Building Bridges In The Strangest Places

(My friends and I are in the city centre, walking to the cinema, when we hear someone shout “Hey, Mr Friend!”, and a girl we don’t know throws her arms around my friend’s waist. This friend is notoriously antisocial, enjoys making a habit of being annoying, and dresses like he’s ready for a riot to break out any second, so seeing ANYONE greet him enthusiastically is surprising, never mind an apparently stereotypical teenage girl.)

Friend: “Oh, hiya, [Girl]! Fancy seeing you here; you doing well?”

Girl: “Yeah, really good! I got accepted to [Prestigious University]!”

Friend: “For real? High-five!” *he turns to us* “Hey everyone, this is [Girl]. I helped her out a few months ago when she was going through a bit of a rough patch.”

Girl: “Everything’s been much better since I last saw you; I broke up with [Name], and talked to my parents about everything. We even got a puppy!”

Friend: “That’s amazing. I told you everything would turn out all right, didn’t I?”

Girl: “Yeah, you were right. I’m here with my family, so I gotta go, but give me a call later, okay?”

(The girl hands my friend a piece of paper with her number on it and skips away, waving to him. When she is gone we resume walking towards the cinema…)

Friend #2: “Hey, [Friend], I’ve never seen anyone that happy to see you. What gives?”

Friend: “You’ve never seen me talk a 17-year-old girl out of jumping off a bridge, either.”

(He wouldn’t say anything more on the subject, but knowing he would do that makes me proud to be his friend.)