"For as long as I remember, I’ve never had a best friend; sure I’ve had friend’s good friends at that, but never a best friend. Never had a friend that id tell all my secrets too, that would stay at my house every weekend, that I would go on holiday with. I wasn’t unhappy with that I just felt incomplete.
As soon as I reached high school I knew all the friendships with my classmates from primary would soon dwindle away, so I clung to anyone I could find. Deep down I knew it wasn’t right to hatch myself onto the first friend that came along, but it was all I had ever known.
A few weeks into the tern I met Hannah. At first we barely spoke, not being rude, just being cautious to say the right thing. Our friendship grew over the coming months; we would go shopping together, discuss the boys in our year and complain about our paranoid mothers. There was just something between us that felt right. I had finally found a close friend, a true friend, finally I had a best friend.
For the next two years we were inseparable, people knew us as “Hannah and Jenny” we did absolutely everything together. Whenever we had problems with each other, we said straight away and it was soon resolved. Our old friends were jealous of our friendship and did everything they could to split us up. I never worked. Why would we leave each other to be with people who weren’t true friends? Don’t get me wrong, Hannah and I never isolated ourselves from everyone else, we had other good friends, we just enjoyed the company of each other far more.
In early 2009 the unthinkable happened. Hannah’s mum got a new job in Inverness. Inverness! Inverness, I just kept hearing that word everywhere I went. Everyday in school people would run over to Hannah and I and ramble on about “ how upset we must be” and “how difficult the nest few year will be for us” It was bad enough constantly thing that, but hearing it out loud made it seem all the more real. I was truly distraught at the fact my best friend was going to be 489 miles away and there was nothing I could do about it.
Over the next four months we spent every moment we had with each other. Reminiscing about all our different memories together and pondering about whether our friendship would stay intact over the years we’d be apart. It was torture knowing I wouldn’t get to see her everyday. I imagined it would feel like I was incomplete once again.
I woke up on the morning of Sunday 24th may 2009, knowing what that day was going to bring. I managed to pull myself out of bed and half heartedly get ready. It took all my effort to stop myself crying long enough to put my makeup on. Once I was ready I waited. I waited to hear the car engine out side and the breaks squeal to a stop. I waited to car the slam of the car door. I waited to hear the chap of my letter box. I pretend to be bored of waiting. But truthfully I wanted to wait forever.
I opened my front door to see her infectious smile. We stood in my hallway saying our goodbyes. I promised to phone her everyday, she promised I could go to Inverness whenever I like, we both promised to never loose touch. We had one last teary hug then I closed my door.
For the next few days, or weeks, or was it months – to be honest I had completely lost track of time – I just walked around in a daze. I was lost, empty and completely and utterly alone. The only time of day that there was a bit of life in me was when I was on the phone to Hannah. Her stories about “all those highlanders” would make my day. I felt at home when I was speaking to her.
At school I felt as if I was walking through empty corridors, as if I were eating my lunch alone, although all my other friends were there it just didn’t feel the same. Hannah was gone and I had to face the reality of that.
Now that a year had passed it had gotten easier. I’ve been to Inverness several times and Hannah stayed with me for a few weeks in the summer. I though that the distance between us would cause is to drift apart but now we are closer than ever. She’s my best friend and it doesn’t matter if its Inverness or Australia, nothing will ever change that."
i love you always Hannah <3
