Long lost circle

My circle with our teachers with some boys in my class (the girl on the left is the queen of mathematics)

I've had a circle of friends before, which felt more like having family members around with different personalities and traits. Although I'm not typically a friend type of person, I had a group of friends in school. In that group, we had the funny one, the crazy one, the motivated one, the beautiful one, the fashion queen, the rich kid (that was me), and the innocent one. I was called OBO, meaning 'omo baba olowo', which translates to 'rich kid' in the Yoruba language. I used to come to school with my ATM card at the age of 16, and I usually had rich food and foreign drinks. My school bag and school fees were changed every term due to the generosity of my grandmother. Although I was quiet, I was funny, and people always missed me when I was absent. I was the type of person who gave a lot, and many people loved coming to visit me. You couldn't come to my house without eating or going home with something. I loved my circle because we were intelligent, but we had an exceptionally intelligent friend. She was the queen of mathematics and wanted everyone to be like her. I was also the motivational speaker, and I loved making everyone feel good no matter their background or color. I was taught never to judge people based on their background or environment, and I was very welcoming. My friend's parents loved me and always asked about me. If I was ever absent from school, all my friends and a few classmates would come to check up on me.

This circle started when we were in SS2, and even after we graduated from SS3, we were still friends. We still keep in touch with each other at the university level. I believe friendship should not be limited to only primary and secondary school. You should still keep in touch with your friends even after you've relocated, found a better job, a partner, or traveled outside the country. Your environment and position should not make you forget your old friends. However, most of my circle don't talk to me anymore, some don't respond to my WhatsApp messages, and some feel too big to say hello to me now. None of my circle have gotten married or have kids except for me, but they're doing well in academics and business.

Sometimes I feel they are intimidated by my achievements. I was the first to graduate and have a child, but I'm very grateful to God for all my achievements and happy for them. I like their posts on social media and sometimes say hello, but I don't get a response. I was once a motivational speaker, the one who made everyone laugh, and the rich kid, but now I seem to be nothing to them. I wonder if it's because of the money and other benefits they were getting from me back in school that made them get close to me. But the answer is no. I've asked a friend of mine, and he said that people feel I'm too proud because I had everything and opportunities that most of them had to pay to get. They never understood that I was only blessed and favored, and grace found me because I worked very hard to get to where I am today, and I'm still hoping for a better life.

The images used here are mine
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