Everyone has a plan. My plan revolved around a college in a small town in Tennessee where I would study religion and the ministry. Your plan revolved around going into the medical field after attending Birmingham Southern College. When my original plan failed, I thought to myself, “Should I go to the same school as my best friend?” Despite the negative connotations and opinions that surrounded doing so, I decided that BSC was the place for me. And you would be right alongside me, just as you have been since the fifth grade.
I remember walking into our dorm room on move-in day excited to dress up these white cinder block walls with you. You were my best friend, and we were about to conquer this college thing together, starting with our dorm layout that we were ever so obsessed with. We had made countless Pinterest pages over the summer, meticulously picking out each individual poster, throw pillow and lamp. I also don’t think Target knew what hit them when we went decoration shopping. But you are more than just a decoration advisor to me.
How do I ever repay you for the countless nights you held me as I cried because I missed my ex-boyfriend? How many times did I drag you to Waffle House and Taco Bell with me at 1a.m. because I was a little hungry? We rushed and joined the same sorority. We sat up in our tiny twin beds every night, giggling about the cute junior boy I saw in the caf and ranting about our ridiculous amounts of homework. When I stood staring at my full closet but decided I had NOTHING to wear, I knew I was always welcome to yours. I never had to worry about breaking the ice with a new roommate. You already knew all of my bedtime rituals from countless sleepovers in middle and high school. You knew I was messy and you could handle it. I knew you were occasionally unorganized, and I could handle that. We knew we could balance each other. There were a lot of beautiful things about rooming with you, but I’m sure you would agree that there were some dark days too.
Walking into my room after a hard day of classes and finding out you ate my Cocoa Puffs was definitely heartbreaking, but I dealt with it. After that, we faced more serious issues. We both found out that we deal with pain in very different ways and living with each other in a room barely big enough for our own beds did not give us space to breathe after a long day. It was often that when I was happy, you were sad. Or when you were happy, I was sad. We took things out on each other that we shouldn’t have, all because we knew we were best friends and that we didn’t have to always tiptoe around each other like you would with a roommate you just met. We had fights we never thought we would have. The night I spent on the common room couch was probably our lowest point, but we recovered. I would not let the trials of the first year of college take away my best friend.
College is a scary place. Being away from home and learning who you are as a person is an exciting yet stressful experience. But being able to experience it with the person who has seen me at my highest highs and my lowest lows in middle and high school was something I’ll always hold dear. You never once left me, and I never once left you. Next year you won’t be my roommate anymore. But please know that there is always a spot on my bed for you to sit and eat Cocoa Puffs, so we can talk about the cute junior boy in the caf together.
