The fire crackled, hot flames flashing and flickering to brighten everyone’s face. The smell of burning logs wafted through the air, making its way into every nose and staining every piece of clothing with the unmistakable scent. Voices murmured to each other, occasional giggles and laughs filling the air. Smiles were glued onto every face as the voices quieted down and the crackle of the fire or occasional insect chirrup began to be more prominent. The fire began to shrink as flames strained to reach the heights they once knew, yet could only go halfway. The warm glow faded, soon replaced by the cool night air and the softer moonlight glow. The air felt colder, quieter, and somehow, more solemn. It was the last day everyone was all together; we had just began to realize it.

Sara, Allison, and I had known each other for years in elementary school, as we lived so close to each other. Allison and I were friends since fifth grade, and she was on my robotics team. Sara and I had only ever seen each other in passing and never truly talked. The three of us were well aware of each other, yet we were never close until my seventh grade year when we met on the bus.

Allison was (and obviously still is) a beautiful girl. A tan, heart shaped face paired with a smile so bright it could probably be seen on the moon was enough to make anyone fall for her beauty. Her long legs and slender, yet still curvy body only added to that beauty, but her personality was what sealed the deal. Her laugh was loud, bubbly, and contagious, and her intelligence was obvious to anyone who met her. Not only did she speak in an extremely intellectual manner, but she also passed all of her honor’s classes with flying colors and perfect grades.

Sara was similar in a million ways, yet different in just as many. She was a shorter, smaller girl with beautiful blue eyes that were a blue as deep as the ocean. She wore her long, blonde hair straightened, yet still frizzy, to give off a cute, slightly uncaring look. She wore shirts with pop culture references such as Batman or Super Mario Brothers paired with a light colored pair of blue skinny jeans and her signature black converse. Sara was the most amazing artist, always doodling cute pictures of cartoon characters and showing them off. When she began taking art classes in high school, her artwork amazed all who saw it, as everything she created seemed utterly flawless.

Contrastingly, I was somewhere in the middle. I dressed similarly to each of them, sometimes dressing in tee shirts and jeans like Sara, yet other times wearing a cute skirt and a flowing shirt like Allison. While Allison left her hair natural and Sara straightened it on most days, I kept my hair sleek and smooth, straightening it daily, and making sure not a strand was out of place. I loved to doodle like Sara, but my artwork never compared to hers. Like Allison, I took honors classes, yet I always had a harder time than her and needed her help. While the three of us were so different in so many ways, our similarities were what made us know each other and slowly make our way into becoming the best of friends.

On my first day of junior high, I was more than stressed out over classes and friends. Who would be in my classes? Would I get lost? Was I going to be bullied and get my lunch money stolen from me? Thankfully, the answer to the last two questions ended up being a “no”. As I made my way through the day, time passed by quickly, and the realization of riding the bus that afternoon hit me. I had gotten a ride from my parents that morning to school and now I had to find my bus and find people to sit by in the afternoon. While I had rode the bus in elementary school, routes had changed and new people were on everyone’s buses. I found myself absolutely terrified to be on this new, huge bus crowded with loud, greasy teenagers and terrifying, venomous high school kids. I felt my stomach turn and my palms slightly sweating as the final bell rang and I made my way through the loud and crowded halls and out the building. The sidewalk leading to the buses stretched out far, leading across the field and over to the high school. The road, lined with many buses, was filled with swarms of bright colors and loud voices as nervous kids squirmed to make their way onto their bright yellow buses. My nervousness only became worse as I walked down the road, looking at each and every bus, hoping that my bus will jump out and invite me onto it. I felt my eyes welling up with tears at the mere thought of being surrounded by all of these people, yet feeling so alone as I walked around, lost. A teacher stopped me, smiling down at me, as though that would help relinquish my fears.

“Are you lost, sweetie?” She asked, still smiling. She was wearing a knee-length pencil skirt paired with a bright pink top and her bleach blonde hair was cut short into a pixie cut, framing her face and showing off her huge, fake smile. I nodded my head and told her the slot number my bus was parked in and she put a hand on the small of my back and lead me to the bus she claimed to be mine. The long, yellow bus was old, smelly, and practically falling apart. I said goodbye to the teacher and gripped the cold, metal railway and slowly walked up the four, familiar steps leading up to the innards of the bus. I froze as I turned to face the aisle, quickly scanning over every face and examining all of them for any chance that I may know them. Suddenly, like finding a needle in a haystack, I saw a familiar face. My friend Allison, who was sitting by a tiny, kind-looking blonde girl. So I smiled and waved to the pair, feeling every feeling of fear fade. I joined them in the seat, three in a seat, and introduced myself. From that point on, we made new friends who we talked to on the bus, yet there was still an unspoken obviousness that Allison, Sara, and I would be the best of friends.

