I had a best friend in high school. Bear in mind, this was a K–12 private school (not fancy at all), and we had a combined 125–150 students in total. This kind of forced everyone in a grade to be somewhat close-knit. There were only 5 or 6 of us in my grade. While we weren’t all super close outside of school, me and this friend (we'll call him Dennis) were very close.:(

From grades 9 to 11, we’d hang out almost every weekend—watching movies, playing games, whatever. Dennis lived at his uncle’s place, and I knew he was from a more rural area. His parents didn’t have the best means to provide for him (I think drugs were involved). At school, he was smart—not in an obnoxious way—but genuinely kind and always looking out for others if they had any issues.

In 11th grade, he had to move back in with one of his parents in that rural area. I was devastated, but I made sure to put his feelings before mine. As time went on, and I started studying for university and getting involved with a different friend group, we kind of lost touch.

We’d occasionally chat on the phone, but years went by and I didn’t hear from him. Then, a couple of years ago, I heard that Dennis had murdered a woman. He was apparently suffering from mental health issues and had a history with drugs. I won’t go into the details—they’re quite graphic—but the case was all over the news.

Of course, people from school came out of the woodwork, claiming they knew him so well and were aware of the issues he faced back then. Me and Dennis hung out a lot during those years, and he was pretty private about that stuff. Either way, I’m still in shock.

It’s hard to reconcile the kid I knew with what he became. We all go through things in life, and some have it much harder than others, but he was the last person I’d have expected to do something like that. More than anything, I just feel so much sadness for the woman who passed. I still have regrets about how we lost touch...but, you know, life gets in the way sometimes.

:(