QWANA and NATHALYN

October 6, 1994

Qwana Grant, 17, a college freshman at Rutgers University was my first bestfriend in Freehold Township High School. I can still remember the first time we met. It was freshman year Biology class with Miss Clifton on October 6, 1994. Miss Clifton wanted us to pick out lab partners and being that I was new in the school, I did not know whom to pick. Rather, I was waiting for someone to choose me. Well, that "someone" was Qwana. She asked me if I wanted to be partners with her and I immediately said "yes". I was drawn to Qwana's hyper and wild ways. She always made me laugh. We not only had Biology class together but also gym that year. So, each time the bell rang for Biology, her and I would walk together to our gym class. I've always remembered how Qwana and I were the fastest in changing to our gym clothes and before the bell would ring, we would already be outside the gym, talking.

Sophomore year was also wonderful with her being in my Chemistry class, gym, and lunch. She was my lab partner for Chemistry and believe me, there were more failing experiments than successful ones. Most of the time, we just got our data from our neighbor, Robin Greenfield and her partner(s). It was also at this time that Qwana had her frequent mood swings and we often got into little arguments. Nevertheless, through it all, we stuck by each other.

We drifted apart junior year with none of the same classes and a 5-10 minute talk in the hallways before homeroom. However, we still managed to keep in contact even though her and I were making new and different friends. We called each other up occasionally and each time we talked, it never felt like we drifted apart. Qwana and I still went to parties together and we managed to hang out at my house a couple of times.

The friendship we lost was definitely regained back senior year. We had Spanish class, Calculus, and gym together. Projects with Robin also included Qwana. Without her in it, perhaps Robin and I would never have had so much fun. I admit, the attachment her and I used to have in freshman and sophomore year no longer was there. In gym class, we signed up for different activities unlike the first two years when I went where she went and vice versa. Of course, things were never the same again but Qwana and I never gave our longtime friendship up. We realized that we both had to separate from each other with our differences yet still stick to each other in times of not only sorrow and pain but most importantly, in happiness. Who said that bestfriends always had to be beside each other? Well, I just proved it wrong….

Lists of My Friends