Published by: Lloyd Agbulos
Date published: March 28, 2022
Time published: 12:50 PM
Classification: Prose
Theme: Friendship
Synopsis: Levi finally learned how to open his heart to friendship and give Rio a chance to be his friend.
...
I hadn't expected this. Truly. Rio. . .that damned rascal. He somehow earned my friendship and trust, something no one had ever managed to do to me.
He made me feel comfortable and at ease around him. Rio made me feel like I did not need to maintain my stern and strong image.
He made it clear that he would accept me even at my most vulnerable.
At first, Rio followed me around like a dog and always conversed with me even if he knew I was ignoring him. He sat with me during lunch and helped me with my things. And for the whole month, Rio didn't stop bugging me until I finally agreed to be his friend. I was confused about whether he genuinely wanted to be my friend, or Rio just needed me as a stepping stone to lift his damned status. I hoped that he sincerely wanted to be friends with me and not any other reason that would benefit him.
The confusion frustrated me at some point, and I yelled at him in the hallway,
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, YOU DAMN NUISANCE?! You needn't use me to lift your already high status! You have others who are willing to be friends with you, so why do you even want to be friends with me in particular?!"
In response, Rio stared at me with a blank expression for a moment before answering,
"I thought I already made it clear that I don't want your ability to lift my status, Levi. I desire your friendship. All the others in this school only want to be friends with me because it will benefit them and their reputation. But the two of us do not need to profit from each other. For we already have what the other person possesses. And you are lonely, Levi. I want to be your friend, a true friend. You deserve a person to lean on after everything you had to endure in your past. You do not deserve to be isolated, even if you think you do. We all need others we can rely on whenever we can't stand up anymore. I want to be here for you. You don't have to be alone or scared to be friends with others."
His words touched me. I could sense they were the words of a true friend.
All of my life. My parents had always told me to maintain a superior and mighty image. Never be vulnerable, never show weakness, and only rely on yourself. Never let others use you. I thought I could never be sure of friends because of my status. I was afraid to get close to someone for the sole reason that they might use me. Or I might lose them somehow.
I distanced myself from people and those who came too near. I couldn't trust anyone but my family, and I didn't know how to separate the good and bad friends because they both felt and acted the same, only the other one was just acting. I wanted to focus solely on my studies. And having even one person as a friend seemed like a distraction to me. Hence, I was always on my own. I did nothing but study all day. And I participated in extracurriculars and school events to add to my grades. My reward for that was I was on top of my class, I received praise from my family, and the pleasing emotion was that I managed to do it all on my own. And I thought it was all that I needed from school.
I didn't feel lonely. I felt more at ease whenever I was isolated. I didn't know what I was afraid of other than being potentially used by my "friend." Perhaps I was scared that I would find a genuine friend, but they would leave me because of how I was, or that having a friend would make me vulnerable and distract me from my duties. Whatever the reason was, it stopped me from getting close to people. Although, the question I always asked myself was, “Do I need friends?” I always answer ‘no’ to myself, but at this point, I think it was more of a means of me wanting friends. But after so long of maintaining a cold and stern personality, I never knew where or how to even start with making friends or if my pride would allow it.
Nobody had ever gone to the lengths Rio did. Moreover, he never gave up, no matter how much or how harsh I pushed him away. Rio still managed to be there for me and convince me to be his friend. No matter how much I told him I didn't need friends, told him to stay away from me, yelled, potentially insulted him, he never stopped. That boy still treated me as a friend. To others, this may irritate them, but to me, it touched me, for I did not think anyone would have stayed with me for this long, or would have tolerated my attitude. Even if the person were after me for my status, would have they been so desperate that they would take it upon themselves to endure my foul character and temper for so long?
Eventually, I knew he wouldn't be quiet until I yielded to his request. Thus, I finally agreed, and Rio assaulted me by tackling me to the ground in a deadly embrace.
The two of us bonded and grew closer almost instantly. And as much as my pride refuses to admit it, Rio was a delightful friend to have. He never talked about titles and wealth. Or anything of that sort. And he never asked me of anything other than my trust and friendship. Rio kept me close as a friend and dealt with my attitude and personality. We vented to each other about our frustration and sometimes attempted to upstage the other with our problems for fun, competing on who had it worse. But setting aside our playful mischief, we realized just how much we understood and related to each other. Hence, the reason we got along very smoothly. Rio was always there for me, especially when I needed him the most. He didn't judge me for losing my "strong" and "superior" image, and showing weakness.
He was...understanding and kind. Eventually, I grew a soft spot for him, and I began seeing and treating him as a close friend, and I no longer acted cold towards him. He earned my trust and respect. Rio would immediately calm me down whenever I was about to throw hands at someone and would pull me away before I could even insult the person. Back then, Rio made me feel that I wasn't alone and that I could depend on someone other than myself. He was my only friend, someone that meant so much to me. Yes, we did get into childish and silly quarrels from time to time. But they were always over something minor. And we quickly reconcile by the end of it.
When I took him home to meet my siblings, they surprisingly all liked Rio very much and also developed a friendship with him. The next thing I knew, Rio and I graduated primary school and attended the same secondary school, and after graduating, we went to the same university. Even after all that time, Rio and I remained very close friends. I spent my entire teenage years with him and all the way up to adulthood. None of us left each other's sides and watched each other grow up. I didn't know what I would have done if I had never met my best friend. We watched our lives and supported each other while teasing the person on the way.
He was always there for me no matter how hard things were, and I was very grateful for him. He helped me get through so much in my life. And as annoying he may be, I wouldn't replace him for anyone.
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