Dear Best Friend,

It’s been years since the two of us have been close, but as I was struggling to find the words to address you with, I realized that despite all of those years, ‘best friend’ is still the most accurate title. Regardless of how long it’s been, how far apart we are both physically and emotionally, you’re not my ‘ex’ best friend. And that’s the very first thing I want to tell you; you’ve always got a friend in me. We might not talk anymore, but I would still go to bat for you. I still remember all of the stupid inside jokes and all of the crazy phases iof Junior High we went through together. I still see the remains of them all over social media and in various mementos that I can’t bring myself to get rid of, and I can’t help but laugh. I wouldn’t trade any of that away.

I remember practically attached at the hip in the eighth grade. I remember that we would always joke that you didn’t have a filter from your mind to your mouth and that we needed to get walkie-talkies so you could check with me before you said something stupid. I remember our English teacher being afraid to sit us next to each other, not because we would talk too much or be too loud, but because we were a force to be reckoned with when we teamed up. I remember walking down a hallway alone and hearing a teacher from the year above us ask where you were because everyone knew we were always together. I remember seeing the first Hunger Games movie together and freaking out over musicals together. We were partners in crime, practically sisters, and I learned so much from you. I learned how important it was to not take myself too seriously, and how cool musical theatre was. I learned that it was okay to be yourself and that your true friends would love you regardless. Most importantly, I learned what true friendship was. Unfortunately, that made growing apart that much harder.

I won’t lie, going into high school I expected us to only grow closer- I thought that we’d continue to be the dynamic duo that everyone knew us as. But slowly, and without even being aware of it, we were drifting apart. We took different classes, made different friends, and suddenly we barely saw each other. It got harder and harder to text each other, and soon enough I only rarely saw you. Despite it sneaking up on me, it was so hard to face the fact that we’d both grown up. It hurt knowing that I wasn’t the person you went to for help anymore, or told much of anything to. It hurt even more to realize that you weren’t the person I went to first, either. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what went wrong and why it happened, but in the end I realized that this was simply the course of things. I realized that growing apart doesn’t make our friendship any less real, or make it mean anything less. Our adventures make up so many chapters of my life that I wouldn’t be the same person if I never met you, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Graduating and growing up even more has given me the perspective and hindsight to know that you were put in my life to make a difference, to help me become who I was supposed to be. You were a huge part of my journey towards who I am today- someone I’m proud to be.

We may not be in constant contact, but I want you to know that I think about you all the time (in a totally not-weird kind of way.) Your Snapchat story never ceases to brighten my day, and I love watching your series of rants about what happened to you at work. I still see things that make me think of you, like Girl Scout cookie booths and bowling alleys and anything to do with the Newsies. I also want you to know that I’m so proud of you. After everything you’ve faced in the past few years, you’ve proven time and time again how strong and resilient you are. I admire your courage and bravery, even if it’s from a distance, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you. Last, but not least, I want you to know that I’m always here for you. We might be in totally different states, doing totally different things, but I would still bail you out of jail or listen to you vent for hours because that’s what friends do. And I have been, and will always be, your friend.

With love,

Me