Dear Raya,

Meeting and becoming friends with you was hands down one of the biggest highlights of my time in high school. You are such a special person to me. You are so full of life and always so unapologetically yourself. You constantly want to see your loved ones smiling but will be the first person to offer a shoulder to cry on. Those are some of your very best qualities. I have endless memories of us laughing way too loudly in the halls, non-stop talking to each other during class instead of paying attention and sleeping over your house literally every weekend during my senior year.

Those are times that I will hold close and cherish for the rest of my life.

Life after high school changed unbelievably fast for us and our friendship...pretty much nothing is the same anymore. We went from seeing each other every day to getting lucky to even get the chance to have lunch together once a month. I moved out of that town and the following year you started to attend a school that's over 3 hours away. To put it simply, I miss you. I miss going to target with you after school for three hours at a time, I miss listening to Camp Rock songs in your car while we driving to said Target, I miss going to half apps at least twice a month. I miss watching High School Musical at our sleepovers over and over again and annoying the shit out of Kelly because of it, I MISS YOUR MOM, I miss everything.

Of course we text every single day or call each other once every two weeks or so about anything and everything, but it's not how it used to be. Sometimes our little FaceTime sessions and sending each other random meme's we find on twitter just isn't enough. This distance thing, the whole 209.3 miles distance thing, sucks. But despite all of that selfishness of me wanting to see you more often so we can spend a ridiculous amount of money on sushi together, I want you to know how truly happy I am for you. To see you having the time of your life up in College with making new friends, memories and getting closer and closer to someday achieving your dreams is incredible.

I'm rooting you on from afar (a very far lol).

I want you to know that I am so proud of you. College is just the start for you, you are going to go so far in life and excel at everything you do. I am so grateful to know I have a person in my life as caring and remarkable as you to call my friend. I also want to thank you for all that you have done for me and continue to do all while being so far away. You let me go on and on and on about my tiny little problems that I make into a much bigger deal than they actually are, you believe in my wild dreams and support me with it all (you're literally my number one fan) and you still somehow, even with everything you have to do miles away from here, remind me how important I am to you. I hope this letter has done the same for you.

Enjoy your last few weeks of your first year of College, I'll see you soon.

Love,

Dominique

P.S. Thanks again for that time when I walked out of the restaurant bathroom with toilet paper hanging out of my pants without noticing so you walked right behind me until we left that way the boys track team wouldn't see. That is something I will never ever forget. I love you.