“Beep!” the bell rang signaling the end of class on our next to last day in eighth grade and my friend, Meghan’s, last day. I had known her for two years and now her dad was being restationed in Okinawa, Japan. She was leaving the next morning for an eighteen-hour flight while I was stuck taking middle school exams.

            I ran out of class as fast as I could and met her in the intersection of the eighth grade halls. Our friends, Leah and Katie, came to say good-bye too. I felt the nagging lump of sadness in my throat as she hugged me. When she burst into tears on Leah’s shoulder, I let my tears fall as well. She hugged Katie, and when they parted, I saw a trace of wetness under the remaining girls’ eyes.

            Then Leah and Katie said their last good-byes before she and I started for the buses. As we walked through the sea of people, I started to realize that I might never see my friend again. The friend that had been so good to me that year. The friend that was there when I felt no one else was. The friend that would be half way around the world when we started high school. We went to the band room where she saw a lot more of her friends. As I watched her hugging her friends, I started to feel sorry for her because while I was only losing one friend, she was losing everyone she knew. 

            When we got outside, I emerged from my thoughts back into reality. We stood in the pouring rain as she said her final good-byes to a few of her friends.

            As we walked to the buses, the roar of the buses engines and the shouts of the few remaining people on the ramp could be heard through the rain pounding on the asphalt. My nose caught a whiff of the engine exhaust amid the rain. I walked one foot in front of the other with the rain wetting my hair down and splashing in my face.

            We were almost to the spot where we would part for the last time. We turned and hugged. To me, it was as if nothing existed except her and me. The buses, the rain, the other people, and the school all melted away for those few moments.

            “Bye.” she said as we parted.

            “Bye, Meghan,” I said as I watched her getting on her bus. I remembered all the times we had together including the Carrie Underwood beach concert, studying at the library for midterms, and parties. I had a lot of great memories about being with her.

            When I got home, I changed from my slopping, wet clothes to clean, dry ones. I kept thinking about our last time together in the rain. While thinking, I realized that she was a really great friend and I had more time with her than I thought. Even if I’m not with her for a while, I will always have the memories about being with her.