By RAVINA PATEL
Staff Writer

Everything is so different from what it used to be. Two best friends are now strangers. Two lovers are now fighters. A family is now in shambles. Looking through old pictures, I can convince myself that nothing has changed when in fact, everything has.
My past life is a memory, fading quickly, trying to escape. But I do not want to forget. I am not willing to pretend that nothing ever happened. All the laughs and all the smiles we shared were worth the tears. The happy memories we had were worth the heartbreak. Were we meant to fall apart? Or was it a result of stupid things, like our anger, jealousy and quick tempers? I am a changed person now and so are you. I regret some of the things I said, and I know you have regrets too. Yet, the clock will not reverse, and we cannot go back in time.
Our paths took us in different directions, and sometimes I wish they would meet up again. Just for a day, for a minute, for a second. Just for a little while, I wish everything could be the way it was before. We keep acting as though the problems between us will fix themselves. Neither of us is making an effort to improve anything, as though pretending that an issue does not exist makes it disappear. We have learned to cope with living without each other, but the truth is, you need me, and I need you.
People say I should simply let it go and move on, but I am not ready to let go. Letting go is forgetting, and I want to remember. Moving on would mean that what we had did not mean anything, but to me it meant the world. I still hang on to a miniscule bit of hope that somehow, everything will go back to the way it was. I still hang on to all the memories. I do not want to forget.