Jasper Huang, G11黄锦程

There was a time when she was my closest friend – the one I shared every joy and worry with back in our old school. We laughed together, supported each other, and believed our friendship would last forever. Then she moved to Canada for her studies.

Slowly but surely, I noticed changes in her. Our late-night chats became less frequent, and when we did talk, I could feel our views drifting apart. She made many new friends – more popular and exciting, it seemed. To fit in and have fun, she tried things we had never done before. She also seemed less concerned about the little things that used to matter to us. I started to realize that we were no longer the same as before.

At first, I felt sad, even a bit lost. I tried to share my life with her as I always had, but her replies grew fewer and fewer. Eventually, she stopped replying altogether. I was terribly afraid of losing my best friend. I was upset, but I could do nothing to save our friendship.

But as time passed, I learned to accept it. Relationships, I’ve come to understand, are often temporary gifts in our lives.

They accompany us through a certain period, bring us warmth and memories, and then let us go to grow separately. Change does not mean abandonment. The happy memories we have will stay with us forever. No matter how much time passes, I believe we will still remember what we went through together. And those memories will always be the energy that keeps us moving forward.

Though we’re drifting further apart now, I have no regrets. I’m grateful for the happy days we shared, and I wish her all the best in her new life abroad. Growing apart doesn’t mean our friendship was meaningless – it just means we’re both moving forward in our own ways.