My Best Friend We had been best friends since fourth grade. Me and Patty. Paity and me. Just about everywhere we went people knew we were best friends. She taught me how to ay pool in her cool, dark basement, and I taught her fhow to play basketball on my asphalt driveway. But the Dest part about having a best fiend was taking tur eeping over on Friday nights, sharing secrets over pop- om and soda, year after year after year. ‘Then in eighth grade everything changed, Or, Ibe I changed and Patty didn’t Suddenly, boys b than pals to me and my interest in make-up and clot surprised even my mom. [couldn't believe Patty started the first day of school wearing the same pigtails she had worn forever, I had the latest hai fashion I felt so con- fused and guilty atthe same time, What was happening’ ‘Other girls seemed more interesting than Patty, and 1 wanted theic approval. felt restless and bored eve Twent to her house now. Tstarted avoiding her and making excuses. Finally, dur {ng the middle of the year, as we were siting on my front Tavin, the words burst out, { said, “Go home, Patty, an don't come back Tran into the house crying and sobbingMom sat me down and I told her everything, never fr. get her words. She said, “Friends will come and go in and fut of your life forever, You are changing and i's okay for both of you to make new friends. What's happening is hard but perfectly normal” Hearing the word “normal was just what I needed, The next day, the word was out at school and class mates picked Patty’ side or mine, The rest of the year wa fough—1 missed having a bestfriend but I also started enjoying the new “me” that was emerging, Patty became captain ofthe gil’ basketball team while I got the lead in the eighth-grade spring play. We spoke to each other but only on the most superficial terms, Time healed a lot of the awkwardness, and over the next few years we clearly went down separate paths. Stil, when I saw her in the halls of high schoo, feta strange sadness and longing. I thought if went back and “fixed! everything between us, we could somehow start all ove as friends, But that was a fantasy, Ous differen too great and I could only hope she understood. Tl always remember the years Patty and I friends, but Mom was right. Friendships ean cha wwe have to let them go when i’