Dear Friends,

High school would not have been nearly as tolerable without you. All the lectures, assemblies, sports games, and late nights studying would’ve been torment if I didn’t have you to go through it with. I’ve always watched movies where the girls in high school pretend to be friends but really tolerate each other because there isn’t anyone else to be friends with, but I’m blessed to have met a true friends like you. Every weekend we spent together making the best memories make it a little easier to begin this school year without you. I won’t be able to go into our guidance counselor’s office during lunch ready to rant and you ready to listen. We won’t be able to text each other and say, “Hey, if you dress ugly today I will, too.” I’m happy and sad at the same time; I’m so proud of you for accomplishing your dreams, but the selfish side of me wants you to stay here with me forever. I know that this is a crucial time in both of our lives, and I wish you nothing but the best, but please don’t forget about me.

I’m going to miss you.

Friday nights at the football stadium yelling like idiots when our running back catches an awesome throw won’t be as cheerful without you there to celebrate with me. Going shopping every year for new school clothes was practically a ritual for us. Skipping class and hiding in the bathroom won’t be the same without you. Running errands for teachers and always stopping by your classroom to make dumb faces at you through the window always made the school day go by a little faster. One of my favorite parts was walking up or down the stairs together and us both being out of breath after one flight. I’m probably going to look dumb gasping for air by myself now. I'm especially going to miss going out to eat almost every Tuesday and then sneaking our leftovers into the $5 movie. I'm definitely not going to know what to do when I'm driving somewhere and you're not in the car with me to jam to every genre of music from Hannah Montana to Drake to Chris Stapleton. And I'm going to have to FaceTime you quite often because I cannot live without our 2 a.m. talks, pouring our hearts out to one another.

Stay focused.

I know how hard you worked in high school to maintain your grades and social life, but remember which is more important in college. You’re working toward the rest of your life now, so always act like it. When you have a final the next morning but you’re stressing and can’t sleep, I’ll be there to help you study. I know you’re also going to be more busy so our time spent together will slowly diminish, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ll always be a phone call away for any reason. Realize that no one said this journey was going to be easy, but the destination will be so worth it.

Change is good.

Transitioning from high school to college is a huge step in life, but I know you’ll adjust fine. Don’t dwell too much on small instances; don’t freak out just because you forgot your pencil on the first day of class. Also, don’t be too shy to ask the person next to you for one, either. Who knows, maybe it’ll spark a new friendship. Go into this experience ready to change and become a better person than you were before. Cherish the memories you’ll make, but know that temptations will occur and it’ll be hard to keep your faith, but stay grounded. You’ll leave stronger than before and be better for it.

Don’t forget who you are.

In the midst of making new everlasting friendships, don’t forget where you came from. I know you probably want to forget almost everything about high school, but you wouldn’t be you if it weren’t for high school. Heartbreak, horrible teachers, good books, lost friends, rumors, bad hair days, waking up late for school, prom night, sleepless weekends, all of these experiences molded you into the version of you that you are today; always remain humble.

Thank you.

Thank you for making up some lame excuse every time I secretly texted you and asked you to get me out of class. Thank you for never judging me when I looked sloppy at school. Thank you for always boosting my self-esteem when I made a low score on a test I forgot to study for. Thank you for always sharing my selfies. Thank you for being selfless and allowing me to bask in my accomplishments, but also thank you for never letting me get too prideful. Thank you for uplifting me whenever I got down on myself. But most importantly, thank you for being a forever friend. I love you always.

Yours truly,

Your High School Best Friend