Dear Middle School Best Friend,
Since I met you, I always knew you were going to do great things in life. At barely five feet tall, you were, and are, the most energetic person I know. The way you carry yourself, so selflessly, is beyond respectable. Since the moment we met in that aerospace magnet class I knew we would be inseparable, and for a while it was so, but then we drifted so apart that our friendship was hard to ever imagine again.
Being friends with someone that likes the same things you do and has the same energy as you is quite easy. That was the case with you and I. Two girls who had pretty much the same classes together, liked the same sports, and even shared somewhat similar taste in guys. With you I never had to try hard, our chemistry came easy and laughing was in every day’s agenda. It all started when we both had the same magnet class, followed by math, science, and sports. As spring came around, we drew closer as we both decided that we were going to try out for the basketball team. Neither of us had ever dribbled a ball, nevertheless shot a basket. Lay-up after lay-up and a laugh after every chisme, it was a friendship I'll never forget.
However, everything good must come to an end, mustn’t it? That was the case of our friendship when I moved schools in the 7th grade. At first our friendship was easy to keep, a few hangouts here and there, a couple of text messages, but it was only natural that two 12 year olds would drift apart. For a while we lost complete connection, and I must admit it made me angry. My teenage heart could not understand why two people could not remain friends even in separate schools. My brain could not comprehend why our friendship had to end.
As high school came around and technology started advancing we both ended up with an Instagram. We followed each other and there were times where I will admit I searched through your profile to see what you were up to. Track star, class president, a close group of friends, nothing less than I would expect from you. At times, it even made me jealous not being part of that close group of friends, but then I learned to let go. I learned that some people come into our lives to make us a happy and secure for a while, until someone else comes along. This doesn’t mean a better or worse person comes into our lives, it just means it’s time to create memories with someone else. Therefore, that is what I began to do.
As high school came to an end, I knew you would end up at an Ivy League or a great school up north. Then, at my freshman orientation, as I sat alongside some new friends and started to feel the college air you, dear friend, were right in front of me. You were once again in the same school as me, but with such a huge campus what would be the chances for our friendship to even grow again. As we each said hello, I could feel the immense space between us and the slight hope that we could be reunited seemed so far away. That weekend we each had our own friends and our own path to walk, which did not seem to cross.
Now we fast forward to the future where those two middle school best friends sat at lunch together. Where they study together and still laugh together. We fast forward to you being the very first to read this letter. To remembering our first fraternity party together, where we danced all night, inseparable. To the slightest hope I had a year ago that we would end up where we are now, and we did.
So dear middle school best friend, thank you for becoming my college best friend. For all those moments where I’ve ranted about pretty much anything and everything. For being so smart, and beautiful, and kind. Thank you for making me realize that some people need to grow up apart to really understand what makes them want to hang out together. As we each follow each other’s footsteps, know that if you fall, I’ll probably laugh really, really hard; but I’m pretty sure that so will you, and when I’m done laughing on the floor with you, we will always lift each other up.
