Single Point of Failure Friend Groups

One of my friends, S, was one of the first core members of the Writing Club.

She was a super connector, always inviting people and bringing new energy into the group. I met so many friends through her. Over time, we became close. I went to her birthday party, and we’d regularly see each other at overlapping events.

But less than a year later, she moved out of the city. And ever since she left, I don’t really see many of those friends anymore. She was the central node holding that web together.

I’m sure a lot of people know someone like that, the glue in a friend group. When they leave, it doesn’t just feel like one person moving away. It feels like a whole circle quietly fades. In a transient city like New York, I’ve had many close friends come and go. And when one of them leaves, it’s not just them, it’s everyone you met through them that seems to disappear too.