Dear Girls,
Going through life, there are few people who stick with you through it all, especially during the years we felt were most important: our school days. But as we near the end of summer, and our impending move-in dates inch closer, I can't help but feel like I'm not quite ready yet. Maybe I never will be.
You were there for the journey that helped me find myself, sometimes since before we even started going to school. That's time I can never make up with anyone else. You were there for me in grade school when I was in the middle of my "potato phase," as we lovingly laugh about it now, and we giggled in my bedroom at night when boys were the BIGGEST deal in middle school. We all lived through the creation of Facebook and social media, and we used to talk about who had the best phone on the bus to school while jamming out together.
I got to become a true athlete for the first time with my best friends. We suffered through hundreds of practices together, and those raw emotions brought us even closer. Even though I didn't stick with it, I got the chance to support you as you continued, and I loved every second of your rants and success stories. I can't wait for more games and tales in the future.
You never abandoned me during the tough stuff, either. You guys loved me through scoliosis and self-esteem issues, always building me up. You were there in a split second after my first bad breakup and genuinely tried to buy a mountain of toilet paper to T.P. his house (but you didn't). But through every boyfriend and relationship fiasco, you were there. When I took a trip overseas with someone I thought was my friend but it exploded, you guys were my comic relief, keeping me on track. Any crisis, you were there. You always had my back in times of need, and you never hesitated to step up for me. Thank you.
Even after every movie night, trips to the lake, prom, homecomings, birthdays, and graduation parties, I still somehow convinced myself that we would never leave each other, that it was a myth that one day I would be separated from my best friends. I mean, my mom even considers you her other kids. The fact is that only you guys have been there for almost every moment of the last eighteen years; you're such a huge part of me and my story that I'm not sure where the plot goes without you. I know that this isn't the end, but as we go to our respective colleges, I will definitely miss having you just down the street.
Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on, my biggest fans, my adventure buddies, my roasting team, my therapists, my sisters, and my best friends.
Love,
Sam
