Before you know it, this school year is going to be over and I'll have one more summer left in our little town before I jet off to college and leave you behind. For that I'm sorry. I'm sorry you're going to be stuck in high school for another year and I'm going to be off living my life without seeing your smiling face every day. I'm sorry I won't be there for your last first day of high school and I'm sorry I won't be there for your last day at my future alma mater.

But although I'm technically leaving you behind, I'm really not. You're my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you, so when I leave for college - as stereotypical as it sounds - it's not a goodbye, it's a "see you later."

So with that being said, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you've done for me and to recap on some of our best memories.

Thank you for having the same music taste as me...kind of.

I mean, we do share the same favorite band. Remember when we saw them in concert over the summer? Of course you do, and even if you don't, this picture was taken when we were waiting to get into the venue. Oh, and don't forget, the lead singer winked at you. I'm sorry for leaving you while I went to soundcheck, but to be fair, you bought your ticket the day before the concert and got better seats than me, even if I did sneak up to be with you. I didn't exactly want to spend one of the greatest nights of my life without my best friend by my side.

Thank you for having the same goals as me.

You want to do something in journalism, I want to do something in journalism; it's like a match made in heaven. It's difficult to find someone to connect with so easily as we do, and to know that we have almost the same goals in life makes me oddly happy. To think that sometime in the future, we could both be working together just like in journalism class makes me hopeful. I hope that our similar careers bring us together again, even if you are sick of me by that point. By the way, this was the first photo we ever took together.

Thank you for appreciating me.

I've had so many fake friends and so many friends who take me for granted all of the time, and I know that neither of those apply to you. You take the time to talk to me when you don't have to, you willingly see me outside of school, and you never fail to make me feel special. You're the one who showed me what it's like to truly be cared about by the people around me.

Thank you for being a great prom date.

Who needs a boy when I have a fantastic best friend? When you said yes to my lame promposal I was so happy, and getting to spend my first real prom with you was even better. You were the best date I could've asked for and I'm so glad that you had fun as your first prom. P.S, you looked beautiful.

Thank you for being my go-to sports gal.

Whether it be when I dragged you to the baseball game or when we fangirled at the hockey game, you're my go-to when it comes to sports. None of my otter friends (haha get it? Do ya? Okay) has made me have so much fun at games. From you yelling that one of the hockey players was your boyfriend to me making you run in the Kids Stampede at the ball park (you loved it) you've never failed to make me have a good time. By the way, I would've posted the other photo from the hockey game, but I was kind of scared that if I did, that lady was going to find me and yell at me for putting her boyfriend in the background on the Internet.

Thank you for believing in me.

I will never forget when you showed up to the talent show and posted a photo of me performing. I will never forget when every time I posted a picture of myself, you would comment your kind words. I will never forget how much you supported me throughout the last year of our bizarre friendship. You've become my rock and the person I turn to to know that everything will be okay in the end.

Thank you for being the greatest person to step into my crazy life and stick around.

I can truly, for the first time in my life, say that I found a best friend who I'm confident will be with me for the long run. You've shown me sympathy when I didn't deserve it, faith when I was doubtful, and love when I needed it the most. It's people like you that the world doesn't deserve and you don't even realize it. You're such a blessing and it's about time someone treated you as such.

Thank you for being my best friend.

I love you.