To the friends I call siblings,

Ever since I met you, I knew that there was something special about you. Our relationship with each other has never been normal; we have always leaned on each other for support, regardless of what it was for. We have each other listed as "family" on Facebook, and whenever we introduce or tell someone about one another, we refer to each other as "my brother" or "my sister", and neither of us ever question it. In fact, it gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation. Thanks to you, I've always felt loved.

Thanks for always encouraging me like an actual sibling. No matter what is bothering me or making me discouraged, you are always the first person I call. You never get mad at me for calling you, regardless of the time of day. If you're working, I can always count on you to call or text me back, usually asking, "Is everything alright?" right away. If I need advice, I can always count on you for giving me the realest answer possible, even though it's probably not the answer I want to hear. You always talk me through what I think are the hard parts of life. You also talk me through the actual hard parts. Regardless, you never distinguish between the two, because you know how I overreact to almost everything that goes wrong. My rants can go on for anywhere between a minute and over the course of a week, but you're always all ears, no matter how many times I repeat the same part of the story or express how angry I am. Your reminders that I'll be okay the next day are the most important reminders at this point in my life.

Keeping in touch with you has been extremely important since I moved away. It reminded me that, no matter where we end up in life, our friendship is unbreakable. You genuinely care about me, asking if I've eaten lately and how my schoolwork is coming along because you know how important my grades are to me. When I start freaking out about a B- on a paper, I know you'll be rolling your eyes on the inside, but you'll talk me through why it is not the end of the world, and remind me that I'm doing the best I can. Also, knowing that the team is still doing well and is improving with each practice is great, especially since I know that you're a huge reason for their improvements.

Thanks for rarely freaking out when I tell embarrassing stories about you to people we barely know. You've laughed with me and at me over stupid little things that we always recall later on and then laugh twice as hard. Thanks for driving around in my car with me for hours on end, finding all the roads we assume will pop my tires, and for never suggesting that the GPS will save us (since we know all roads lead to home). Thanks for never getting (too) angry when I did something wrong during practice, and for never letting your guard up long enough to make me beg for forgiveness. Thank you especially for looking at me as a role model, because that only drives me to be better. You've never stabbed me in the back, you're always willing to give me a chance, and you never question why I'm such a weirdo. You'd never let me do something that I'd regret, except when it involves making nachos at unorthodox times of night. We both binge on shows that no one else likes to watch, and we know where everything is in each other's houses. We also greet each other's parents accordingly by calling them Mom and Dad. Thanks for walking with me to the local gas station to get candy at one o'clock in the morning because I'm deathly afraid of being alone at night.

Thank you so much for not only encouraging me like an actual sibling, but for loving me like one too. Even though we both have siblings of our own, I consider you the best of the best when it comes to non-biological family. Thank you endlessly for all the memories we've made. I can name one hundred right off the bat, and I can't wait to be able to name one hundred more.

I love you.