I’ve been lucky enough to have the same solid group of friends since I was eleven. Growing up, I can’t think of any memories that don’t include you. I remember filming ridiculous, over-the-top yet still completely amateur movies in our basements on a point-and-shoot camera; I remember aimless drives blasting Taylor Swift on the radio and laughing until our sides hurt; I remember warm nights spent outside telling each other secrets that we swore would never leave the back porch.

More importantly, I remember — and still feel — an overwhelming amount of love and support for the four people I know I would do anything for.

As we held hands at graduation, we could feel a change on the horizon. The one repeating question that ran through my mind during the entire summer before our freshman year was: What am I going to do without you?

College scattered us, and I’ll be the first to say that learning to live without you was hard. Trying to make new friends is something I’ve always struggled with because I’ve never had to branch out. I was comfortable with you and I never felt the need to change that. So needless to say, the first few weeks in a completely new place surrounded by completely new people was overwhelming and scary. I missed my friends and I was afraid to make new ones because I didn’t remember how getting to know someone worked. I desperately wanted to skip the awkward introductions and jump straight into a best-friendship, but it couldn't be that easy.

But before we knew it, I think we all figured out who we needed now. I found a group of friends that never fail to make me smile, and — in the most obscure ways — remind me of you when I need it most. I've made these people my own and I feel at ease when I'm around them in the same way I feel when I'm with you.

One thing I love is hearing all about the new people you have chosen to surround yourselves with, and I understand when you don't have time to talk because they are your priority now. It’s always a little strange when the friends from school meet the friends from home because you have new stories and new jokes and it’s okay that we aren’t a part of them.

We’ve gone from spending 24/7 together to having one solid conversation a week, but that doesn't matter because the space in my heart hasn’t changed for any of you. You know how important you are, and being apart only makes me that much happier to see you when we’re home. I’ve loved watching you grow and change through our first year apart, and I am so proud to call all of you my first best friends as we continue to discover ourselves over the next three years of college.