2 weeks ago in my city, an 18-year-old girl was murdered by a 16-year-old boy and his girlfriend over some marijuana. Her name was Megan and we spent three years side-by-side in our high school's pep band. She was happy and had such a genuine smile, with a remarkable passion for music. We weren't incredibly close but we spoke occasionally and we were part of the same family at school and I was excited to see her flourish..but now she won't.

To the man who murdered her:

You stole a life that didn't belong to you. You took something that never should have crossed your mind to take. You took something that can't be given back. Megan will never graduate because of you and she will never go off to college. She'll never walk down the aisle or raise her children. She will never get to look back on her high school years with fondness and she'll never attend a class reunion. She won't grow old next to the love of her life.

I wish that I could understand what you have done and I've spent two weeks thinking about it all. Not a day has gone by since that Megan hasn't flitted through my mind and I've done my fair share of crying over the entire ordeal, but not once have I ever been able to convince myself that the marijuana you were going to take from her was worth her life. People fight over ridiculous things but I can never imagine that stabbing was worth it.

You didn't just ruin Megan's life by murdering her. You hurt her friends and family. You tore apart the lives of those around her and it will undoubtedly be a wound that will never completely heal. You left a mark on the community that will never be erased and forever will taint the hearts of the young souls here. But interestingly enough, you ruined your own life. You will be tried as an adult and I'm sure you will receive plenty of time behind bars for that...but you'll also never be able to erase the thought of what you did. You may have killed Megan but she will never disappear, and what you did to her will never be forgotten.

I hope you can live with that because you didn't even give us that choice.

To the family and friends of Megan:

I can never express to you how sorry I am that this has happened and it hurts my heart that it has happened to such a wonderful girl, who had so much more potential than even she knew yet. I hope you find solace in the fact that she is so loved and that she will never be forgotten and that, hopefully soon, justice will be served.

I urge you to think of her fondly and not to dwell on the hideous details of her parting because she wouldn't want that. Think of the best memories you have of her and continue to think of those. Think of the happiness in her eyes when she smiled and the hard work and dedication she put into those things she loved. Think of all of the times she helped you through whatever she possibly could. Think of the fact that she didn't choose to go, She wanted life and there was nothing anyone could do to change what they did to her that night.

Always remember to love and cherish her and keep her in your thoughts.

And lastly, to Megan:

This will undoubtedly be the hardest part of this entire thing because I'm going into it blind. I honestly don't have the words to express everything I'd like you to know...so I'm going to try my best.

Thank you for existing Megan. Thank you for being a friend to so many. Thank you for giving us all the pleasure of knowing you. You didn't deserve what happened to you and everyone knows that. You were strong and beautiful and loving and happy and you were most definitely a blessing to this world.

Life is tricky and no one really appreciates it and stops to think until someone's life is taken. Life is full of ups and downs and I truly hope that you were satisfied with the majority of yours because I can't imagine it any other way. I'm so glad I got the chance to know you.

This world isn't perfect. You know that better than most. People don't always say everything that they should. People don't always make the time to do the most important of things. People don't always get to know the best people but I can ensure you that you were a blessing and that you are so loved. It is truly amazing how quickly your death brought this community together. People of all sorts came together, mourning for a friend lost too soon. We love you Megan and we will never forget you.

I promise.