Sixth grade changed a lot of things.
But not everything.
Even though Zoey was now in 6B and Grace was in 6A, they refused to let a classroom decide their friendship.
Every recess, almost like clockwork, Zoey would appear at the 6A doorway.
Grace would already be waiting.
"You're late," Grace would say dramatically.
"It's been thirty seconds," Zoey would roll her eyes.
And just like that, everything felt normal.
They would sit on the stairs near the art room — their unofficial spot — and talk about teachers, homework, and the chaos of their new classes.
Some friendships required effort.
Theirs didn't feel like effort at all.
But Zoey wasn't the only one who stayed constant.
There was Ella.
Ella was in 6C with Lucy, Claire, and Adrian. She had been in Grace's life long before sections and group names even existed.
Ella and her twin brother, David, had known Grace since nursery.
Actually, even before that.
Their parents were family friends. They had baby pictures together. Birthday parties together. Their friendship wasn't built inside a classroom.
It was built at home.
And that made it different.
Stronger.
Grace, Ella, and Zoey had their own little trio — one that didn't have a fancy name like "The Six." It didn't need one.
They just were.
During breaks, Ella would sometimes join Grace and Zoey on the art room stairs.
Other days, Grace would walk to the courtyard where David usually stood with his classmates.
"Your sister is dramatic," Grace would tell him.
"She learned from you," David would reply calmly.
Ella would appear seconds later and argue with both of them.
It was easy.
It was loud.
It was safe.
No one was trying too hard.
No one was slowly drifting.
No one was pretending.
And that's when Grace started noticing something important.
With Julian, things felt careful.
With Theo, things felt distant.
With Lucy, things felt slightly fragile.
But with Zoey… Ella… and David?
Things just felt solid.
One afternoon, during a combined recess where all sections shared the playground, Grace was laughing with Ella and David near the basketball court.
Zoey was beside her, mid-story about something Nate had said in 6B.
Grace laughed so hard she almost dropped her water bottle.
For a moment, she forgot about everything else.
Then she felt it.
A gaze.
She turned slightly.
Across the playground, Lucy was standing with Claire and Adrian.
Julian was near the benches.
Theo and Nate were near the football goalpost.
And all of them — at different moments — glanced toward her.
Not angry.
Not happy.
Just… noticing.
Grace suddenly realized something.
She wasn't the only one who had changed.
They all had.
And while some friendships were slipping through her fingers…
Others were wrapping around her hands tighter.
That evening, as she walked home, she thought about it.
Some friendships drift because only one person holds on.
Some survive because both do.
And some…
Some were never meant to break in the first place.
Zoey, Ella and David had never needed promises.
They had simply stayed.
And maybe that's what real friendship looked like.
Not loud promises shouted in fourth grade.
But quiet consistency in sixth.
And without realizing it…
Grace was slowly building a new circle.
One that didn't feel like she had to chase.