Personal Narrative: My Sophomore Year Of High School

The first time my best friend of four years told me that she would not be returning for our final two years of high school, I never dreamt that my life would become dramatically different. At the end of my sophomore year my best friend, who I refer to by her last name, Jones, because we have the same first name, told me that she was going to take the California High School Proficiency Examination in hopes of not having to complete junior and senior year of high school, and consequently start community college the following year. She said that high school was simply not meant for her and that she wanted a more significant amount of freedom and independence. At the time I thought the idea was a distant dream of hers that would never become a reality however, I was quite mistaken. When sophomore year concluded, and it was time for Jones to take the test I was left feeling exceedingly conflicted about my secret, selfish desire for her to fail, merely so I could still have her all to myself.
The fact of the matter is, when I was a sophomore Jones was quite literally my only genuine friend, who I believed to more of my long lost twin rather than a mere best friend.
Inseparable does not even begin to describe our relationship considering we did virtually everything together. Nearly every day after school we would buy off-brand 35 cent soda from the vending machine outside of the local grocery store. When the weekends came we would eat junk food and spend the entire night discussing our hopes and fears. As 15 year old girl, I was beyond insecure, therefore having Jones to talk to about anything and everything was all I could ever ask
for.
When Jones told me that she passed the test, it was an incredibly bittersweet moment. I was enthusiastic about Jones’ achievement, conversely for myself, I knew that this meant that considerable changes were bound to arise. Junior year began, and I was faced with the harsh reality that I was essentially alone, and no longer had what I considered the lifeline that Jones had previously provided by her simple presence. I spent an abundant amount of time alone, but as the year progressed, I realized that whether I was in an agreeable situation or not, this was my new life, and I had complete control of how I would spend my last two years of high school. This is when I realized that change is a part of life, essentially there is no life without change. For an extensive period of my life, there was so much that I was afraid of, and so much that I was apprehensive to try. What I feared the most was any type of change. I seldom had new experiences or went to places that I hadn’t been. However, during my junior year, my entire perspective on how I should be living my life changed. I realized that the only way that I would grow as a person would be to go out of my comfort zone and try explore different opportunities and that I would never grow if I continued to proceed through life repeating the same motions day after day.
Jones and I will always remain inseparable, and I owe her all the gratitude in the world, for if it were not for her I would not have transitioned from persistent opposition to any type of change to who I consider myself to be today: somebody who wants to continue to grow, learn, and thrive. I want to seize the diverse range of experiences and opportunities that will be given to me throughout my life. As humans, we never stop evolving, which is the most valuable lesson that I have learned so far.