“Friends fade away, Haven.”

Panic gripped me as the words reached my heart, so I began to argue with the boy on the subject.

“Not all friends!” I replied, trying to keep the fear and sadness out of my voice.

He responded to my argument with a steady stream of facts, statistics and examples of how he was right, each one adding more fear in me.

All friends fade away.

My mind began to go through my friends, and I started to imagine life without them. I imagined myself alone, with no one by my side. Then the boy said something I will never forget.

“It’s not that they will forget you, it’s just that they will neglect to remember you.”

Neglect to remember.

Questions spun through my head.

Who have I neglected to remember?

Who will neglect to remember me?

I thought of people I hold closest to my heart and the thought that they might neglect to remember me was something I couldn’t accept.

As the class of 2013 graduates and begins the next chapter in their lives, leaving behind high school and friends who have yet to graduate, I’m sure there are people whom I will neglect to remember, but the one thing that comforts me is the fact that I know I will never forget them, and in some way, they will always be with me.

Good luck, class of 2013. I won’t forget you.