At first, I didn't believe you were gone.

You just couldn't be. You were always so full of life, energy, hopes, and dreams. That couldn't just go away. You couldn't just disappear.

We had lost contact for the last few years, but that didn't make finding out about your passing any easier. I just don't understand how someone so young could suddenly just be gone.

You were one of the sweetest, smartest, funniest people I've ever met. I remember meeting you in middle school. We had almost every class together. Our humor automatically drew us to each other and you became what I looked forward to seeing every day.

Growing up with an abusive father was never easy. I always wanted to tell somebody, but didn't know how. For some reason, I trusted you enough to tell you. You were the first person I ever told, and you didn't pity me. You didn't tell me you were sorry, you told me you understood. That was the only response I could've ever wanted.

You were just so interested in things about me nobody else ever cared about. You asked to read my writing, and I was stunned. Why would this boy want to read my writing? But you made me promise to email you some pieces of my work. The next day, you gave me a hug and told me I was amazing. Because of that exact moment, I have continued writing six years later.

We went our separate ways since, and I couldn't regret it more. Was there something I could've done to prevent this?

You were so loved, special, amazing, different. So different than most in this generation. You saw the world and life in your own way.

Saying goodbye to you was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It broke my heart to see you lying there, but I needed to see you just one last time.

I will love and miss you every day. Your kindness made the biggest impact on me. I will never forget you. Rest in peace, my friend. I'll see you again someday.

"We all lose friends. We lose them in death, to distance, and over time. But even though they may be lost, hope is not. The key is to keep them in your heart, and when the time is right, you can pick up the friendship right where you left off. Even the lost find their way home, when you leave the light on." - Amy Marie Walz