Congrats class of 2018, we have officially made it through high school! Many of us are off to new adventures whether in college, the workforce, or the military. For a lot of people, this means moving away from home or being the person who stays home while all your friends are leaving. I have grown up in a fairly small town in central Ohio, and I don't know anyone else from my high school who even applied to the University of Cincinnati. One of my closest friends have lived less than five minutes away from me for most of my life, and these are some of the things I'm going to miss most when I leave for college in a few short months.

1. Consistent transportation

Being the younger sibling has many perks, but getting dibs on the car is not one of them. I live in a fairly rural area, and the only transportation I consistently have is the school bus. My friend was willing to drive me to our study groups, sports practices, and to go get lunch together because I could just walk to her house so she wouldn't even be wasting gas to pick me up. Nothing says true friendship like going out for dinner and then crashing before 10 PM.

2. Always having a study buddy

Most of the time I would be in classes with my friends. As this continued throughout high school, study groups became a necessity, as did dividing and conquering the massive amount of homework. Having a great friend who lived so close and had a great work ethic too meant the times our work wasn't completed were few and far between.

3. Having a second family

I get for most people your best friend's family in a sense becomes your family too, but this is even truer when you live less than five minutes away from each other. My best friend was the first person to introduce herself to my mom's boyfriend, and she is welcome just about anytime in our house. It's also nice to have another set of parents to confide in about stuff you may not be comfortable talking to your actual parents about (sorry mom!).

4. Having a friend who has been through everything with you

I met this incredible girl at the bus stop on our first day of kindergarten. Thirteen years later, we walked on the stage next to each other to receive our high school diplomas. Between those two events, we've both had our share of hard times, but we've been there for each other through it all, and there's no one else I would want to have shared these 13 years with. I may be moving two hours away in the fall, but best friends are never far from your heart.