told me it was cruel to lead you on, but I never meant to. I never meant for it to go this far; it just never seemed like the right time to say, “Hey, we’ll always be best friends.” I never, ever wanted to hurt you; I just didn’t want to let you go.

I’ve deluded myself for years, lived in denial for so many summers, and now it’s senior year and you’ve finally found the courage to tell me how you feel. I’d love to blame you for this awkwardness, accuse you of letting this non-relationship charade drag on over the years. But truthfully, it’s my fault that we’ve reached this point, and I have to make things right.
I take a deep breath. This is it.

“Yeah. Me too.”



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This article has 380 comments.


sabortooth1 said...
on Jul. 8 2010 at 10:27 am
sabortooth1, Logan, Utah
0 articles 0 photos 12 comments
Please read the book review of The Kite Runner.  Just search "The Kite Runner" and it is about the third green highlighted one.  Very Inspiring! Rate/Comment it

on Jul. 8 2010 at 1:19 am
That was amazing! I was in love with my best friend and told him at the end of my senior year and he said lets just be friends. But your story was amazing. I loved how you showed her guilt of leading him on. Keep it up :D

on Jun. 29 2010 at 9:05 pm
mudpuppy BRONZE, Orangeburg, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 475 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it's soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. - M.J.

I love this story! It reminds me of a similar indicdent that happen a couple of years.

on Jun. 24 2010 at 8:09 am
OfficialApprover PLATINUM, Orefield, Pennsylvania
48 articles 0 photos 1752 comments

Favorite Quote:
Grab life by the balls. -Slobberknocker
We cannot change the cards we're dealt just how we play the hand
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
It's pretty easy to be smart when you're parroting smart people
-Randy Pausch

This was fantastic, very well-written and relatable.  Great job!  Keep writing!

Btw, anyone who sees this, will you check out and comment on my work?


on Jun. 23 2010 at 1:21 pm
letmekeepthis GOLD, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
17 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
"whats past is prologue" - shakespeare

completely get this story!! i went through the exact same thing only i didnt tell him i liked him back and he ended up hating me and spreading horrible rumors. but i guess he really wasnt much of a friend to begin with then, right? oh well. i love your work! keep writing!!!

figureitout said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 8:56 pm
figureitout, Dorchester, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is too short to wake up with regrets.So love the people who treat you right, forget the ones that dont.Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it'd be worth it.

this is amazing.my bestfriend is also a guy and i know he likes me, he has never had any intention of hiding it. he tells me all the time the things i need to hear and the things that will make me feel better. even when he annoys the hell outta me, i call him after school just to remind him he's still my besetfriend no matter how rude I am to him. he lets me go on and on about drama and guys and my period for christ's sake. he tells me about his girl problems and about the other girls he's crushing on because he know i wont hold it against him. i'll admit, i was crushing on him for a little bit but i could never see as anything more then bestfriends. i love him with everything in me and i'd die if i didnt have him. everybody says we should date, or were going to date, or they ask if we are dating. it drives me crazy but he just laughs. i dont want to think of us as anything more. i dont know what to do. if this situation ever happened, i'd be speechless. could anybody help me.?

Sarbear GOLD said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 8:43 pm
Sarbear GOLD, Milan, Ohio
10 articles 4 photos 489 comments

Favorite Quote:
--Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away from them and you have their shoes.
--When life gives you lemons, squirt them in people's eyes.

wow! this is so good! i want more--this is really great:)

on Jun. 16 2010 at 8:05 pm
Writingforme BRONZE, Flanders, New Jersey
4 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The harder you work, the luckier you get"












-Susan Shaprio

Moving, touching!! Lifted me away! Read my story, tell me what you think. Your story made me feel like I'm not alone, because the same thing happened to me! Thank you for writing your stroy!

a.m.f BRONZE said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 2:15 pm
a.m.f BRONZE, Gainesville, Florida
3 articles 12 photos 97 comments

Favorite Quote:
"God never shuts a door unless he opens another."

I really like it :) It can relate to many people, which makes it so great. If anyone has any spare time, I need some feedback on my short story, Scratching Stones. Thanks :)

Diana101 GOLD said...
on Jun. 10 2010 at 4:22 pm
Diana101 GOLD, Grove City, Ohio
13 articles 0 photos 107 comments

Favorite Quote:
"God's delays are not God's denials"

I loved your story:)

on May. 30 2010 at 2:46 pm
SecretSelf14 BRONZE, Bridgeport, Connecticut
2 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
My favorite personal quote is, I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

- wow this was really amazing

on May. 25 2010 at 10:37 pm
iwanttobeforeveryoung GOLD, Forest Hills, New York
11 articles 2 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When the power of lover overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix

 I really liked it, but if it's senior year how would the whole thing progress?

on May. 25 2010 at 6:21 pm
itsdariannnn BRONZE, Pensacola Fl, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
Your journey starts with your first step

we have all been through this embarrasing situation but u make it so mature :)

Phooh BRONZE said...
on May. 25 2010 at 6:07 pm
Phooh BRONZE, Bryant, Arkansas
2 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
You only live once, if your do it right once is enough!

I really enjoyed this piece. It was raw and real. Too many stories are figmants of imagination but this one stands out, its what really happens. Wonderful job! Keep writing! :)

on May. 25 2010 at 4:58 pm
TheSummoningFreak PLATINUM, Lugoff, South Carolina
41 articles 0 photos 122 comments

Favorite Quote:
if you can never let yourself fall you'll never know what it's like to love

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on May. 25 2010 at 4:41 pm
phatbeats SILVER, Los Angeles, California
5 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" JFK

this is good. i love how you seperate the quotes with responses to each one! excellent.

darkvisions said...
on May. 25 2010 at 3:19 pm
darkvisions, White Plains, New York
0 articles 0 photos 21 comments
This is excellent...it totally captures all the feeling in that situation, with great description...and ends with the perfect cliff-hanger. I'm dying for more, please keep writing!!!

on May. 25 2010 at 3:00 pm
MemorialMustangs GOLD, McAllen, Texas
10 articles 1 photo 12 comments
i really like this it is like awww (: and everyone has been through that and knows how it feels and i really like this (:

on May. 25 2010 at 12:51 pm
Ina way, I know how that feels. Keep writting!

on May. 25 2010 at 12:33 pm
Andrea Witte SILVER, Anchorage, Alaska
7 articles 2 photos 19 comments
i know i have a friend and we are just like brother and sister and my friend asked if we were going out