Their Aluminium Anniversary

It has been ten years since they met. The first day of third grade was a memorable one for them. One of them has recently lost her pet, and the other had lost her loving grandma. They were mourning their loss that day. Their faces were sullen, and their eyes were red. If fate hadn’t brought them together, both of them would have spent their first day in misery. They are Kate and Catelyn. In the ten years of their friendship, they have never hesitated to help one another. Let's hear their story.

Year one: How they met 

Kate walked into her class, confused and sad. She had lost her granny, and her parents had decided to move out of their old place. She was forced to change school. She did know how to make friends, but what if nobody wanted to be friends with her?

Then, her eyes fell on an equally miserable girl and decided to be friends with her. She walked up to her.

“Hey, I’m Kate. Can we be friends?” she asked uncertainly. The girl looked up and smiled gratefully. She nodded and beckoned Kate to sit down next to her. Kate sat down and took her hand.

“I am Catelyn Collins. I just moved here.” the girl said.

“Yeah, me too.”

Catelyn was a quiet and shy girl. She was also pretty. They started talking, and both realized that they share similar interests. Both of them were dancers, were amazing at studies, have dogs, and loves books. Kate was delighted that they have similar interests. She was looking forward to spending her school life with Catelyn. She secretly vowed that she would bring Catelyn out of her nutshell. That was the beginning of an everlasting friendship. 

In friendship, you will find the right person without looking for them.

Year two: Their first fight 

Catelyn walked into her class. She was bubbling with happiness and was excited to see her best friend, Kate. Kate walked in, and her eyes searched for Catelyn. She grinned at the sight of her and rushed to her. Kate said,

“Hey Cat, guess what happened yesterday? My dog Willow did a marvelous trick. I was practicing with my hula hoop yesterday, and when I tossed it in the air, she jumped through it.

“Wow, that is cool!” Cat exclaimed. She has changed a lot, thanks to Kate. She was no longer an introvert and was outgoing and cheerful. The classes began that day itself. Fourth grade is never hard, but Kate was struggling to keep her head above water when it came to math. Math was making her dizzy. She found it unable to look at her notebook without falling asleep. On the other hand, for Catelyn, Math was a piece of cake. They argued with each other for the first time, and it was silly. Kate got her math test marks, they were lower than what she had expected. While talking about it to Catelyn, she told,

“Cat, I deserved better marks. He did this purposefully.”

“No, he didn’t do this purposefully. You made several mistakes and many of them were careless too.”

Kate was furious.

“How can you call me your friend if you don’t stick up to me?”

“I will continue to be your best friend, but I will not agree with you about the wrong things. You are a brilliant girl. If you put in some effort, you can get good marks.”

Kate thought about this. She felt ashamed of getting angry at Catelyn. She smiled sheepishly and put her arm around Cat.

“Sorry,” she muttered. Cat accepted her apology. From that day onward, Cat was always there to pacify Kate whenever she got impulsive and said the wrong things. 

That is the beauty of having a loyal friend. She could balance out our mistakes and guide us along the right path.

Year three: The writing club

They were at Kate's house discussing the new writing club. Both of them were creative and aspired to be writers. Their school has launched a junior writing club, and they were the first ones to sign up.

"Who do you think will win the price?" asked Kate. Both of them have submitted stories for the writing contest and was eagerly anticipating the results. They were due tomorrow, and the winner would be announced before the whole school. Furthermore, they would get the opportunity to be the secretary of the club without contesting in the elections. They each wanted the prize badly and prayed for it.

Kate wrote the story of a high school student. She portrayed her anxiety, struggle to fit in her new school in a very touching way. Anyone who read it was bound feels the pain of the character.

Cat wrote something different. She chose a medieval theme and wrote about dragons, sorcerers, and princesses. Her protagonist was a warrior princess who, with her strong will, and bravery saved the kingdom. 

