Memoir-+Taylor+G.

Ending 5th Grade on a Bad Note By: Taylor G

Last year in fifth grade, things were going well. I was getting good grades, my friends and I were all giggling, and I was one of my teacher's favorite students. One day I was playing kickball on the baseball diamond when my friends gave me a dirty look. I walked over to the bench where they were sitting to check in and make sure they weren't mad. They hesitated, but finally shook their heads no. A few days later, the truth came out. These girls who thought I was friends with told me that I was a bad person and they wanted to end our friendship. It was as if someone took a knife, and stabbed me in the back. I was very amazed at this, because I'd been friends with them for many years. I sat with my jaw dropped; I was totally speechless. When I could finally speak, all I could say was the word, "Why". She had to think for a while, but mumbled that I was a terrible friend. Even the day before that, I put my arm around her shoulder in recognition of our friendship. But there she was telling me she wanted to end those good times. She walked quickly away with a look of sympathy in her eyes, but as she turned her back to me I heard a small snicker. The next day, I came to school and sat down with a different group of girls. All four of them frowned, gathered their notebooks, and stood up to move. After seeing them exchange glances, I knew what was happening. The rumor had spread. That was just before lunch, and I dreaded going to lunch. But when the time came, and my teacher dismissed us for recess, it was worse than I expected. I sat on a swing and waited for recess to be over. But even the kids I didn't know had been embarrassed to sit next to me on the swings. As we all rushed into the cafeteria, kids kept trying to trip me. I went through the lunch line in despair. I set my tray on a table and hoped that somebody would come sit next to me. Anyone. But no one came. My table remained empty. The next few recesses and lunches were spent alone, at the back of the field or the end of the table. Sometimes I'd get company, but only to be insulted or put-down. I tried to get through the days, but they were spent crying and receiving rude comments. All I could do as a little fifth-grader was hope and pray that my days got better. My mom would comfort me when I came home in tears. I confronted those girls one day, when I'd had too much. I said to them, "Please! Will you stop? I just want to be friends again. Can we end this?" After obviously hearing what I said, they ignored me and happily skipped away together. I walked over to the tetherball court, where there were other girls. I asked to join their game, and surprisingly, they said yes! I told them how much it meant to me that they'd let me play with them. At lunch, I finally had somebody to sit with! We talked about all of our favorite things: Horseback riding, dancing, soccer, and art. A few other kids even switched tables to join our conversation! The three girls who started the whole thing were now sitting alone. Once again, I tried to ask to be friends with them again. I had forgotten the whole reason we were mad at each other. Apparently they had already talked about it, and they responded with an immediate, YES! They invited me to a sleepover that they were having that weekend. And I'm sure you can imagine, things were back to normal! I now know that words slice the soul.