Prose by Noel Paredes

Edited by Abby Whittington

Three years have passed since I last saw my high school friends. Three whole years were dedicated to finding my footing with others in the same boat as me. I have had plenty of friendships where I had no control, forced to watch them self-destruct many times over. Hell– I ended up meeting people, now good friends, that I would have never gone out of my way to talk to thanks to the bizarre circumstances that brought us together. I developed newfound passions for my career as a game designer and hobbies such as cooking and yoyoing– all thanks to these people. I am very sure that they feel the exact same way about me supporting their endeavors.

I could not help but fiddle with my well-worn phone case as I continued writing this. Encased within the plastic museum on the back of my phone is a memory of my first genuine friends, all of their faces decorated with glee. It was during a picnic where this photo was preserved in polymer film for full display. These were people that I met during the beginning of my last year at East Bakersfield High. My mind kept sowing seeds of doubt even as I felt overjoyed to hang out with them. Those doubts all washed away soon as that photo was taken. Their compassion was planted into my heart like mighty conifers, and I knew that these people would only grow closer to me during college. In all honesty, this piece only serves to display my gratitude for my closest friends.

Thank you. And to many more years of greatness.