Missing Him
By: Miranda Quick
© December 22, 2000
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Me and Richie had been best friends ever since I can remember. I remember going to the first day of Kindergarten, holding hands. We did everything together throughout elementary and middle school. As we entered high school things began to change.
Richie became one of the "big men on campus" while I kinda faded into the background. But good old Richie took my hand and lead me along. He introduces me to his friends so that we could still hang out with the same people. But it was different.
We rarely spent any time alone together and when we did it was for a short amount of time. I could understand this, but it still hurt. But we made it through 9th, 10th, 11th and most of 12th grade before we ran into any major roadblocks in our friendship.
It was January of our senior year when Richie met her. Her name was Stephanie Griffin. She was tall and tan with long golden blonde hair and icy blue eyes, She had curves in just the right places and wasn't ashamed to show off her body.
When Richie met her he fell for her instantly. I encouraged him to go after her, not realizing that I was dooming our friendship. A week later they were going out. I was so happy for Richie.
But little did I know that Stephanie was plotting against me and all of Richie's other friends. I knew that she's take up most of Richie's time, but I figured that we'd have some time together. Boy was I wrong. He was never free and if we did ever hang out Stephanie would throw a fit. I remember the day that our friendship ended like it was yesterday.
It was noon on Saturday morning in late February when he came knocking on my front door. When I answered it and saw him standing there I was so happy, because I figured that he'd finally found time to hang out with me. But it turned out to be the complete opposite. "Hey, Cindi. Cab we talk?" I nodded and lead him to my room. He sat down in my computer chair while I sat down on my bed.
We sat there for a few moments in silence. "Listen, Cindi. Stephanie told me that I had to choose between the two of you."
I looked at him, sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Richie. I promise to help you through this." I reached over and lightly touched his hand.
Richie shook his head and took a deep breath as he pulled his hand away. "No, Cindi. I can't give up Stephie. I love her." He stood up with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry Cindi, but we can't be friends anymore." He turned and ran from the room.
I sat there for a moment not really believing what I had just been told. Finally it hit me and I began to cry. I felt like a part of me had just died. I knew that he was gone, that I had lost him for good. But I had known it was coming. The minute he pulled his hand away and I could no longer feel him under my fingertips. And I missed him so badly.
It was horrible seeing them together all the time, but at least none of my other friends deserted me. Over the last couple of months before school ended Stephanie made him leave all of his friends. None of us could figure out what she'd done and we all missed him.
The other day I found a little quote on-line that made me remember all of this. It reminded me of how I felt that day.
"Have you ever noticed that the worst way to miss someone is when they are right beside you and yet you can never have them...when the moment you can't feel them under your fingertips you miss them."