As theend approaches, I grow more and more alone, yet I feel closer to my bestfriends than ever. I sometimes push away from them, though, because Iknow they are leaving for college. They will soon forget how close wereally were and we won't be best friends anymore, just good friends. Iwill stay home and go to community college while my friends live ontheir own with no nagging parents to go home to. Most of my friends aregoing pretty far away; one is going six hours upstate and another isgoing to Colorado. I'm sure I will visit them, but it won't be the same.I'm used to seeing them every day and now I'm supposed to act like theywere never here. I'm supposed to go out into the world and forget aboutthe people who were there for the first 18 years of my life. I feel liketime is running out and everyone is saying good-bye, but I can't figureout what happened to me. Why do my parents have to be the ones to say"You can't go away"? I wish I could go away like my friends, but Iknow Mom knows best. Staying home will be a good learning experience.