To trust again

By Charis, Age 11

When covid came, so much more came with it, especially worry. Everyone was cautious. My teacher told me it was just temporary. It was nothing like what we would ever expect. Covid did crazy things to our world, and changed people too. It was the summer before middle school. I was playing with my sister. I went my computer and checked the chat between my two friends and I. We had been friends since third grade. Now going into 6th grade, I hadn’t seen them since. We chatted a lot on the computer. But in the last half year, neither of them had chatted anything. All the chats were from me EVERYDAY saying: Hi! I checked the chat. One typed: Happy Birthday Charis! With emojis. I raised an eyebrow. She later chatted with a long message about how she thought we drifted apart, and she found other friends. Translated without the niceness: I don’t want to be friends with you because you’re not cool and these new people are, so I want to be popular now. I had to learn to trust the friends I do have since I worry they will leave me. Friendship issues aren’t new, but anxiety is.