As a young girl from the Big Apple, the last thing I thought of was becoming best friends with a Massachusetts native. We were born rivals, never to get along. Yet, somehow we still became the best of friends through a Boston Bruins V. New York Rangers hockey game during freshman year of college. During my high school years, I had sworn that I had found my best friend for life, but life has a funny way of showing people out when you don't need them. But this girl from Agawam, Mass. changed the way I thought of best friends. She was my other half, we were inseparable; attached at the hip for everything. I'd often find myself going through withdrawals when she'd be away for too long and she would feel the same when I'd go home for the weekend. Although we weren't roommates, I spent more time in her room than I did in my own. We saw each other through break ups, financial problems, depression, and academic failures and successes. Without her I would not have made it through my freshman year of college.
She always knew how to make me feel better and would without a doubt would let me crawl into her bed when I'd be scared of a thunderstorm. My fondest memory of us together was my very first concert at our schools Spring Weekend. We spent the entirety of the day getting ready and singing Andy Grammar songs to one another, thus finding our perfect song: Co-Pilot. The months flew by as we grew closer and closer but it only made it harder for us to leave one another as the end of the spring semester was coming to a close. As we reached the last couple of weeks we resented that we had to go back to our respective homes for the summer and deal with the solitude and somehow get back into the normalcy that was our home life. During the last couple of weeks, we had a run in with another person that threatened our lives, but we got through the scary situation together and unscathed which only brought us to believe we were "forever friends". Move-out day came and went and we held back tears as I packed the last couple of boxes into my friends car and drove away. At the moment, I didn't know that I would not be returning to the college we both called home. It just didn't hold what I needed to create the career that I so badly aspired for. With a heavy heart I withdrew from our beautiful university and transferred back home.
Although she supported my decision, she was incredibly upset with the fact we wouldn't be able to spend our days and nights like we had before. She didn't know that I was more upset than she. The university had grown on me and made me part of it but I had to go elsewhere to find success. However, I do feel this was the right career choice for me, it tore me apart to leave my best friend to her wits without me there to help her and for her to help me. We may be just a phone call and a train ride away, I still miss her. Missing her reminds of the french saying "tu me manques" which means "you are missing from me." Near or far, you will always be my best friend Alissa Ann O'Connell.
