Hi I’m Andile. I’m going to tell you about me finding an angel.

Back in primary I used to be a nerd, well actually, I’m still a nerd. I didn’t have friends, I was always alone. Maybe it was because I didn’t talk much and I guess the other kids found me really boring. But anyways It didn’t bother me, I was kinda loving how things were.

When I was in 4th grade I met someone Catherine, she was a new-comer at the school, and she was a coloured, a little bit different from the other kids. Oh by the way, I was in a public school.

There were no whites in that school which made Catherine different. She was a little bit nerdy too, but cute. She wasn’t treated well at school because of her colour.

She didn’t have friends, she was always alone and she seemed just exactly like me. By the way I have this huge birthmark on my face which make me look like an alien, but don’t worry, I’m used to it, it’s part of what makes me who I am. That’s what made me and Catherine the same: we were different from the others.

I started sitting with her in class, she seemed to be a really nice person and I liked her. We started hanging out and soon enough we became best friends, we had the best time together but there was something…

Catherine was sick. She had cancer. And, she got worse. My heart was broken when I saw her going through hard times. She soon passed away and then I was alone again.

I was now in 9th grade. I’d been friends with Catherine for five years – those were the best years of my life. I loved her so much. I was full of anger and I was heartbroken. I sometimes wished I hadn’t became so close to her so I couldn’t be hurt when she left me.

After Catherine left I was a different person. I became cold and mean. I started being bitchy and didn’t want to be friends with anybody. People tried to be friends with me but I just pushed them away.

But there was this one girl Angelina, she was so cute, a bit of a weirdo. She didn’t have many friends, she was a little bit different from the others too, she was cool. Angelina always followed me around, she would try her best to hang out with me but I was always been bitchy to her.

Well, she didn’t seem to care about that. She irritated me, sometimes I would hide when I saw her. But she wouldn’t let go, no matter how mean I was to her.

One day I finally asked her why she’s always following me even though I say mean things to her. She replied: “I know you are afraid of having friends because you think they are gonna leave you like Catherine did, but not everyone is Catherine. And, being mean won’t fix your heart or bring her back. No matter how mean you are to me, I will never give up on you.”

I was amazed to hear that. It was funny how my face was when I tried to hide a smile.

I started to like Angelina, somehow I stopped being bitchy. We started to hang out, she made me laugh and it felt so good. It has been long since I’ve been so happy in my life. Angelina is now my best friend.

I love her for busting me out of the bubble I was in. She is the reason I feel so joyful.

The message of the story: Having a friend is not about what you get from them but the better person you become because of them.

Tell us what you think: Do you have a best friend? What does friendship mean to you?