The Extra Chair

There was always one extra chair in our classroom.

Nobody liked sitting there because it was slightly broken.

One day, our friend was late.

Someone jokingly said,

“Save his royal chair.”

So we put his bag on it.

He arrived ten minutes later, looked at the chair and said,

“Finally. Someone respects me.”

From that day, it became his permanent seat.

Even after he transferred to another college, nobody sat there.

Not because we were sad.

It just felt strange.

One afternoon, a new student sat down

Everyone looked at each other.

Then someone quietly said,

“Move your bag. That's his seat.”

We laughed.

The new student asked,

“Whose?”

Nobody answered.

Some friendships don't disappear when people leave.

They just become inside jokes nobody else understands.