by Toni Anne

Created on: March 05, 2009   Last Updated: December 30, 2011

Memories have a way of fading into short snippets of shadowy figures and cloudy thoughts, yet meeting my best friend Carla during a Girl Scout meeting has never faded with time. We were both 10 years old then. She came in that night with tears streaming down her face. Something instinctively told me she needed a friend.

Even now I can recall watching her scan the room for a place to sit down. When we made eye contact she slowly walked over to where I was sitting and sat next to me. Most people considered me to be outgoing and personable, so I took the initiative to break the ice. I was hoping shed feel there was someone she could talk to, to help her feel comfortable.

"Hi, welcome to our Girl Scout Troop," I said patting her shoulder. She smiled ever so slightly and said thank you. I moved a little bit closer so she wouldn't feel alone. I hated seeing people sad, and to me, she was really sad.

Then, she looked over at me. With a quiet voice introduced herself, "My name is Carla."

"Nice to meet you, Carla. This isn't as bad as it seems. We do have fun here." I tried to lighten her mood. Maybe telling her about the fun stuff would help.

That evening sparked the beginning of a friendship that would take its course over the next four years. Up to that point, I hadn't met anyone that I could call my best friend. I knew lots of other girls in school, but finding someone my own age, with the same interests, and similar personalities was a unique find. Carla and I were like kindred spirits.

After meeting Carla that night, I learned we went to the same middle school. I had never seen her before, but once we started hanging out together, we realized we shared so much in common. Our lockers were on the same floor, we ate at the same lunch period, and we both were "walkers" from school. I lived farther from the school than she did, but we took the same route home. It was great finally having company other than my sister.

Over the course of time, we were inseparable. Weekends were spent riding bikes together, having sleepovers, and every holiday we'd do something special for each other. One Christmas I made her this funny looking stocking with her name on it, made from construction paper and covered in glitter. She loved it.

We played in the rain together, built snowmen by rolling snowballs from school to her house, and chatted on the phone for hours, much to my grandmother's dismay. Carla was with me the day I got my first kiss, too. I'll never forget how we talked about

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>