To my best friend,

Where do I even begin? Just like that, our freshman year of college has come to a close. As I lay in your room (let’s be honest, our room) and watch you pack up all of your belongings, that I watched you move in a year ago, I can’t help but let the tears flow down my face. This year has been everything I had hoped for and so much more. Together, we have faced so many ups and downs. I swear to g-d, if we even tried to tell people about half of the things we experienced this year, they would never believe us. But, through it all, you have always been by my side and that is something I will never be able to thank you enough for. In all honesty, there is so much I want to thank you for, more than I think I will ever be able to actually, physically express. However, it doesn’t hurt to try. So, without further ado….

Thank you.

Thank you for making my transition into college so much easier. Because of you, I was never worried those first few months about who I would sit next to in the library, who I would go to sports games with (oh god homecoming, that warrants its own thank you), who I would walk to classes with, and who I would eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with.

I remember the first night that our parents dropped us off at school, we headed over to West Side Dining and had the infamous mystery meat burgers. After one, we were still hungry, so we headed back up for seconds. Bad mistake. Our first night was not spent out partying but instead slumped over, in our respective bathrooms, constantly updating each other about the state of our stomachs.

Thank you for always being up for an adventure. Whether it included a short walk to the library to scan your french homework, which turned into an hour long affair because neither of us knew how to use the scanner, us getting on a train to Centereach with no plans (where we later got stranded with no money in our pockets because hey, that is just our luck), or us spending an insane amounts of money on a cab to go to CVS to get my much-needed medication.

This one goes hand in the hand with the aforementioned, but nonetheless, thank you for always coming to creepy frat parties with me and never making me wait at the SAC loop alone even when 40 mph winds threatened to rip us apart.

Thank you for always promising to hurt any boy who breaks my heart, even though we both know you way less than 100 pounds and it’s just not realistic. Hey, it’s the thought that counts.

Thank you for always spending obscene amounts of money with me. Our bank accounts have surely suffered from late night Hurricane Grill and Green Cactus runs, but of course, it was always worth it. Until we got phone calls from our parents asking where all our money went.

Thank you for always singing along. I can’t tell you how much I will always cherish those nights, we spent staying up all night singing "A Boogie" at the top of our lungs, all the while hoping we didn’t get a noise complaint from our RA.

Thank you for being honest with me 100 percent of the time. I am pretty sure, we are all aware that I'm not always the best decision maker in the world. I cannot thank you enough for always being someone I can count on to save me from myself. I'd truly be lost without your better judgment. Thank you for your opinions, they truly mean the most to me.

Thank you for being more than just my best friend but also when guys couldn’t seem to take a hint, my loving boyfriend.

Thank you for being my college mom, without you I probably would have slept through every single 8:30 class I had. You scream at me when my behavior warrants it and you always have my best interests at heart all the while offering unconditional love. I don’t know how many times I have come home from a late night out just to see your displeased face, but I truly wouldn't have it any other way. I mean c’mon, when I had to go to the hospital, even the doctor asked if you were my dad!

Thank you for always listening to what seemed like my never ending rants and life predicaments. Even I got tired of hearing myself speak about the same stupid boy but somehow you never did, or maybe you are just a good actor. Either way, thank you for reading each screenshot I sent and pretending it is just as big of a deal as I think it is.

Thank you for giving me a shoulder to cry on when I felt the world crashing at my feet and reminding me to love myself even when I thought it was impossible. You instilled me with confidence and reminded me of the beauty in myself, as well as the beauty in life and for that, I cannot thank you enough.

Thank you for accepting me and loving me for exactly who I am, especially because I know this isn’t always an easy task. I am stubborn, difficult, confusing and always “seem to be doing the most” but, somehow you still manage to put up with me. You take my good with the bad and when I question whether I have any good left, you’re always there to reassure me and show me that I do. Your unconditional and unwavering love always makes me feel as though I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

And although I could go on forever, thank you for the absolute privilege and honor of being able to call you my best friend.

Thank you for being my person.

Forever and Always,

Your best friend