Dear new friends,

Wow, it’s hard to believe I’ve only known you for a few months - it feels like we’ve been friends for years.

I don’t remember how we met. I’m sure there’s a story there, but the details are already fuzzy. I don’t remember what drew us to be friends, or why we kept hanging out together, or when we officially became friends. I’m sad that I don’t know the details, but none of those things really matter, because I know you now, and I’m happy about that.

I know I might joke around and insult you constantly, but I mean it when I say that you are so important to me. Some of my fondest memories of the last semester and a half include you guys, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t remember the details of when we met, but I remember everything since then. Every story I tell about college starts with “my friends and I…” and then ends with me laughing hysterically at whatever crazy thing we did that time. You are the story of my freshman year, and that story will live on forever.

So consider this letter a thank you. Thank you for making me smile when I’m in a bad mood. Thank you for making me laugh so hard I start to cry. Thank you for all the movie nights and late-night adventures, and for staying up really late with me even though we all have 8 AM classes the next day. Thank you for going to football and basketball games with me, and for not thinking I’m creepy when I obsess over the players. Thank you for forcing me to do my homework, and for helping me find interesting places to sit and study. Thank you for spending basically every waking hour with me and still not being sick of me.

But more importantly, thank you for being my friends. I was terrified of starting college and of coming to a place where I knew almost no one. I was terrified that no one here would want to be my friend, that no one would like me, that I wouldn’t fit in. I was terrified that the people here would be too cool to hang out with someone like me, and I was convinced everyone would hate me. But you didn’t. You accepted me and all my quirks, you befriended me, and you made me feel like a part of this school and this community. And, most importantly, you made me feel loved, and you continue to make me feel loved. And for that, I can’t thank you enough. You’ve become more than just my friends - you’re my second family now. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, and I can’t remember a time that I didn’t know you. Your presence in my life is something I didn’t know I needed.

So thank you. For everything. I love you guys, and I always will.

Love,