Old friends are irreplaceable

My past rescued me from the future this weekend.

I went to Ellensburg for a second romp with the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which was almost as fun as group suicide. Thankfully, however, I had a couple of Central Washington University buddies to tear me away from the depression that inevitably follows a brain raping such as the LSAT.

The three of us -- Krista, Rachael and I -- made up one-third of Wenatchee High School's 1999-2000 cheerleading squad. I have not really seen much of them since I retired my pompoms and pleated skirt, so it's funny how things have not really changed that much between us since then.

I was the team's whiny brat -- wow, things really aren't that different -- while the two of them would dry my tears and make me laugh after my many drama-queen fits. They were there for me then and, even though we do not get together more than a few times each year, they are there for me now.

Rachael even supplied me with clean sheets during my visit -- a privilege I thought was reserved for hotel stays -- and cooked me frozen chicken strips. And after the test, I was immediately provided with the cure for the common post-standardized-test disappointment: a shopping trip.

We had to drive to Yakima -- a place I never expected to revisit after my WHS football road-trip days ended -- because Ellensburg only includes a college and a couple of Dairy Queens. At the mall, I whined about the test and my friends completed some of their Christmas shopping. It was just like old days, except all of our asses used to be smaller.

Then they took me back to their apartment, got me drunk and reminded me to forget the test because I already received a good score the first time I endured it.

They are right; I probably should put the past behind me and move on. Entering college, I heard the same advice. Hanging onto high-school friendships would hold me back, everyone said. And it's so easy to focus on the future -- the new friends, new activities and new places -- it's sometimes hard to remember it is the past that got us where we are today.

We've got to keep in mind that when we do move on, there are people in our lives we should not leave behind. There are people who typically occupy only a corner of our memories, but who will be there for us whenever we need them.

These are the people who will drive to the airport to pick you up, who will scribble you a good-luck message on the napkin they slip into your sack lunch before the LSAT.

These are the people who can see the best in you even when you feel like you are at your worst.

I admit I have not always been the "best" friend I could be during my college years. I have often become wrapped up in my own priorities and my own problems. But to deserve good friends, I have to be a good friend.

This means if Rachael and Krista ever come to my side of the mountains, I am going to have to find enough quarters to wash my sheets, and maybe go grocery shopping for the third time since September. That is, unless they want to join in on my stale-cereal-and-bagels diet, which is surprisingly unsatisfying.

I am only a few months away from a college diploma and have already taken several steps along my chosen career path. Still, I need a few cheerleaders to help lift me up when I stumble along the way -- even if they are from the high-school squad.