When I graduated from high school, I knew where I was going. Southeast Missouri State University was going to be my home for the next four years. I was nervous and excited. My nerves had originated from my thoughts of multiple assignments, how my professors were going to act, and how the hell I was supposed to get from one building to the next in under ten minutes. And of course I was extremely excited, my life was going to change in a matter of months. I thought about all the new friends I could make, all the dorm programs I could attend, and all the knowledge I could gain. It is entirely possible that my excitement and nervousness was about 50/50. However, there was one emotion that dominated all of my other feelings, heartache. My best friend Veronica, was going to school in Minnesota. I knew that going into graduation. I knew that going into the year of 2015. I knew that I wouldn’t have my best friend by my side during the upcoming school year.
To say that Veronica and I go way back, is an understatement. I can’t remember the first time we ever met, but I knew it happened in Mrs. Bresler’s First Grade classroom. She was most likely wearing something extremely cute from Limited Too, that I just had to comment on.
“I like your shirt.”
“Thanks, wanna be friends?”
That’s probably how it went down and since then, we have be inseparable. I fondly recall the times we would have sleepovers at my old house and endlessly play games such as "Dream Life" or "Designer World." We read together, we wrote short stories, we dressed up, we cuddled and hugged. And we still do that today. Except now, we show each other the dankest of memes, reblog constantly on Tumblr, talk about our boy issues, and cry more.
Man, when I tell you that girl has been with me through everything, she has. And I the same to her. Whether it was divorce, breakups, money problems, mental issues, personal dilemmas, or what have you, she is always there for me, ready to listen, understand, accept, and love.
Veronica and I are that type of friendship that didn’t need daily check-ins. The type of friendship that you can call on any random day if you’re feeling lonely. The type of friendship that when we see each other again, we picked up right where we left off and talk into the night for hours. The type of friendship that you know is based on trust, love, and acceptance. And I knew that when Veronica was going to Minnesota, I’d miss that so much.
How could I go from seeing Veronica so often to hardly ever seeing her? I wondered how I could possibly get through my school year without her by my side, telling me that everything is okay and that I’m doing great. Of course, I wondered about her and how she was going to be. Moving two hours away from your hometown is not as different as moving to a completely different state.
But somehow, we made it work. By our trusty companions, Skype and Facebook, we could talk for hours. We video chat often and it is just like we are back at home. Of course, I miss her hugs, playing with her wild curly hair, and holding her hand whenever we burst into tantrums of laughter, but this will suffice. We owe it all to social media and the internet, for if they were not a thing, I think I would miss seeing Veronica’s beautiful and friendly face even more. Even though I thought it would ruin us, distance made our friendship grow stronger and I’m so grateful to have such an amazing friend like Veronica.
When we came home for spring break, Veronica pulled me into a tearful grip. I held her tightly and sighed happily. We hugged, cried, and laughed just like the good ole days. And guess what? We picked up right where we left off and it was like there wasn’t any distance at all.
