Dear best friend I’ve ever had,

I met you at my dad’s wedding 8 years ago and I won’t lie, I don’t remember that at all. Five years ago my dad moved to Ohio and I came to visit him during the summer. I remember him always saying “want to spend the day at the Hiple’s” and I was like who is that? It was so awkward, we would talk about stupid stuff and eventually we couldn’t stand the tension anymore so we would walk to the diner and get French fries. About 3 years ago your family built your house next to ours (you always tease me saying we moved next to you since your family owned your land before mine) and our families were always together. At first when I would come to visit it was still weird because you were always at my house and we never talked. Then about 2 Christmases ago we started playing Trivia Crack. Yes that is how our friendship started and we played it for the next six months until I came back the next summer. We spent that whole summer together. You came over almost every night and we didn’t even do anything. Our late night talks on my front porch are what I lived for. We told each other a lot that summer. Then I went back to Florida for a month and could not wait to move to Ohio for school. I started college and came home every single weekend to see you. On Fridays after school you would run up the hill between our houses and run screaming at me to give me a hug. I am not sure when I realized that you were the best friend I have ever had but you 100% are.

In January you signed with the National Guard and I was beyond proud of you. But then as May 31 came closer I started to get nervous. I spent almost every day in May with you. I was with you the week you got your tonsils out (I had to be there to make fun of the way you talked). Right before you left we went to the Carrie Underwood concert together and I went to your going away party. The night before you left, May 30, I stayed at your house and cried myself to sleep (Not sure if you knew that or not). You were leaving the next day. You would be gone for 10 weeks and I wouldn’t be about to talk to you. We woke up on May 31 and my heart dropped, this was the day I would have to say goodbye. I sat in your house not letting myself cry until I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. So I said I had to go and you hugged me and said you would be ok. There was no stopping the tears. I was a mess the whole day. I only wanted to talk to you and I couldn’t. That night I wrote you a letter because that was as close to talking to you as I was going to get. I went to Florida to visit home and didn’t feel like myself at all while I was there. I just wanted you to come back. I had a good summer and did a lot of fun things but there wasn’t a day that I didn’t wish you were with me doing it all. You got Sunday phone calls and I looked forward to the days you would call so I could hear your voice. I had a countdown set for when you got home. August 11^th you walked into your house around 11pm and it felt like the world lifted off my shoulders. You were home! I was so proud.

I would really like to say thank you. This friendship is different than any other friendship I have ever had. You always have my back and you know when something is wrong. I don’t even have to tell you, you just know. You being gone just solidified everything for me. I have your back and you have mine. Darrian, thank you for being my best friend, my sister from another mister, and the person who tells me to “suck it up buttercup” when I am being dumb.

Love you bunches. And I missed you lots. I am so glad you are home. And I am so grateful to have you as a best friend.

Love, Your best friend.