Silver heart necklace: an opaque pendant wrapped in a gold chain, hooked at the end with a gold lobster claw. My best friend, Elle, wears a similar one except the colors are inverted (gold heart and silver chain). Inseparable since elementary school, she and I have done it all: rock-n-roll bowling to mostly sleepless sleepovers, parks to pool parties and newly released Marvel movies, claustrophobic escape rooms, and poorly rated horror films as teenagers. When I turned sixteen, I received this treasure for my birthday from Elle, representing eight years of friendship and hope for decades more.
Elle and I first met in second grade at our old elementary school, in the Gifted and Talented (GT) program. First day jitters, a combination of nerves and energy buzzing through my body, overwhelmed me as my parents practically pushed me through the door, promising I would make new friends. Unfortunately, as I stumbled into the classroom, the teacher greeted her students by announcing that the new kids must introduce themselves in front of the entire class. Sirens blared in my head as my worst-case scenario came true (In elementary school, I hated public speaking and was terribly shy, especially around new people). I begrudgingly queued behind the other new kid, rehearsing what I would say and hoping I did not panic. The teacher instructed us to relay to the class what we were looking forward to most about GT and our favorite color. Palms sweating, I nervously waited as Adam, the other new kid, introduced himself, explained what he was excited for that year, and named his favorite color. Sadly, he finished in short order and took a seat on the multi-colored animal rug; my turn for introductions had arrived.
I ambled to the front of the classroom and faced my audience; dazed looks and glossy eyes greeted my hesitant smile. I stumbled through "Hi, um, I'm excited to learn about extreme weather (one of GT's three topics that year along with economics and ecosystems, and the other two sounded boring to a second grader,) and my favorite color is blue."
My teacher, not hearing what I said in my quiet speech, asked, "What is your favorite color again?"
"Blue," I hastily replied.
"All right, well, you can take a seat now," she answered.
As I nearly sprinted to take a seat, in an effort not to be asked to repeat another question, I sat down next to my future best friend.
Glancing at me as I took the only available spot on the rug, she said, "Hey, my name is Elle. My favorite color is blue too! Do you want to sit with me at lunch? (Instant second-grader friendship)"
Reflecting years later on that special day, it is funny how sitting at the only available seat sparked a life-long friendship. It is as if Elle and I were destined to meet that day, considering how her simple invitation calmed me and opened the gateway to years of memories. I can unabashedly say that she has been my friend through dozens of life lessons from loyalty to empathy. When I joined a new and seemingly overwhelming school in sixth grade, once again not ready to meet new people or leave my old school, Elle encouraged me to be bold, be strong, and most importantly, be myself. She has provided so many positive impressions, and her support has helped me in almost every area of my life. There were many times throughout the past nine years where we could have drifted apart or stopped being friends, but we have gotten through our most difficult challenges. So do not be surprised if I drop everything if Elle calls. We are not only lifelong friends, we are silver heart necklace friends forever.