Date: April 29, 2025

Author: Mia Jensen

I never imagined I’d be writing this. I never thought that I’d be sitting here, reflecting on cutting someone out of my life who was a part of it for so long—someone I thought would always be there. But here I am, feeling a mixture of sadness and relief, because I had to do it. I had to let go.

We were best friends for what felt like forever—around eight years, give or take. We grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, and even lived in the same building. She lived two floors above me, so it was easy to find each other after school, and we’d hang out—do homework together, mess around with the other kids in the area, and just enjoy being kids. It was the kind of friendship that felt like it would never end. I loved spending time with her, and those memories are still some of my favorites.

But as we grew older, things started to change. She started dating seniors when she was only a sophomore, and I wasn’t too happy about it. I didn’t get it. I hadn’t dated anyone at that point, and the idea of rushing into relationships didn’t make sense to me. I wanted my first real relationship to mean something, to be special—not something that felt temporary. Of course, I never said anything to her. It wasn’t my place, and I respected that it was her life and her choices, even if I didn’t agree with them.

We started drifting apart, not because we fought or anything, but because we just weren’t on the same page anymore. I couldn’t relate to the things she was getting involved in, and I wasn’t comfortable with the person she was becoming. She was more into the party scene, and I wasn’t. I felt like I was holding onto this version of her that didn’t exist anymore. I was holding onto the past, but she was moving forward in a direction I couldn’t follow.

I tried to stay in the friendship, tried to keep up with her, but it just didn’t feel the same. The things that used to bring us together started feeling like walls between us. She was changing, and I was changing, but in completely different ways. I felt like I was stuck in this version of our friendship that no longer worked, and I couldn’t keep pretending like everything was fine. It wasn’t.

So, I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I cut her off. And it wasn’t because I didn’t care or because I wanted to hurt her, but because I needed to. I needed to take care of myself and stop holding onto something that was already gone. It felt like pulling a Band-Aid off, but I knew it had to happen.

It hurts. I can’t lie about that. It hurts to think about the memories we shared and the person I thought she’d always be in my life. But I also know that it was the right decision. I don’t regret it, even if it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.

I still think about her sometimes—about the person she was when we were kids, about the friend I thought I’d have forever. But I also know that people change, and sometimes those changes take them away from us. And that’s okay. It’s part of life.

I’m not sure if she’ll ever understand why I did it, but I hope she’ll find her way, just like I have to find mine. I can’t keep living in the past, and neither can she. It’s time for both of us to move on, even if it means doing so separately.