At one point, we were complete strangers. I had no idea who you were, and you had never even heard my name.

Doesn't that seem so long ago?

And now, over five years later, I barely remember what it was like to not be best friends.

And so I want to say thank you.

Thank you for becoming my best friend. Thank you for being my Algebra II buddy, talking with me through class and keeping me from math boredom. It was here that we bonded over boys, musicals, and everything else that high schoolers talk about.

Thank you for being there when I needed you most. For helping me through my bad times, my down days, my horrible breakups. For being there when I cried or when I just needed to talk.

Thank you for talking some sense into me. You have been there through most of my relationships, giving me advice and telling me what I needed to hear. Thank you for telling me that I deserve better, for being honest and never holding back.

Thank you for our girl's nights. Thank you for our times at Los Mariachis, sitting at the bar and talking about our lives. Thank you for loving the cheese dip just as much as I do and for never turning down a second order.

Thank you for being the extrovert to my introvert. For never being afraid to ask the question that I can't.

Thank you for not judging me. Sometimes, I don't always make sense -- I say something weird, confide in you, or eat far more than I should. I don't know what I would do without our judgement free zone. I love going to the store and buying two pints of ice cream -- one for me and one for you -- and not having to worry about how you'll judge me if I eat the entire thing in one sitting.

Thank you for being absolutely hilarious. You tell the best stories and always say what's on your mind. Everything becomes 100% funnier when you're around.

Thank you for understanding that we're both adults and that friendship won't always be easy. Sometimes, we can't hang out when I'm in town. Sometimes, we go for weeks without talking. Thank you for not hating me when I'm terrible at texting, or giving up on our friendship when neither of us has the time to hang out.

Thank you for not being too intimidated by the distance -- I know that there are about 100 miles between us, but I'm so happy that we have still managed to be friends through it all.

And, most of all, thank you for sticking it out. Thank you for being the best friend that a girl could have.

There is so much that I want to thank you for but, try as I might, I will never be able to. You know me better than anyone and I know that no matter what life may through at us, no matter the complications or distance, we will always be friends.

So thank you for being the stranger beside me in Algebra II those five years ago. And thank you for becoming so much more.