Used, Then Forgotten: A Short Story About Changing Friendships

They were close. The kind of friends who felt like home—comfortable, constant, and always around.
It wasn’t about showing up on time or saying the perfect things.
It was about being there. And for a while, that’s exactly what it felt like—solid.

But time has a way of revealing truths without words.

Slowly, one began to notice things changing.
The energy was different.
The conversations felt shorter.
The warmth—gone.

No fight. No drama. Just… absence.
And in that space, a hard truth settled in:

“People will use your light until they no longer need to stand in it.”

What once felt like something rare and unspoken…
slowly started to feel like a favor I didn’t realize I was giving.

They needed you when it served them.
And when they didn’t—you became invisible. Replaceable. Forgotten.

The one who once felt like a safe space…
Became a stranger.

And yet, through all of it, came clarity.

Not everyone who smiles with you stays with you.
Not everyone you care for, will care the same in return.
And sometimes, the ones you think will protect your heart… will quietly break it.

It hurt—but it also healed.
Because in losing them, there was room to find something more honest.

“You were never hard to love. They just didn’t know how to love you without taking from you.”

Some friendships don’t end with a fight.
They end with a reveal.

And that’s okay.