turning point essay

20035279 #29
Mrs. M. Turner
Advanced Composition A – Third Hour
14 October 2009
A Lesson Learned
There comes a time in everyone's life when they realize they need a change from their everyday lifestyle. Either it is because they do not enjoy it, or because they know they are going down the wrong fork in the road and recognizes that change is needed immediately. Although a turning point in anyone's life could be unexpected or sudden, and can even be traumatic or heinous, a turning point is when your life suddenly takes a different turn in events whether you like it or not.
On the first day of high school, I remember how excited I was to finally be leaving middle school and going to the largely talked about PCEP. Riding the bus with my best friend of two years, Trisha, we talked about all the things we could and would do now that we were in high school. We both wanted to join many clubs and sports and be as active as we could so our transcript would look good for college. Although most of her classes were located in Salem, and mine in Plymouth, we still promised to eat lunch together and meet up in between classes whenever we possibly could. The first couple days of lunch, it was only Trisha and me. However, as school progressed, we both made more and more friends and our lunch group grew. At first, I was overjoyed that Trisha was talking to people and making friends because in middle school, she was shy and did not talk much, but as the days passed, I started seeing changes in Trisha; and it was not the good kind.
As school continued and seasons changed, so did Trisha's personality. No longer was she the shy, quiet girl that sat by herself in a classroom, she now was the loud and obnoxious girl that people shot glares at. Although I hugely disliked the change, I did not say anything to Trisha, for she might get mad and I would lose my best friend to the numerous group of friends she had made this year. Because of my fear of losing Trisha, I always kept quiet about everything even when I knew she was doing something wrong. Despite my attempts to keep our relationship the same as it was in middle school, I could see that was now nearly impossible.
As time went on, our relationship got more and more strained, until we hardly even hung out outside school anymore. Then came one day when we were riding the bus, Trisha asked me to come over later. I was so excited, for we had not hung out in what seemed like forever. Happily, I told her that I would be over as soon as my homework was completed. Excited as I was, I still managed to complete my homework quickly. The minute I finished, I headed next door to Trisha’s house and knocked on the door. Trisha answered the door after a couple knocks and let me in, but as soon as I stepped into the house, I could smell a strange aroma in the air; it was like something I had never smelled before. Shaking off the strange feeling I was getting, I followed my best friend down to her basement, where she quickly closed the door behind me.
Down in her basement, I could see we were not alone; all her new friends from lunch were there. As I waved to them, something white in one of the girls’ hands caught my eye, and it suddenly hit me what the strange smell was; marijuana. Turning around abruptly to my best friend standing behind me, I could see she was no longer there, but was on the couch smoking with the rest of the group. I stood in shock as I watched the girl who used to be my best friend smoke pot like it was an acceptable thing to do. Shooting them all a disgusted look, I briskly walked up the stairs and out of the house as my best friend shouted behind me to come back.
From then on, Trisha only continued to change more. Her grades dropped drastically, and she started hiding out in the school bathrooms to skip class, and even convinced me a couple times to skip with her. For a while, I did not think about the consequences of getting caught skipping, but that all changed one day while we were skipping together in the Salem bathrooms. A loud booming voice suddenly penetrated the silence of the bathroom, telling us to both come out. My heart pounded against my chest, as if trying to jump out. Although the only consequences were a phone call home and an after school detention, I felt that was the last straw. It suddenly hit me that it did not matter how long we were friends or how good of friends we happened to be; it was not worth losing my parents’ trust and messing up my high school record in freshmen year all because of a bad influence. That day forward whenever Trisha talked to me or asked me to come over, I answered her bluntly, showing her I had no interest in friends any longer. Though it was sad to end such a good friendship, I instantly felt relieved that I was free of her. There would be no more bad influences.
Although the road to the turning point in my life was not very pleasant, the outcome and result of it made me more proud of myself then ever. I had given up a friend because of the bad choices and decisions she had made once she got to high school. During the couple of months this all happened, I learned a life lesson; always make my own decisions based on what I think is right or wrong regardless of the peer pressure and bad decisions that sometimes comes along with friends. Though I am ashamed of some of the things that happened while I was friends with Trisha, I do not regret my friendship with her, for it taught me many lessons that I would forever hold with me.