The Final Night Together

I remember being at my friend Maura’s house for an end of 8th grade celebration. The whole 8th grade class was there, all 29 of us! There was some type of theme we decided on because everyone was in bright colors; blue, pink, orange, and yellow. There were plenty of snacks along with water, soda, iced tea, and lemonade. Everyone was dancing, singing, and laughing together. Maura’s basement had three different sections. I remember walking from different sections talking with my friends. As I was walking through one of the rooms I noticed my one classmate, Grace. She looked a little lost and seemed uncomfortable. I said to Grace, "are you okay?" Her response was yes and that seemed good enough for me at the time. Though she was not smiling I am sure that my 14 year old self just wanted to worry about myself having a good time.
I continued to mingle and have a good time with my friends until I noticed that Grace was no longer in the house. I went up to my friend Caroline asking where Grace was and she replied by saying "I have no idea." This showed me a sense of people not caring. When I reached my final “ask'' I found out that Grace had gone home. I felt so bad that Grace felt so alone during this party. I decided to leave the party and walk to Grace’s house. When I knocked on the door her dad answered. He was surprised yet happy to see me. I asked if Grace was okay. He went back inside to get Grace. When she came to talk with me she was saying how uncomfortable she felt during the party. I was able to convince her to come back to the party with me. We walked back together and we talked the whole time. It was nice to catch up with a classmate that I really was not too close with. I wish we could all have the chance to step into someone else's shoes. The thoughts that entangle others about not fitting in or being uncomfortable can be debilitating for many. Having empathy during this stage of life could be a beautiful thing.
This whole situation made me realize how important it is to look after others and to include others even if other people are telling you otherwise.