Hey dude,

One of the first things I said when you were born was, “I would love him more if he was a girl.” Weirdly enough, it turns out I was wrong about that. Although I’d always wanted a little sister, I’ve grown to love you more than I thought I would all those years ago. You don’t steal my clothes like a sister would, after all.

As we’ve grown up, we hang out all the time. Of course, we still annoy each other, especially when I’m home from school for a while, but I can honestly call you one of my best friends. My roommates know you because we FaceTime at least a couple times a week. My sorority sisters know about you because I've talked about my goofy little brother who loves to dab and how he actually makes a distinct noise when he does. I love how close we are, and I can’t wait to see our bond get even stronger as we continue to grow up.

We have fun together. Whenever it’s just the two of us alone in my car, we jam to anything and everything. We watch movies, and sometimes musicals, together. We go out to eat together (usually with Mom’s money, because we’re both poor). We even do nothing together, and that’s more than okay with me sometimes.

It’s sort of nice to pretend that I’m your idol, even though you’ve never even said anything like that to me. I just like the idea that I can do something positive with my life, even if it’s as little as inspiring you to consider doing something you wouldn’t otherwise have done. Just like the writer of our favorite musicals, Lin Manuel Miranda, always talks about, I want to leave some kind of legacy on the world. It’s really awesome to watch you grow up and know that I have at least a small impact on who you become.

I’m unbelievably proud of you, do you know that? You’re a freshman in high school, and you’re already realizing the importance of thinking about your future. You’re paying attention to your grades. You’re looking into the same early college program that I did when I was in high school. You’re talking about going to the same college that I’m at – although, I planned on being somewhere completely different than Central when I was a freshman, so I won’t be mad if you change your mind. I won’t even be mad if you decide to go to Western (it might be fun to be rivals, after all). I just want you to choose whatever school will make you the best possible version of yourself.

I want you to remember that I’ll always be here for you. You can talk to me about anything, even future relationships (but I’ll probably still tease you about it, sorry not sorry). Actually, I’ll probably tease you about almost anything, but what are sisters for? You tease me too; it’s only fair. But seriously, you inspire me to be the best person I can possibly be. Thank you.

Love,

Your older sister