The news did not surprise me, but I was still speechless.

I always knew that you were a little different than most teenage boys.You dyed your hair way too many times and had a thing for Forever 21. Those were the obvious signs, but you dug much deeper than that.

You always cared what people thought about you. Everyone has this trait to a certain extent, but you were excessive about it.

Whether it was about how you would style your hair or what to caption your Instagram picture, I found myself often consoling you that everything would be okay and that you should be yourself no matter what people thought of you.

When we moved on to college, it was obvious that you were a lot happier there. Sometimes getting out of a small town and starting fresh is all you need.

However, I couldn’t help but notice that you loved college a little more than the rest of us. You rarely came home for breaks and distanced yourself from us a tiny bit.

While I missed the shenanigans between our friend group, I knew our friendship was a special bond that couldn’t be broken.

Looking back on it, it makes total sense why you would avoid a place that made you be someone who wasn’t you. Why would you want to come back to the place that you had to hide your true self from?

Like I mentioned earlier, I knew.

I knew that there was something different about you that made you special. However, I wasn’t completely sure that you would ever come to terms with it.

Knowing the “old” you, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you pretended to be straight for the rest of your life. That’s why I was so happy and proud when you came out to us.

You deserve an endless amount of joy and happiness. The light has been brought back to your eyes and your exuberant personality has returned. You are free to be yourself without having to worry about your secret.

I’ve noticed that your carefree spirit has recently been brought back. It reminds me of the old Krav that I became best friends with during Sophomore year.

The Krav who would stumble over his own two feet and get right back up and laugh it off. The Krav who sings and dances to his favorite songs without fear of judgment from others.

If there is one thing I know about your place in our tight-knit community, I know that everyone knows you, loves you, and looks up to you. So many people have been inspired by your courage to let the world see the real you.

Coming out is not an easy task by any means, but you pulled it off and I am so extremely proud of you for it. You bring a spark and light into this often dark world and everyone deserves to know the real, brave, amazing you.

Keep being you.

Love,

Vick