During my freshman year of high school I had a major fight with my best friend Kelly. In no way did I see it coming and when it was over I was devastated. We had been friends for nine years and our friendship had seen tough times. Our friendship was doing well at that time, which made the fight that much worse.
One evening I was talking to her and another girl, who I did not particularly like, on AIM. The other girl was Kelly’s friend that I had been getting to know her for about a year. I had been civil with her, but I never really liked her or the decisions she made. As I was IMing with her and Kelly in separate conversations, she asked me why I did not like her. I was frustrated that night and sick of lying to her, so I flat out told her that I just did not like her overall. It was not the right thing to say.
She immediately started attacking me and pointing out my flaws. She continued by attacking my faith, saying I was a bad member of my religion. This hit me hard because my faith was and still is a central part of my life. Then Kelly started attacking me for telling the other girl the truth. They soon synched up and began yelling at me about the same things. It felt like I was being emotionally beat up from two sides. I would fall to one side after being hit only to be greeted by another blow.
Once I managed to escape the conversation I went straight to my room and cried. It was really all I could do. I was in shock from the conversation. I could not believe that my best friend had been so mean. How could my friend of nine years be so cruel to me? I would expect the argument from the other girl, but not Kelly. The worst part about the fight was it made me wonder if they were right. Was I really a bad person?
My reassurance came from the last person I expected: my dad. A few days later I told him about the fight and he comforted me. He said that they were wrong about me. I tried to just forget about the conversation and to forgive my friend while recognizing that I was partially to blame. Within a week Kelly apologized and our friendship did not completely go back to normal, but it was close. The real turning point of the situation came when I realized that I am the only one who knows the truth about me. I know my thoughts and the motivations behind my actions. I determine the person I am and will be. Others may try to hurt me, but it is my choice to let them affect me or to be strong and confident in who I am.