Everyday is filled with little battles, some are more difficult than others, but if something is easy then is it worth the fight? It was a foggy Tuesday morning. I was barely running on four hours of sleep. The lack of rest reminded me of last year’s early school days that summer allowed me to forget. My eyelids dropping, but excitement was running through my head. I had breakfast with the background noise of one of my dad’s usual pep talks, “Don’t be nervous, today is going to be a great day for you! Have fun.” He said.

“Thanks dad!” I replied with whatever energy I was not using to eat my breakfast.

We both walked onto the driveway, I could feel the humidity in the air as I stepped into the car. It was still dark outside, although it was almost 7:00 in the morning, it was still almost too dark for me to see my black shoes. We drove the usual route I’ve been down times and times again, yet this time it had a new meaning.

As we arrived, I saw the school that seemed completely vacant over the short summer, now filled with bustling students. I could hear the conversations of different groups of people, each conversation about something different than the one before it. Someone grabbed me into a hug while I wasn’t paying attention, and I soon realized it was one of my closest friends. She introduced me to her friends, and I did the same. Walking into a gym of diversity hit me overwhelmingly but in a more refreshing way. New and old faces left me more and more nervous about the year to come. I could only imagine the possibilities.

I instantly made some new  potential friends and acquaintances. The comfort of a familiar face to my right and a brand new possibility to my left constantly kept me on my toes. Eventually, lunch came around. My brain was completely occupied with freshman orientation, my stomach failed to constantly remind me of its hunger.  I was hit with the reminder when the lunch lines got long and my friends disappeared in the large group of over-excited freshman, me being one of them.  Unlike all of the other students, I had packed a lunch the night before. I looked for a place to sit in the tense, busy environment of new teens. One table held the friends that I had known forever and one table held the friends that I had just met. I didn’t know where to sit, and I felt as though I was being pulled in two directions, but of course only one side would be satisfied. My food seemed like it would not taste so pleasant that day. 

With lunchtime depleting, I eventually chose to sit by the friends I met that morning during orientation. I had a great time as we learned more and more about each other. We didn’t feel the time pass until the bell that would soon become familiar beeped through the large area. We quickly cleaned up the mess we left behind and started walking to our next classes. Everyone had their eyes glued to their schedules, so nobody saw where they were walking. It seemed like traffic filled with drivers that had their eyes on their phones instead of the road. We all went our own ways. I soon realized I didn’t know where my next class was. Thankfully I found a friend of mine who was an upperclassman and could lead me to which direction I needed to walk in. I approached her expecting a hug, but found myself in an awkward encounter of a somewhat side hug; I could feel the tension. I also could tell she had been upset about the lunch incident that happened earlier. I asked about the class while I was pointing to the already crumpled up schedule. “Oh you’re class is that way, and I have to go the other way, so I’ll see you I guess.” she said briefly. She then pointed in the direction of my class in a very dry motion ,and I was sent on my way.  As I was walking to my class I thought about how such a small gesture like not sitting with someone at lunch can affect years of friendship.

The lesson I learned from this story is that if an action so small can affect someone’s outlook on you, then they may not be the best person to keep around. It taught me to also be more open-minded so I don’t put my friend in the situation that I was put in. I should be more aware of the friends around me and the people that need me and make my choices according to the people who need me most. You should be with the people who make you love the person you are when you're around them.