I Hope I Hear All About It
November 14th, 2025
Photo: Char Elkin
Writer: Addie Siembieda
Editor: Rachel Jubenville
“I hope you get everything you’ve ever wanted, and I hope I never hear a thing about it” - Audrey Emmett
My middle school best friend started dancing in sixth grade. Although we took those classes together, her incredible art of movement always seemed so effortless. Our friendship formed backstage at rehearsals, and while I dropped out of the dance program when we moved to high school, she got more involved. She became the captain of the dance team and often complained that our school didn’t allow them to perform at basketball and football games. All she wanted were more chances to dance. She used to tell me that she dreamed of dancing for Duke University, if for no other reason than to put on a sparkly dress and a hair bow every Saturday.
We haven’t spoken since junior year of high school. We never had a true falling out. We just drifted. Even the yearly “happy birthday” texts have lapsed.
My boyfriend at the time was the one who got to hear all about my struggles as our friendship faded. He always wanted to be a naval aviator, just like his grandfather. He kept his grandfather’s wings in his locker every day to remind himself of his future aspirations. I watched him navigate the ROTC matching process and sat beside him while he wrote his supplemental essays.
We broke up halfway through senior year, and I stumbled through those last months without the person I’d loved for three years. After months of no contact and carefully discussing new boundaries, we decided that the best decision would be to limit our communication to a group chat with our friends and the handful of hometown hangouts – the places we couldn’t avoid each other.
By graduation, I lost the two people who supported me through my high school years. It was hard not to resent them for finding new friends, new hobbies, and a new life that didn’t include me. I found myself obsessing over every post, every morsel of gossip, in an attempt to get an insight back into their lives. The negative rumors were shallow and, frankly, boring, but the successes always made me pause. I could only care so much about who they were dating or what events they got invited to, but I could always feel the genuine joy that radiated from them reaching their dreams.
These are people who I once cared so deeply about. That kind of love and care doesn’t just evaporate overnight– it transforms into something more passive, yet still holds power. As time went on, I was able to forgive both them and myself for everything that went wrong. We were all teenagers learning how to navigate complex relationships for the first time. None of the mistakes we made were malicious; we were simply young and immature. With forgiveness, the pain and anger subsided. Watching these people that I haven’t talked to in years reach the goals we used to whisper about between classes feels almost personally rewarding. I didn’t get to see the final results, but I was there at the beginning of the process.
I feel lucky that I get to hear how everything worked out for them.
My old best friend posted on Instagram that she made the Boston College Golden Eagles dance team a month into our freshman year of college. My ex-boyfriend sent photos to our hometown group chat of him flying his first plane over the summer. I responded to both accomplishments the same way: Congratulations, I’m proud of you.
I hope my ex-boyfriend gets to touch the clouds. I hope my past friend soaks in every moment sparkling under stadium lights. I hope they both know that, even if I’m not right by their side anymore, I will always be cheering for them from afar.
