Isn't it funny how time flies?
I remember when we first met. Freshman year. The first day of classes. English class. Our first class in college ever. We didn't know each other and sat in separate rows. If I had been told that you and I would become amazing friends, I would have been skeptical. Freshman year is supposed to be scary and I was under the impression that you become best friends with your roommate. However, that didn't happen to me. Instead, I became best friends with this blonde beauty sitting behind me almost a year later.
We worked together occasionally during the class, and then I left for a semester abroad. We didn't get each other's information and we didn't keep in touch. We were just classmates at the time.
When I came back, we found out we had both joined the radio station, but we didn't figure that out until a few months into the year. I remember the day in the cafe where we sat down and had a coffee and talked about many things, school and in our personal lives. She was more invested in the radio station than I was, but we still had that in common. Our second year, we reconnected and went to the dining hall for dinner and out for coffee. I was going through a lot that second year (it was probably the worst year of my life) so it was nice to have someone there.
It brought us closer. She confided in me and I in her, so our friendship grew faster than I expected it to. Our third year, we found out we had a few classes together and we had loads of fun. We always had coffee beforehand and brought snacks to our contemporary cinema class to share with each other. When she started going through the tough times, I made sure she knew that I was there for her, like she was for me. It took a while, but eventually we did become as close as you can imagine.
I've only ever had one other person in my life who I called my best friend. She was the first and only person to talk to me when we were five and six years old and I was new to America and didn't speak the language. She helped me with everything, reading and writing, math, science, playing the recorder, you name it. But I moved around a lot and we lost touch. Neither of us has tried to get in contact with the other, and it's not a bad thing. We just moved on.
Now, I can confidently say that I have found my best friend.
And it pains my heart that we're graduating. We have graduated. I'm working to save up for Grad school. She's taking classes looking for the coolest radio job ever, because she's a kick-ass DJ, ya'll. She lives in deep New Jersey where everyone is super nice and friendly and shops close at eight. I live in New York City where I can get a burrito at three in the morning and I can get around on the subway all night long. But we try to get together as much as possible. That's the difference; we realized that knowing someone so well and enjoying being in their company will make you want to plan stuff to do together.
From seeing the ball drop at Times Square on New Year's Eve to you accompanying me to get my second tattoo, you have always been there for me. And I know that people grow apart after they graduate because it's a part of life. I'm going to be moving to another country in the next year and it's scary to think that I won't have the people I've grown to love be around me all the time.
But graduating means we've reached the point in our lives where we've developed the capabilities to live independently. We're grown. We're adults. And if our friendship is as strong as we believe it to be, then I know we'll stay in touch.
Losing a best friend is hard. Trust me, I know. But everything happens for a reason. I would have had a horrible year my second year of college regardless of who my friends were, but it was her that got me through it. She was always open to listening to my rants and vice versa. She was the one holding the tissue box. She was the one to share a bottle of wine with. She was the one ready to order takeout and watch endless romantic comedies with. She was my rock.
As difficult as it is, we'll move on with our lives but we'll never move out of each other's. Friends forever, right?
