Is it normal to be extremely sad when people change?

I didn’t have many friends in high school, but I had one I developed a crush on, and although they didn’t return the feeling, we were still good friends and talking to her always made me feel better. She would help me out when I was feeling down, and she brightened my days so much. Getting to see her was always what I looked forward to most.

So I was devastated when I found out she didn’t share any classes or lunch hour with my in our next year of school, and the next semester when we finally did see each other again during lunch, she changed. Her new group of friends were extremely rude, and she always paid more attention to them than me. It got so bad that I started having lunch in a certain room (I forget what it was called but I think you get the idea).

What makes it sad is that I’m an introvert and she was an extrovert, and she probably had no idea how rare it is for people like me to have that kind of friend. But I was so devastated by it that I felt like my best friend had died and nobody cared. I was so looking forward to having a great time with her like we used to, but instead I got pushed to the side in favor of annoying kids.

I like to pretend she just moved away at the end of sophomore year and we never saw each other again. At least then my last memory of her would’ve been pleasant. I’ve still not met anyone who made me feel as good as she did when I first met her. It’s like being addicted to a drug, finally quitting it, and then suffering severe withdrawal symptoms. Maybe it’s not a fair analogy, but it’s all I got.

I’m scared to make friends now because I worry they’ll all disappoint me in the same way.