Dear friend,

Going to college has made me realize the value of having people you can always depend on because dropping everything and going to a new place without close friends has been quite the change. My lifestyle switched, and this time I had to do it without you beside me the whole time, something I have never done before. It was a lot different than I thought it would be, and even though I am glad for all that I have learned, I wish I could have started out with a familiar face and someone to make me laugh after I got my first bad grade, or someone to wake me up when my nap went too long and tell me to eat dinner before the dining halls (sadly) closed.

But at the same time, I know only a best friend would tell me they refuse to go into a bookstore with me because they’re afraid of how long I’ll be there, or distract me from studying because there’s just too much to say. From refusing to let me play my music in the car, to picking all the songs I hate on purpose, to eating my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup even though you hate it, I know deep down that I’ll never have the same kind of friendship with you that I do with anyone else. I am, however, grateful for our time apart, because now I know how much more it means to have you around all of the time, and I can share my experiences with you before you have to go out into the world, too.

And while I have been blessed to have a group of people around me who love me and support me, I still find myself looking for things that make me think of you when I start to get a little homesick. It’s not just because we’re terrible at texting since we’re so used to being together, or that I miss sitting on your bed right when you’re about to sleep and telling you every crazy thought in my head until 2 a.m. the night before a test. You’re my best friend because you can look at me and tell that I’m stressing out, and that I’m just overcomplicating the most basic of problems. You know when to give me advice, and when to pretend you’re listening and just let me figure it out.

Most of all, I love you because you’re my family. Being at home wouldn’t be the same without you, and out of all the things to do on my breaks from college, I would rather drive to McDonald's with you at midnight just to get out and enjoy you. From writing with matching Blue’s Clues crayons before it was cool, to Facetiming you at one in the morning, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my brother.

With love always,
Rio