#idk man I'm just nostalgic tonight

[ghurnax]

Part of growing up and growing older is that sometimes you drift away from people you were once close to. It's natural. Best Friends doesn't necessarily mean you'll be in each other's lives forever.

But in a way, it does.

I moved to a new city when I was seven, at the start of summer. I didn't know anyone and I had no friends....but a neighbor boy saw me playing with a new toy outside and ran over because he had toys from the same show. We spent every day of that summer playing either at my house or across the street over at his.

He moved away within a year, but I still think fondly of him. I wonder if he still loves Zoids as much as he did as a kid. I wonder if he remembers playing with our Zoids on my trampoline.

I met my first childhood best friend when I was in third grade. We were almost inseparable. If I wasn't at his house on the weekends, he was at mine. During summer vacation I once spent an entire month at his house, only coming home to shower and change clothes and maybe grab some different toys or games to take over to his house.

He was my best friend for years, from before I was ten until after he turned sixteen and got a job. We still hung out, we still played games together. But not as often. He had a job. And a car. And now a girlfriend. I was so happy for him, even if I didn't get to see him as much.

Time passed and we naturally drifted apart. I became reclusive and focused on video games, he got into sports and weight lifting and going out driving around.

I used to see him around town every couple of years. We'd lock eyes and both our faces light up and we talk for 5-10 minutes and it's like all the years are washed away and we're those two little kids playing Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire in my treehouse on our gameboys.

I haven't seen him in probably ten years, but every time I play a Pokemon game I name my rival after him.

He's not really in my life anymore, but the memory of him and all the time spent together lives on. He still influences me to this day. I still remember inside jokes we had and laugh and I think that he does too, probably.

Just because someone isn't in your life anymore doesn't mean they left, you know what I mean?

#halo rambles #idk man I'm just nostalgic tonight