If I were to walk to you, it would take approximately 158 hours.
Not that I was thinking about walking to you or anything… psh. I don’t miss you that much… But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked up the prices of those old lady speedy-scooters. That would shave a few hours off my time at least. Can you imagine me tearing up the highway in one of those things?
What amazes me is how unfortunately easy it is to lose friends, and how quickly it can happen. You go a few days without texting someone, and suddenly, a year has gone by with only drunken hugs out at the bars. Yet somehow people manage to keep that long distance best friend. That’s magical, isn’t it? It’s like you guys are fricking unicorn friends. There was never any “goodbye” when you and this best friend separated. At all of those going-away parties, you guys seemed to roll your eyes at the tears and tantrums. Because let’s be honest… You get back home for a college break, and within the first two hours you end up at their house.
Even when I don’t know exactly what’s going on in her life, I still get daily updates and play-by-plays on the latest drama. Even if she doesn’t know who Janice from PBIO is, my embarrassing "spinach in the teeth" story still makes her laugh. Even if I don’t know all of her friends, I still comfort when one hurts her. Even if I hate grits and don’t always understand “southern school” life, I’ll always listen and be down for road trips down to the armpit of South Carolina.
Side note: In Charleston, I told two boys I was from Ohio, and their response was, “Oh! So, like, how often do you go to Canada then?”
I receive “You got this” texts when my life seems to be crumbling into little pieces. It’s like she knows when to swoop in just at the right time, which simply solidifies my unicorn theory. I’m buried in paperwork at my desk, my professor just sent me a nasty email and I spilled coffee all over my laptop. Suddenly: POOF. She’s there with her long list of positive and uplifting quotes. It’s like she’s one of those kitten posters taped on a classroom wall reading, "Hang in there!"
I never approve of whoever she’s dating because I haven’t met them yet to give them a stamp of approval. Rest assured, I do background checks. If he’s nice, we’re already best friends. If he’s rude, he’s going to find a bouquet of dead worms on his doorstep... (That sounded a little aggressive.)
We’re constantly updating each other on what’s happening with people we hung out with back at home. Who dyed their hair neon green, who just got into Harvard and whose mom just went psycho at the Christmas cookie exchange. Sometimes you just need a friend who knows your true roots, like how I know hers are naturally blonde and not bleached (for the gazillionth time, people).
The best texts are usually those random 2 A.M. “memory joggers” when one of us becomes nostalgic. “Remember when..." leads to a whole lot of digging through cringe-worthy moments with braces and bad dates. I mean bad. Remember when my freshman formal date ripped his pants?
There are always moments when you get seriously angry that they don’t live with you. How dare you move away? How dare you go to the college of your choice? How dare you leave me!
But seriously, often times I daydream about how blissful it would be to move into an apartment with each other and own a dog named Professor Pecan.
When we finally see each other, it’s like nothing ever changed. Most likely, I’ll make a beeline for her dog or her pantry… whichever is closest at the time. But after we’re all updated on each others' lives, we go straight back to laying around, taking unfortunate snapchats or trying to get icing off our clothes after some craft she came up with.
Friends come and go, so why is it that the ones that are 472 miles away stay around the longest?
Because distance means so little when someone means so much.
PS. Text me back.
Love,
Your very far away best friend
