To my best friend Carly,

Despite having gone our separate ways for college, you will always be one of my best friends. We have known each other since before our freshman year of high school, and it has been a wild ride.

For starters, although five years have passed since we met, you will not let me live down the fact that I asked you for your number and how you find that hilarious. It’s a miracle that we became best friends after that or thinking back on that would be a lot more embarrassing!

The following summer is one that I will never forget. Summer 2010 was when we started talking, and you made me go over my texting plan (before unlimited texts became the light of my life). I’m fairly certain that a majority of my time in Disney World that summer was spent listening to my parents ask whom I could possibly be talking to so frequently. That summer was not the last time that I would hear that question while talking on the phone with you.

After that summer came high school, and those were four weird years. Somehow we only had two actual classes together for all four years (not including ethics class, which we swore that we would never relive), but we made the most of those classes. Of course, geometry and U.S. hstory were my two weakest classes freshman and junior year, so you witnessed my incessant questions and begging for help during final exams. I’m still not quite sure how you survived both classes with me because my whining alone should have easily sent you running out the door.

My favorite part of those classes were the inside jokes that we came up with, and boy, there were plenty. I still have four yearbooks full of the jokes that we created and honestly, I doubt that if I look in those books now that I’d remember more than a handful of those corny moments. It’s probably for the best though because then we can deny how dorky we are individually, let alone how we get when we’re together.

The most surreal part about being best friends with you, Carly, is that the time has gone by so quickly. It seems like only yesterday we were silly eighth graders who had no concept of how to be away from our families for such extended periods of time. We’ve come a long way though. Now, we spend most of our time in different states, you in New York and me in Connecticut. Despite living separate lives and going to different colleges, our friendship is still strong. Even when we don’t always have time to talk, we’re always able to pick up where we left off. Most of the time, all our conversations need is one of us sending the other a ridiculous photo from Tumblr that we found when we should be studying or sleeping.

I couldn’t ask for a better friend than you, Carly, and quite frankly, I’m wonderful so I know that you feel the same way about me.

Love,
Your Best Friend Ari.

P.S. It occurred to me that you will not be able to read this until you return from China at the end of the month. Safe travels!