******

The next day, both of them woke up early. They went to school, excited and nervous. An assembly was called to announce the winner. Cat and Kate stood next to each other, shivering with excitement. Principal Walters took the stage and announced,

"I know that you all are eagerly awaiting the results of the writing contest. The winner is Kate Carter from grade five."

There was a lot of cheering, and Kate was beaming. She was so proud of herself. Suddenly, she remembered that Cat had also participated. She turned to her, expecting to see disappointment. But, Cat was pleased with her friend and didn't even think about her loss.

"Do you feel disappointed?" Kate asked her.

"No, I don't. Your story was more heartwarming than mine. I am happy for you. You will be a great writer one day."Kate didn't doubt her sincerity. 

In true friendship, you'll always be happy for your friend, even if your loss is her gain.

Year three: Distance will never be a problem.

Cat and Kate were excited about sixth grade. 

"Who do you think our class teacher will be?" asked Kate.

"I hope it is not Mr.Pieter. He is very strict and serious. I wouldn't want him to be our class teacher."

As it turns out, Mr. Pieter is their class teacher. When he walked into the class, they groaned. He glared at them, put his books on the table, and rapped the table.

"Listen, students, I will be your class teacher for this year and I know that you are excited about it. As a part of our school's 50th anniversary, we are doing a student exchange program with another school and we'll be selecting one among you to represent our school. That lucky person is Catelyn Collins."

Cat was stunned. She would love to use this opportunity and was proud of being chosen to represent her school. But that also meant leaving Kate. She looked at Kate, whose eyes were filled with disappointment of staying back at school without Cat.

"I am sorry, Kate."

"No, you shouldn't say that. This is a golden opportunity, you shouldn't stay back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure," said Kate. She knew that Cat was pleased and didn't want to spoil her opportunity.

Two weeks later, Cat had left, and Kate was making new friends. She got to know her classmates better and spent time socializing.

They both Face timed, emailed, and chatted with each other every day and kept in touch. Cat was enjoying her time at the other school. She learned many things and got the most out of her time there. When two people love each other unconditionally, the distance between them doesn't matter.

Year five: Emmy  

Life was progressing smoothly for them. School life was great, and they in seventh grade. Kate was busy running the writing club, while Cat was spending all her time on the junior debate club. Things were going well until another girl arrived. Her name is Emmy, and she is supposed to be good at everything, but she is not. Her wealthy parents made her sign up for everything. She was annoying in every way possible. On a day at the debate club, 

"Emmy, can't you just look up the points for the debate." Cat screamed.

"Oh, Cat. I am sorry. I was busy with some homework yesterday. I will do it today." she drawled.

Catelyn was angry with Mr. Walters, her principal for letting her in the debate club. She never takes the effort to study, read, or write. She goes out to party with her friends and never does her work. She talked about her to Kate.

"She has been on my back lately. I don't know how to deal with her."

"Give her some space, and why don't you talk to her?"

"Talk what?"

"Tell her that she can be good at the debate if she tries. Tell her that she has talent, maybe she'll listen to you and spent more time in her studies rather than partying." Kate sounded certain that Cat wanted to believe her. She took her advice and had a long talk with Emmy.

"Catelyn, I am sorry. I will spend more time on my school stuff. I will look up the points for debate too." Emmy felt disappointed in herself for not realizing that partying and riches are not everything. She was true to her word and came up with many points of debate. Her progress was astonishing, and Cat ended up picking her to represent the school at the prestigious debate competition. Emmy won the prize hands down.

"You were right, Kate. She has it in her."

"Yeah, she does," said Kate as they watched Emmy lift the trophy, her face shining with pride. Friends will always encourage and guide you when you feel helpless or defeated.

Year six: Sad time for Kate.

Willow, Kate's dog has been ill for a long time. She was fourteen years old and was getting on in years. Willow had been around Kate ever since she was a baby, and she was worried about her failing health. Catelyn was always around Kate, just in case something happened. She knew how much pain you'll feel when you lose your pet. They were at Cat's house. 

