The bells wail in a piercing beep, signaling the students to go to their first period. I sit, very nervous, at my desk. Everybody around me is relaxed, like they've done this so many times, and I amd left to wonder what is going to happen. The teacher is casually writing on the board, with loud squeaks coming from the board. There is conversation all around me, and I am afraid to partake in it. This is my first day in school. I was homeschooled all my life, growing up without a large amount of friends. The teenager behind me pokes me in the back with his pencil. I turn around to see what he wanted, and he stares back with a decent smile. He asked me where I went before I came to Edison, and I simply replied "homeschooled." I could hear my heartbeat, as I did not have any idea what to do. I found a friend in this guy, and he has been a close friend of mine ever since.
	My belief is that friends should be everywhere, and that they should be easily made. Friends are the key to a balanced life. I have a friend who recently suffered from a bad breakup. He felt lost, and he felt alone. He told me how upset he was, and I could tell that it effected his life. He was so sluggish in life, I almost mistook him for a snail. He was down in his life, and I was there for him. I showed him that it would be okay. He slowly started regaining his energy, and soon enough he was active in his life again. He is now happily with another girl, and he enjoys her.
	There have been many times where I needed a friend as well. I used to heavily struggle with depression. I would question my life, and why I should be here. There were ALWAYS people there for me, no matter where I was, or what I was doing. I was nursed back to wellbeing by my friends, and I am forever grateful. Friends are needed by everybody, as common belief states. Everybody has stories about their friends, and these stories will never be forgotten. Without friends, anybody's life would be VERY dull. As I grew up homeschooled, all I had was my brother. My brother was my closest friend, because I really didn't have anybody else. Even though we would pick on each other, he was still my best friend, and I couldn't have been the person I am now if it wasn't for him.
	In conclusion, friendship benefits us all on extreme levels. Friends personally have saved my life, and I can never thank them enough for that. Friends benefit each other every single day, whether we realize it or not. Friends are all around us, friends are forever. I would like to end with a quote from something almost every teenager knows about. "F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for u and me. N is for anywhere, and any time at all, down here in the deep blue sea." -Spongebob