Flash forward a long time into the future to the end of my freshman year. It had almost been three years since talking to Allison and Sara on the bus for the first time. School had ended and Allison, Sara, and I were all at Allison’s house planning a going away party for our friend, Dan, who was moving. Dan was a kind guy, and he always called the three of us his sisters. He always tried to make us happy, so that we would never feel discouraged or self conscious. That night, we had our bonfire and invited all of our friends from the bus. And after that party, it was years before any of us saw Dan again.

A few weeks later, it was Allison’s 16th birthday and she got her license. Allison was extremely excited, yet Sara and I felt just as excited, both for her and for ourselves. Allison driving meant we could hang out whenever, as well as it meant not taking the bus to school anymore! Allison’s car was a shiny white color, an ‘05 Honda that was still in  great shape. The inner, tan, vinyl seats were always burning hot because of the sun, but anything was better than walking. The car always smelled sweet and sugary, as though coming home to a house filled with fresh baked cookies every time you entered the car due to her Supernatural air freshener. That summer was filled with day trips to the mall and sleepovers, yet it ended quickly. As the school year started once again, the three of us drove to school daily. However, as time progressed, Allison got grounded frequently, and Sara and I would be forced to ride the bus as Allison drove her sister to school alone. Eventually, Sara and I quit asking for rides, and Allison quit offering them leading to her growing apart from us.

We still treasured each other and our friendship enough to keep the flame burning, though not nearly as brightly. Moving forward another year, Allison’s 17th birthday was in a week, so Sara and I decided to go out and buy gifts for her together, trying to keep our friendship going. Naturally, we chose the mall as the best place to shop. And our store of choice was, of course, Allison’s favorite store: Hot Topic. As the two of us as well as a few other friends stepped into the store, we were overwhelmed with the dark atmosphere being given off. Nearly everything was a dark black with clothing of all sorts hung up onto every wall and stationed in groups around the store on the floor, making the store feel cramped and crowded. The music was on a playlist ranging from rock music to pop punk and then finally to screamo. The store’s employees greeted us kindly as we walked around the store, examining everything and scavenging for anything that screamed Allison to us. As I came across a large jewelry display filled with silver chains, some of which included friendship necklaces, I gave myself the challenge of finding a friendship necklace group that included more than two people, preferably three. The moment I saw a large heart split into three sections, I knew that it was perfect for us. I held the small paper packaging in my hands, smiling at the thought of three necklaces, and called Sara over. She grabbed the package and quickly examined it.

“Best, friends, and forever. There are three, that’s so perfect for us. She’s ‘gonna love this.” Sara smiled at me, her eyes shining bright with happiness. I took the necklaces back from her, holding the three, smooth charms in my hand and feeling the cool metal on my fingertips. We bought the necklaces without further thought, as well as a collection of other gifts for Allison. While Sara wasn’t there when I gave the necklaces to Allison for her birthday, Allison was still more than thrilled over her gifts. She especially loved the necklaces, giving me the middle piece that read “friends” and looked like one line with two parallel lines, intersecting it perpendicularly. Since then, I’ve always treasured this necklace and worn it more than any of my other necklaces.

However, while this necklace holds all of these wonderful memories previously described, it also holds the memories that happened after buying it. These memories include my friendship with Sara and Allison slowly crumbling away, similarly to the campfire we had, which burnt brightly, yet eventually cooled down and lead to nothing but memories and ash. Since that moment when I gave Allison her necklaces, things have never been quite the same as they were. Sara began to drive and I was left alone on the bus to make new friends. The three of us will talk one on one occasionally, but never as the group we once were. This necklace is a constant reminder of all of the smiles and happiness we once shared as well as the broken dreams of being together forever and of the melancholy that is left now in the stead of the happiness that was once there. It is a reminder of the mistakes I have made to have lost the friendships that I once had. It is a reminder of the importance of friendship and how alone a person can feel without it. Nevertheless, the necklace still shines in my eyes, as it is a reminder of how important friendship is and how it is everlasting, whether in one’s memories or in action. Friendship is necessary to truly be happy and to enjoy life, and this necklace reminds me of exactly what friendship can do to a person.