I know I graduated in a small class; my new friends at college like to remind me that I came from the middle of nowhere, a place generalized as “Hicktown,” but that’s something to be visited later.

So I graduated in about a class of 90, which was plenty enough people to have a variety of personalities, but also few enough to know almost all of these people and know them well. So here we are, about seven months after graduation, and how many people that I “knew” do I still talk to? Three.

And this letter is for you three.

The relationship I have with the three of you differs greatly, but I love you all differently.

Thank you for not only being my friend for those four years, but for also being my friend when we don’t see each other more than a couple times a semester.

Good times especially, I can’t thank you all enough for. Whether it was playing board games at my house until someone was ready to rage-flip the Clue board, driving to sporting events and listening to the shotgun rider’s mediocre (read: crappy) music through weak or blown speakers, or even watching someone attempting to eat Qdoba’s the day after having wisdom teeth removed or scarfing down an entire medium order of Buffalo Wild Wings, I never had a dull moment when we were together. While now I wonder how I was able to afford the almost weekly food runs and $4 sporting events we adventured on, I wouldn’t have it any other way if I could change it.

Good times or bad times, it didn’t matter. Throughout my four years, I knew I could call any of you and likely get an answer, or (if I was desperate lucky) you’d be at my house or I’d be at yours in less than 10. Anything from a bad test grade, an argument with my parents, or a fight with another friend, I knew I had someone to rant to. Not to mention, I would hopefully return the favor.

Let me tell you, it’s even better know that I can call you when I’m dying in college because that happens at a higher frequency than it did in high school.

Okay, so yes, people do say that high school friendships are much easier to maintain now because we have social media right at our fingertips, but let’s be real here. To the people who I didn’t have the intent of keeping in touch with (or vice versa), our Snapchat streaks died in the first two weeks of college. That’s okay, we’re still friends, but not as close. To the rest of you (like one of you), we’re still going strong. :-))))

Social media doesn’t have an impact on the fact that we’ve hung out together (possibly more than once) on our breaks. Screen time doesn’t equal face time, but we’ve managed that.

I’m not upset about anything, really. I mean, each and every one of us stood there on graduation, and we knew that we were done with each other, for the most part. The beauty of graduating and moving on is that we can choose to stay in touch with and continue to create memories with those we want to and leave behind and remember the memories of those we don’t. I’m not sad about the falling out with other people because we still are friends; they’re just not my go-to people.

Thank you for being my people.