Happy birthday, my friend. I hope that your day was filled with nothing but carefree smiles and boisterous laughs. Because you deserve them. You deserve to have all of your days filled with genuine smiles and laughs, and to be surrounded by people who fill your heart with nothing but joy.

And I’m sorry that I could no longer be that for you.

But why did you have to leave the way you did? With no goodbye. With no explanation of where you were going or why. One second you were texting my mom and the next you were gone. One day we were taking a picture at prom and the next you were demanding your shorts back – the last words you spoke to me.

Was it that easy? Was it really that easy for you to leave? To just one day wake up and decide that you want nothing to do with me anymore. To unfriend me on Facebook and unfollow me on Instagram and Twitter? Because I am still interested in your life. In your accomplishments. I still want to see that Vine that you retweet, because you know what? I’ll probably think it’s funny too. I want to know about all the accomplishments you are making in your collegiate careers. I want to know where I could send a letter to you while you’re on your mission, or know that you are still crushing the game as a Biology major (because man I dropped out so fast, but props to you for still going at it), or see that you are taking steps to run D.C. one day like you planned. I still care. I still care about you and your accomplishments and your goals.

And I really hope you still care about mine.

And I still care about your families. Your siblings. And I promise you my parents just stopped asking about you. I miss being able to walk into your house, whether you were home or not, and feel like it was my house too. I miss riding around with you and your brother in his truck before we could drive. And then being your road dog once you finally got your license. I miss going to get mall Chinese food and Olive Garden’s endless salad and breadsticks you.

But even though we are no longer making memories, I will hold the ones that we did make close to my heart forever. And if I could be honest really quick, sometimes it still hurts. Sometimes I’ll be up looking at pictures of us and want to shoot you a text. I miss your carefree smiles and boisterous laughs, man.

I hope one day we are able to bump into each other at WaHo again and actually say “Hi.” I hope that we are able to do the small talk well, and that you care about my quick life update as much as I care about yours. Because I do care about yours. I care about you still. And I am rooting for you always.

I miss you, man, all of you. And I really do hope that this letter finds you well.

Happy Birthday,

Your Ex-Best Friend

(Inspired by TSM)