Dear Best Friends (because there's more than one of you, which actually defeats the purpose of the term "best" but who cares),

You're actually probably sick of hearing me say it but: I love you guys. You've always been there when I needed you and, more importantly, when I didn't think I did. I know I can be...well, much sometimes, but you've stuck with me anyway. All of you have always been so open with me and accepting of me for who I am. I can't help that I want to scream it to anyone who will listen that I love you and will fight for you with everything that I have.

I remember how it felt after I moved cities and what it was like walking into the one-story building deemed the small town's high school. I remember being a bit...snippy, schooling my face into a practiced façade of indifference as I roamed the halls, looking for which classrooms were mine. The piece of paper with my schedule on it was so confusing to me, and I already felt so out of place. It was like a dream I was slowly becoming aware of, the uncomfortable feeling of nothing and everything being real all at once. There was an itch crawling under my skin, under my fingernails, scuttling like ants up and down my body. My heart raced. I refused to make eye contact with anyone as I shouldered my way through hallways to and from classes.

The only thing that washed a calm over me at the time and quelled the intense feeling of loneliness was the incessant vibrations of my cell phone. It was you, my best friend from the city, that will always be home. I could still talk to you, and that made me feel immensely less lonely if only for a few minutes. I know I wasn't the best person to be talking to then, and I appreciate that you would continue to text me anyway. Even when, through the next handful of years, those texts didn't come as frequently. You still became one of the only people, if not the only person, from home who really kept in touch -- who was as stubborn as I am.

And then, amidst the suffocating feeling of empty loneliness, I met another of you. I remember that day so clearly. Up until that day, whatever time had passed had been a blur, blending into one another so seamlessly that it had all begun to seem so pointless. I'm fairly certain that you saved my life that day. Everything up until that point had been building up...nothing stacked upon nothing, further hollowing out an already empty shell, accompanied by an orchestra of silence...and it had all seemed pointless.

It was gym class. We had started the unit on volleyball. I had always sucked at volleyball. Not only that, that day had been more of a free-for-all, pick-your-teams, try-to-participate volleyball instruction. I didn't exactly know anyone, so I stepped back from the court and just watched my classmates. Everyone was participating somehow. Everyone except for me...and you.

I didn't know how to approach you, so I watched you for a bit. I recognized the way you carried yourself, the way you watched everyone else. Just watching you, I felt a kindred spirit and suddenly, I didn't feel so alone anymore. I knew I had to say something. If I didn't right then, I never would. I didn't know what to say to you, I didn't know how to be sure I'd make a friend. So, I walked over, stood beside you and said the first thing that came to mind: "I like your shoes."

It seems so ridiculous now. I like your shoes. I said that instead of something normal, like Hi, my name is Jackie, what's yours? But, I guess you either didn't think it was so strange and awkward or maybe you sensed the same familiarity in me that I had in you. We talked and when the next semester came, we discovered we shared another class. In a rather short time, we became rather inseparable (though I didn't exactly give you much choice on that having practically stuck myself to your side whenever I could).

If you minded, you never said. You saved my life, simply by being you and letting me be a part of your life. I will never be able to repay that debt, but I will do everything and anything I can to try.

And last, but not least, there's the one who took the header picture for this article. The one who I've always just been on the same wavelength as. The one who will be a mom, sister and friend as needed, all wrapped up into one being.

With you, I've always felt like I could tell you anything. You made me feel like I wasn't quite so out of place in whatever I was doing or saying because you were doing and saying the same things. You feel comfortable talking to me, sharing things with me. You know that I will never judge you and that you can always talk out your problems with me. You know that I'll do the same with you. You keep me sane and know that you could ask anything of me.

Need models for a photoshoot for a photography class? I've got you. Need help packing? I'm on my way. Just need to get away for a little bit? Let's go.

I remember you drove down for a couple days to hang out. You needed a brief escape, and I needed a familiar face and change. It hadn't been long ago that I had had a severe anxiety attack. I hadn't been able to breathe, tears spilled down my face. I hadn't really made any friends yet, and I needed the comfort of someone who knew me.

You were there as soon as you could possibly be, for as long as you possibly could be.

Dear Best Friends, you are all in my heart, at all times of the day. You have all saved me, at one time or another. You continue to do so now. You all hold a different vital part of me and share a power over me greater than any I have ever granted any other individual. You all have a power to break me. Yet, I am not scared of this fact.

I have known you all for countless years. Honestly, it feels like I've known you all for lifetimes, and with that time comes an unparalleled amount of trust.

A trust that you would never take advantage of all the things I would do for you if you ask. A trust that you would never take the power you hold and abuse it. A trust that soothes even the most chaotic of worries and thoughts into a lull of contentment.

With Everything I Am,

Your Friend