Social life of a not so typical twenty-something girl.
Perhaps, many people are at the height of their social interaction in their 20’s. Gimmicks here and there. Parties in and out the crib. Most likely with different groups of old friends and about to add new friends.
I don’t have many friends. Well. I really don’t. I just know many people. I’ve hung out with most of them. Watched movies and drank beers with some. Kissed a few of them, yes. But they’re not all my friends. For me, just because we’ve attended parties, danced together and touched skins doesn’t mean I can count them as friends. I only count a few friends but they definitely make my social life worth while for being real.
At my early 20’s, I am not much into hard drinking and loud partying. Not anymore. I’ve had more than enough of those during my teens. My recreation now is spent in my own flat, mostly in coffee shops, occasionally in a small quiet bar or at times, a park when there are few people. I seldom go out with a big group because it gets too overwhelming. I usually hang around with one or two friends at a time.
I got my ex-roommate. We were the best of roomies back in college. Several years have passed, we remain tight and in touch. She’s crazy. To her, I’m crazy. We share sentiments and frustration on love, crushes and sex. We both aim to be sexy and fail at it together. We laugh a lot. We baby talk, bitch talk, sassy talk. She’s one good drinking buddy. We like to hang at a bar and just chill. Sometimes, we like to get drunk and I don’t mind because I’m comfortable with her. She has been a constant companion in college. And the best.
I got my guy best friend. We’ve been best friends for the longest time. He’s the guy that my mom has known the longest. Of all the boys who came to our house, he’s the only consistent face who’s kept showing up. We are very open to each other. We sleep together. We can change clothes in one room. We also share sentiments and giggles over boys. Yes, just boys. We both like boys. But what I love about him is that he keeps his handsome and masculine stance nonetheless. He is a perfect pretend-boyfriend.
I got my girl best friend. She is my ‘bestest’ friend. I like to call her that but actually, we rarely talk and spend time together because she is abroad. She’s been away for a couple of years and the only interaction we have is through the internet. I don’t really have much to say about her except that I love her.
Then, I got my crush who is also a very good friend. We’ve known each other for a while. He’s been a great companion in eating, movies, strolling, playing video games, cuddling and just talking. He always gives me a comfy space to freely express myself and be nuts sometimes. He lets me be a little clingy. He lets me be a little bossy. He gets mad at me but still hugs me. He doesn’t know it but he breaks my heart sometimes. But he also mends it quite easily.
I got some other good friends whom I communicate and go out with from time to time. Our favorite hangouts are food places (anywhere where there’s food!), coffee shops, malls and movie theaters. We talk about easy topics like career, travel, plans and dreams, coffee and strangers and passers-by.
I consider them all as friends not only because they go out with me but also because I can talk with them. Some friends only talk to me when there’s an upcoming bash. When I try to start a talk about crushes and stuff, I get less to no response. Sometimes, I feel that I can only talk with them when I join them in parties and that’s costly. Real friends are not supposed to be expensive. I don’t necessarily have to dish out money for going to clubs and parties and other overpriced affairs just to bond with them. I can have quality time with real friends even if I didn’t have a cent in my pocket. Real friends don’t take effort to listen and respond. We can talk about problems like a funny thing and still reach a resolution together. We can run out of things to talk about but never run out of things to laugh about. Simply being with a real friend is something to smile about.
I don’t merely seek social life. I just need real friends.
Daybook by Rei 