Are you better now?

I had a friend

We will call her

Faithful.

yes. we will call her Faithful.

In the beginning she was nice

We smiled and laughed.

We played tennis together.

I told her things.

Then I introduced her

to my friends

and we all got along.

Faithful was nice.

Then it came.

When she wasn't so Faithful anymore.

It started with poking fun at us.

Then they got more personal.

They started feeling like hot irons though my chest.

They went from pokes to jabs.

To insults.

but is was gradual.

I didn't even notice.

Till she had stripped away everything

She tore my friends apart.

thread bare of strings keeping us together.

She started to wear away at us when alone.

Then when we were together.

She insulted us

and we took it.

I had to leave her.

While I had even a thread of myself left.

I couldn't

How could I bring myself to hurt her?

She said herself that we couldn't leave her

That she wasn't mentally stable enough.

If I left her, how would I know she wouldn't hurt herself?

How would I know she wouldn't do something to herself because of me?

Then COVID-19 happened.

there was some distance between me and her.

And I let go.

She wasn't there to get hurt now.

I didn't have her number

No way to really contact her anyway.

So I didn't try.

Neither did she.

Now she is on to new people.

My old friendships are strong again.

We are all trying to work on ourselves.

And we all look out for another Faithful.

I can't ever be the same again.

I had to stop doing things I loved.

I had to stop Band, for her "teasing" had gone to far.

Same with Choir.

And I couldn't show anyone my art.

She had made fun.

I couldn't play tennis

For all I would remember was her.

I build walls during that friendship.

Ones I can't bring down.

I can't let people too close.

I'm not perfect.

but Now I am a little better.

and away from Faithful the unfaithful.