Viewing their peers from the outside, many enter highschool envying those who have “so many friends”. What they don’t see is that those “friendships” are not pure; as years move along, people start to get rid of the desire to drown in acquaintances, and replace them with their real, trusted best friends. 

Stafford High School is a prime example, as it is filled with true and loving companionships all throughout the halls, starting with Juniors, Lauren Harris and Ava Lengle. 

Lauren and Ava have an unbreakable bond, which has been going strong since their 8th grade year. “We had a FACS class in eighth grade, and we were forced to sit next to each other based on our last names; we had to introduce each other to the class. Then, we joined cheer together,” says Ava.  Despite their closeness now, their first impressions of each other are unexpected. “I didn’t like her,” Lauren admits, laughing. Ava replies with, “I was nervous to be around her, because none of them liked me, and I knew it. I didn’t hate her, I just didn’t wanna be over there.”

Stating the obvious, they quickly moved on from their grudges toward each other, finding light in the darkness. “I feel like it’s good to have someone you can always count on, because high school’s really hard, so having someone there no matter what is helpful,” Ava emphasizes. “Our energy feeds off of each other; if one person’s having a bad practice, we try to pick each other up,” Lauren adds.

They can’t imagine what high school would have been like, had they not had each other to lean on. Differences aside, they are always supportive of one another. “She’s always there for me even if she doesn’t agree with something,” Ava shares. Lauren also adds, “She always tells me the truth whether I wanna hear it or not.” 

Seniors, Russell Lennon and Tabyas Gerace, are another strong friendship seen at Stafford High School. They developed a bond through sports, and over time they became undeniably close. It all began when they were both on a YMCA basketball team during their 6th grade year. “I heard a lot about him, and I thought he was a cool guy,” Tabyas says. Russell jokes that his first impression of Tabyas was that he was “bad at basketball and an unathletic dork.” 

When their first high school JV football season began, that was when their friendship really started. “Walking out as captains at a JV game and getting to represent our team, that was a good time,” Tabyas reminisces. They claim to have both worked hard together to earn  their position on the team; having each other helped them immensely in making such a big accomplishment. 

“If I’m about to do something dumb, that’s not the smartest thing to do, Russell gives me better options,” says Tabyas. Russell, being older than Tabyas, helps him to be his best self. “I stop him from doing stupid things,” he laughs.  

As high school moves along and we mature and grow, friend groups tend to fade into smaller circles. Finding people who bring out the best in you is crucial when maneuvering through life.