School is such a crucial time in a person’s life. Aside from the importance of the knowledge you glean, as well as the values you develop, a huge part of the importance of education is the friends you make, and the time you spend with them. Well, this is the tale of my friends, and how I got to where I am.

Back in elementary (or secondary school, I think that’s how you call it) I was cool. My glory days were back in 3rd grade, because I was the fastest runner. In childhood standards, agility in sprinting (displayed through chasing & racing games) meant status. The faster, the cooler. And I was the fastest of them all. But I was never the coolest of them all, I was just part of the gang. You see, to be the most awesome of the awesome, there are certain other qualifications that are needed, aside from superiority in physical aspects. There was the attitude, the swagger, the aura of control. I didn’t have much of that, but as I said, I was fast, so I was still cool. Though, I must warn you – it didn’t last.

I had two best friends. The first one, named Daniel was kind of like me. He was never as smart as I was; while I constantly strived for the academic top spot, he was there asking me for help, of which I was happy to give him. He also lacked the attitude of a cool dude, but nevertheless he was fast, too. He was not fast, in terms of straightward motion, but he was twitchy (imagine a squirrel), thus very hard to catch. We would always play before choir practice, and it was really fun to have such a friend. However, the main reason I liked him was because he was genuinely nice, always helping me & supporting me – the true kind of a friend. One particular moment I will never forget about him, even though he’s probably forgotten about it, is when we were in 2nd grade. The cool guys were sitting on one table (including Daniel), and my position with them wasn’t secure. I don’t remember the exact circumstances of that one lunchtime, but suddenly, the coolest guys (namely Gino, Ivan, & Ian) were kicking me out. They were telling me to scram, and that I didn’t belong there. It was a blur, to repack my uneaten lunch & move to some random table. I felt like crying; all the shame, hurt, & anger was swelling up. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.