Technically speaking, I met my best friend in kindergarten. But it wasn't until five years later, in 5th grade, that we actually became more than just acquaintances.

We were paired together by chance, or by fate - who knows - but we worked on a project together (long live Asian elephants). And then we became a team. The two of us, always together, inseparable. Whether we were hanging out with teachers after school (nerds) or decorating their classrooms (losers) or obsessing over this random band I found on YouTube from overseas (One Direction before they were...anything), we were in on it together.

Flash forward to middle school graduation and the looming dark cloud that crept in over our heads... high school. She was going to the local public school, and I was not, and for the first time, we wouldn't see each other every day. We wouldn't walk to each other's lockers or make fun of the same teachers or tease each other when our crush was near. Our time together was over, at least in a classroom setting, and now it was up to us whether we wanted to hang out or not.

And that's the funniest part. It's when you stop seeing each other that you start caring about each other. I mean really, genuinely caring for one another. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, and maybe it does, but it certainly reminds the heart what's important and instructs the head what the next move should be, ie. reaching out, catching up, making up for missed time.

Nyla and I didn't talk every day, but we still talked, and about important stuff that not all my friends were privy to, either. We brought the old feelings of familiarity and understanding to the table, and mixed them with the new, fresh versions of ourselves now that we were "older" and "wiser." Somehow, our conversations never got stale and every time we met up it felt like nothing had changed. We cycled through classes, boyfriends, friendships, random vain breakdowns, confessions, tears and laughs, and still had something to talk about at the end of the day. No topic was ever too gross, too boring or too weird.

Then we went off to college, again to different schools, even different states this time. And yet, we're still kicking. Hell, she's literally on the other side of the globe right now and we're still kicking (special shoutout to Australia, "mates"). I don't know what would have happened if we had decided to go to the same high school, or even college, but I feel stronger for having made it over those obstacles anyway. Relationships are bound to get tested at some point, that's just nature's way. And being young is a crazy time; you're confused, you're lost, you're cool, then you're not, you're hopeless and you're hopeful all at the same time. So to have a relationship that not only passes the test, but one that makes it through during a time of such turbulence... well, that's truly something special.

I always hear that "real friends are the family you choose" and I really do believe that. Like family, good friendships survive despite distance and passage of time. No questions asked. Friends are not people who come in and out of your life based on when it's convenient for them, they're people who will find a way to connect with you even in the most unlikely of times.

It might seem like you'd be lost without your best friend by your side every day, but I have learned that that's not the case. Best friends aren't meant to suffocate you, they're meant to support you. It doesn't matter how old you get or how far you go because if they really care about you, your friendship will not be deterred by mere speed bumps that come up along the way. I learned that distance truly does mean so little when someone means so much, and that the time you spend with someone does not always correlate to the bond you share with them.

Don't be afraid to do your own thing, be your own person. At the end of the day, the ones who matter will still be there, cheering you on.