✍︎ Maddy Delos Reyes
Friendship used to feel easy. It was staying up late talking about random things, laughing until your stomach hurt, and saying “let’s hang out” without checking your schedules first. Time didn’t feel like something you had to fight. You just had it, and you shared it. Back then, time felt like it belonged to us.
Now, it feels like time owns us. All you wish for is just a simple talk; however, deadlines continue to pull you in. You long to see each other, but there’s an examination awaiting you the very next day. Your day passes as you struggle to balance your classes, assignments, responsibilities, and all the little things in between. You receive a text message from your friend and tell yourself that you’ll respond later—and that “later” turns out to be a few hours or even days away. Not because you don’t care, but because you’re tired, overwhelmed, and trying to keep up with everything.
And somehow, friendship becomes something you have to fit in. Different schedules make it harder, too. The friend you used to see every day is now in a different class, a different routine, and a different world. You’re free when they’re busy, and they’re free when you’re drowning in requirements. The friend you used to see every day becomes someone you only talk to when your free time accidentally matches.
But most of the time, it doesn’t. You’re both just trying to survive. That’s what makes friendship different now. It’s not always about being there all the time. It’s about understanding the silence. It’s about not taking “busy days” personally. It’s about sending a simple “hey, are you okay?” even when your own schedule is full, no matter how busy you are.
Deadlines may take up our time, but they also show us something important—who stays, who understands, and who makes the effort even in the smallest ways. And maybe that’s what friendship really is now. Not perfect. Not constant. But real, patient, and still there, right in the middle of everything.
