I sat there crowded by my friends feeling more lost than I ever had before. My companions were drifting farther and farther away from me as their interests changed and mine didn’t conform.

I was the misfit of the group. “One of these things is not like the others” was the perfect description. I was the thing that was unlike the others.

Normally, this would be a major dilemma, but my mind had drifted so far that it did not bother me in the slightest. They sat there laughing about the latest memes, I was still trying to comprehend last month’s. They talked about the newest movie, I watched silent films. They had posters of teen heartthrobs, I had a poster of Marlon Brando. They wanted—

“Helen, want to go to the mall with us?” one of my soon to be ex-friends asked hesitantly, shaking me out of thought.

I knew my answer would relieve them as I answered, “No, thanks.”

I watched as they walked away, similar to how my mind had walked away from our friendship. Things set themselves up for disaster, but this was no disaster, this was freedom. Not all friendships are meant to be.