Phony Friendship

Dicaprio, Shubham. “Rajasthan: 3 Places, 2 Friends, 1 State.” Tripoto, Tripotohttps://Www.tripoto.com/, 2017, www.tripoto.com/trip/rajasthan-move-touch-and-back-5a9bacd8a6a73.

         “Don't let me forget that I need to print the notes for my presentation when we get to school tomorrow,” I said.
         Iris didn’t respond, just registered my request dutifully. I became friends with him in middle school, and ever since that day, he never left my side. Iris was very helpful. He had a photographic memory; he knew just about every street and restaurant in the city and never seemed to run out of energy. Well, that’s not true. By the end of the day, he usually needed a good night’s sleep.
         Despite his imperfections, he was a joy to be around, so I always kept him close. He was full of fun facts and sayings, and although he could be distasteful at times, that was no reason to give him up. Whenever I had a nagging doubt at the back of my mind that something wasn’t right, his virtue and sophisticated nature always managed to wash it away. For instance, once I asked him if he could help me with my Spanish homework, and he did the entire page for me in only a few minutes. This incident left me in wonder at his seeming expertise in all subjects.
         “Who needs a lot of friends when you have Iris?” I thought to myself.
         He came to my house every single day after school, which I enjoyed very much. Having such a good friend made any time together fun. Despite this, Iris could be intrusive at times. Often when I was doing my homework, he would interrupt me without any consideration at all.
         “Let me tell you about what happened last weekend,” Iris would beg.
         “Can’t you see I’m busy?” I’d reply.
         “It will only be a few minutes.”
         “Fine, if you insist.”
         Life was going great, or so I thought. However, within a few years, Iris started irritating me more and more. He turned from the once perfect friend into a bad influence. Maybe I was just growing up. Maybe he hadn’t changed at all; maybe I was the one who was changing, but ultimately, I came to realize that it was just wishful thinking. I started hanging out with him less and less, but he didn’t seem to mind or even notice. He still came to my house after school, though I forced him to stop his incessant distracting when I was working by not allowing him in the room.
         “This actually isn’t so bad,” I thought. “Maybe it's good that we’re not such close friends anymore.”
         They say time heals all wounds, and I was beginning to find truth in this mantra. As the doubts I had about our friendship solidified, new benefits formed. Seeing Iris less gave me more time to myself, and I began to cheer up by finding ways to pass this newfound time. I started making music and playing ping pong and reading books. Our friendship had been nice while it lasted, but its conclusion was starting to feel more pleasurable.
         “I'm happier without him. I know it,” I reflected.
         I didn’t fully believe it myself in the beginning, but as the months went on, it became a fact. I truly was more content without Iris around me at all times. I didn’t shut him out completely; however, I began to understand that the less interaction we had, the better. Of course, I continued asking him to remind me of important events, and I certainly never stopped asking him questions.
         “Iris, set an alarm for six AM tomorrow,” I said, then I plugged my phone in and went to sleep.