Dear Best Friend,

I remember the days when we rode the bus together in grade school. You and I were too short to see over the seats so we always stood up, only to get yelled at by the bus driver. When we did track together, out height -- or lack thereof -- bit us in the butt again when we tried to jump over the hurdles. We couldn’t do it, so we would run up to the hurdles, stop, climb over them, and then start running again. Our mothers got a kick out of that, laughing and taking pictures. We were the short girls that never left each other’s sides.

By middle school we were only getting closer. We lived close together, so we were always going on these little walks. We would go to the market and buy gummy worms and energy drinks. We would climb on top of that big rock and sit and talk. We made each other laugh until gummy worms were falling out of our mouths onto the ground and our energy drinks were coming out of our noses. At the end of the day, we would go our separate ways, with a “see you at school tomorrow” which always made me look forward to the next day.

High school was when I knew you and I would be friends forever. We became closer which I didn’t think was possible. We always showed up to the first day of school in the same car. We didn’t have the same classes in the beginning, but we always ate lunch together and met up after school. I didn’t think it would ever end.

But then it did… at least for a while. Junior year I made mistakes, ones that almost ruined this whole thing for us. I didn’t think you would ever forgive me. We didn’t talk for months, we weren’t friends on Facebook, and I thought it was over forever. However, senior year came along and we were put in the same government class. I’ve never been one to believe in miracles, but I remember the first few days of government when we started talking again. It had been probably five months after not speaking and I couldn’t believe it was happening. The summer after junior year, I was having recurring dreams of you forgiving me, but never thought it would actually happen. I didn’t think I deserved it, but for some crazy reason you did. I will never forget the day early on in senior year when you passed me a sticky note with the words, “you find out who your friends are” and you drew a picture of us on the front. I never told you this, best friend, but I still have that. I almost cried when you gave it to me.

Senior year went by so fast it was almost unbelievable. As the year came to an end, we hung out everyday. We played volleyball in the Walmart parking lot until midnight. We made matching shirts. We slept in your car on the nights we didn’t want to say goodbye. We named the hours upon hours we would sit in your car talking “car time” which were the best moments of my senior year.

But like all good things, it came to an end. We said our goodbyes and we went our separate ways. I spent the whole summer three hours away, thinking of our “car time” whenever the idea of college became to stressful. You even drove all the way to my grandmother’s house just to visit me on more than one occasion. During those moments, I could forget about how my adult life was beginning and I felt truly unprepared for it. I thought back to the days in second period government when we ate s’mores in class and laughed until our teacher wanted to separate us. Thankfully, she never did, but it was probably because she knew nothing could stop anyway.

I write this letter to you as I sit in my college dorm, stressing about class and money. I look at your name on Facebook everyday and go over the messages we have sent to each other over the years. I just need you to know that when I am feeling alone and tired and scared, I think of those days on the bus in grade school. I think of spitting gummy worms out onto the ground while energy drinks come out of our noses. I think of the fight we had and how much I learned from it and what you were trying to teach me. I think of sleeping next to you in your car when we didn’t want to say goodbye.

I also think of the memories we have yet to make together. We are separated now, but not forever. We will always be friends and our journey is not yet over. We have our differences and we sometimes fight. When this happens, I remind myself that sisters sometimes argue, but will always be there for the other.

So thank you, Kim. Thank you for being there. Your friendship sometimes makes me feel like I have a debt that I will never be able to repay. How do you thank someone who has saved your life more than once? Because you have, Kim. You made me stronger and kept me fighting. I can’t ever repay you for that. I hope this letter helps a little.

Sincerely,