Everyone makes mistakes in high school. It’s inevitable. My biggest ones happened to be getting wrapped up in people who didn’t care about me as much as I thought they did, and letting other people slip away in the process.

I’d like to dedicate this letter to the friends who found their way back into my life. You left for a reason, and God knows I probably deserved it, but I can’t thank you enough for allowing us to let bygones be bygones.

Whether you left because of drama over a boy, or because I overstepped my boundaries, or because I simply wasn’t acting like a good friend at the time, thank you for allowing me to once again be a part of your life.

Not everyone can be as forgiving about certain situations, I’m guilty of holding grudges myself, but in those moments that you looked at me and allowed yourself to laugh about the mistakes we had both made, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace.

As it turns out, a lot of times, the people that you do not get along with are the people that you are completely similar with. I was not too fond of myself sophomore year, so when I saw a lot of myself in you, I think it became easier for me to push you away. Granted, you probably understood me better than anyone else could have, and that is probably what scared me the most.

The important thing is, now you are one of closest friends.

You are one of my coffee dates, my music sharers, my go-tos, and the people that often understand parts of my past better than anyone else, because you lived it with me. You lived the same experiences as I did, you encountered the same people and the same heartbreak.

Honestly, being able to talk and laugh with you about those people and those memories is one of my favorite things, and I could never take it for granted.

So thank you.

Thank you for forgiving the immature, boy-crazy, inconsiderate person that was sophomore year-me.

Thank you for laughing about “the dark ages”—the times we did not talk.

Thank you for reminding me that forgiveness can bring back the greatest people into your life.

Thank you for being there for me for the past year, when we reconnected, and I was a mess, and you helped me get through it.

Thank you for finding your way back to me.

Thank you for being my friend.