Dear best friend (who's not so close to me right now),

First of all, I want to say thank you. Thank you for being there for me even though we're at different colleges right now. Thank you for picking up my phone calls, responding to my text messages, and FaceTiming me when I'm happy, sad, angry, or anywhere in between. Thank you for all you do, even though we're far away from each other.

I was kind of worried the summer before college because so much was about to change. We spent all of high school together - we had countless adventures and made so many memories. But college was going to bring change; it was going to bring an end to the surprise sleepovers and the late night Cookout runs. I was scared that we'd grow apart and lead our separate lives without each other.

But we haven't and now I'm confident that we won't. It's so exciting to call each other with our crazy stories about what happens in our dorms or about the people we meet. When something funny happens, you're the first person I want to tell. We get to tell each other about our classes - what excites us, what doesn't, and what our plans for the future are. I get to watch you grow as a person and that's exciting.

I miss you so much. I count down the days until I can see you again. When I do see you, nothing has changed. We just resume where we left off, and that's special. And we get to tell our stories in person and laugh until we can't breathe. Time spent with you is wonderful. As cheesy as it sounds, distance does make the heart grow fonder. Being at college has made me realize, even more so than before, how lucky I am to have you.

I get homesick sometimes. But when I talk to you, that melts away because you're a little piece of home to me. I don't have to be anybody but myself when I talk to you because you already know me. It's such a relief.

College is just another one of our big adventures. We get to experience this together, and I'm forever grateful.