She was a nice girl, and I believe she still is. The only dent on her person back then was that she liked boys, but that was basically every 14-year-old boy or girl. It wasn't enough to alter her trajectory. Something happened.
Shortly after discovering her page, I learned that she lost a parent. I can't say if this was the turning point for her, but I can tell it did affect her. Having lost two loved ones myself, I fully understand what loss can do to a person.
It is humbling knowing that I was just a traumatic event away from having my life turn upside down—and it did at many points. My saving grace would have been the support she, my friend, never really had. Life can be so cruel when you are alone or feel alone. It can push you to places and people you never want to associate with, and isolate you.
I also discovered that we had no mutuals on Instagram, which explains why it was hard finding her all these days, though that wasn't always the case. My guess is she unfollowed all our mutual friends. What appears to be her life now isn't something she would be proud to share with her childhood friends. Maybe that wasn't for the best; maybe if she had stayed in touch, things would have been different. A lot of maybes at this point.
There isn't much to conclude here aside from the fact that life can be so cruel. I am just here mourning a friend who I believe deserves better.