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Kate asked Cat for the hundredth time of the day. Willow was taken to the vet early that day. There was a crunch in the driveway, and Kate ran to the window: it was her mother. She ran to meet her mother. Mrs. Carter's face confirmed her worst suspicions, Willow is gone. Kate sat down on the driveway and cried. Cat gently lifted her and carried her back to the house. Mrs. Carter left the girls alone. She knew that Cat could help her daughter. Cat soothed her and encouraged her to engage in other activities to ease her pain.

*****

A few weeks later, it was Kate's birthday. She woke up early and found a pile of presents at the foot of her bed. She unwrapped all the gifts and noticed that Cat hasn't given her one. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.

She ran to open it. Before her stood Cat with a bundle of joy in her hands: a puppy. Kate was overjoyed at the sight of it. She hugged Cat and told her that it was the best birthday present. 

Friends can feel you better than anybody and will do anything in their capacity to make you happy.  

Year seven: Roller skating incident.

They were freshmen now! Catelyn and Kate were excited. As usual, classes began on the first day itself. Their studies were going well and both of them even found time for other activities. Among them was roller skating. It was Cat's idea to learn to rollerskate. Both of them were pretty pumped when they first tried it. Their progress was shocking and both of them made it to the team. They were proud of themselves and worked hard. Finally, the day of the competition came. Both got ready to skate. Their parents were in the stands, watching them. 

They took their positions and 3, 2, 1, Go.

They raced past other contestants, their bodies were like the wind. Cat and Kate were neck and neck. Suddenly, Cat slipped and skidded across the track and landed hard on the floor. Kate glanced back when she heard the sound and panicked. She forgot about the competition and rushed to her. Cat was not hurt, but her fall was pretty bad.

"Come on Cat. Get up!" Kate yelled. Cat struggled and stood up. Kate grabbed her hand and skated back to the track. She let go of Cat's hand and skated with her. Cat skated with renewed energy. Both of them reached the same time, and they were the first ones. The crowd burst into applause. They have won even though Cat fell. 

A true friend will always have your back in every situation.

Year eight: Harmony and volunteering

"It is going to be a wonderful experience. Don't you think?" asked Cat.

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it." Kate replied.

They were volunteering at an orphanage. Cat is going to help children learn drawing, and Kate is going to assist her. The orphanage was called Harmony. They walked into the main building and into the classroom. About 30 children were assembled there and were waiting for them. Cat started off by teaching them to draw simple scenery. One among them was a girl called Hope. She drew well than everybody there, but her forte was caricature drawing. She could draw caricatures of people in seconds. Kate saw her skill and decided to prank Cat using it. She made her draw Cat's caricatures and posted them in her bedroom and various other places. Cat was furious when she saw it. She spent days trying to find the person behind this. Finally, Kate, who couldn't see her best friend upset, confessed. She told her what she did. Cat looked stunned, but she started laughing.

"They were so funny." Kate was taken aback, but she started to laugh. 

Friends are always honest and they know when to laugh.

Year nine: College decisions

Cat and Kate were very nervous. It was the college decisions day. Both of them applied to a bunch of colleges. The result came, but they haven't checked it till then. They met at Cat's house. They sat at the kitchen table, anxious. They opened their laptop, then their mail. They checked their Ivy decision. They have only applied to Harvard.

"I got in." Cat screamed. "Me too." yelled Kate. They hugged each other and ran around the kitchen. Friends will always be with you whether it is getting into Harvard or getting detention.

Year ten: Aluminium anniversary 

Ten really long years have passed since they met. It's their Aluminum anniversary! They celebrated it at the carnival that was in town. Cat and Kate talked about their friendship.

"Do you remember when we first met?" asked Cat

"Yeah, you were so shy then." remembered Kate

"I was, not anymore." Cat laughed. They held each other's hand and walked around. Cat even made Kate try the mini roller coaster. They enjoyed it a lot. All the fun they have had all these years feels like a fairytale. But, it is real. They are gonna have each other, always. 

A best friend is like a brother/ sister you never had.