It’s my first day of elementary school
I’m surrounded by wooden tables and chairs full of loud kids I don't know yet
I’m terrified
I meet a boy
Taller by an inch or two with short black hair like mine
We fight frequently but we quickly forget and return to being best friends
The exchange of immature jokes leave us snickering in the back of the classroom until recess
The usual kids run to the left corner of the blacktop where yellow lines form the kickball field
We pick each other for kickball, not caring if the best go to the other team
We always pick each other first

We enter middle school
The people I know mix into the different cliques where the only thing that matters is looking cool
They fade away over time and I forget them
Sometimes they forget themselves
But I tell myself that would never happen with us
Even if I’m not his first choice anymore

It’s my first day of sophomore year
I’m surrounded by a steady stream of people as I walk through the halls
I pass someone that looks familiar
He’s a little taller and has short black hair
But we say nothing like we’re strangers