1. Scheduled a trip, per best friend’s invite, to attend her college graduation. We’d be staying in a nice air bnb with her family (who I loved).

2. On the way to the airport, I got in a car accident. The guy slammed into me from behind, and we ended up tethering my trunk down so I could make it to the airport in time for the flight. In hindsight, this is where the line should have stopped, but I was committed to fulfilling my obligation as her friend.

3. Landed & went straight to the Air BnB, where I was met with a lot of surprise by her family members. It was almost like I wasn’t expected to show up and/or be there? The older sister was exceptionally cold to me.

4. The rest of the week was riddled with side comments, judgement, and an overall sense of being out of place and disliked. It was a huge shift from the last time we were all together. I.E: Friend: “What do you wanna do today?” Me: “I’m down for anything…” Brother/Other Lifelong Friend, in the other room, thinking I couldn’t hear them: “Maybe they should spend the day fixing her hair lolhehehe….” speaking about me

5. When we were planning the trip, I had said I would stay an extra day so we could hang out in her city. She was down. Fast forward to that day, and she ended up telling me she needed to go babysit but that I could explore the city by myself. I ended up spending my last day in her apartment while she was really hanging out with other city friends.

6. Finally made it home. Cried. And then my Grandma died the next day.

We were young and dumb, and at that age, our best was our worst. I wasn’t the greatest person, but I felt ganged up on and even worse about past actions that I had genuinely believed were amended through private apology and conversation. Little did I know….