This is for Nicole, my best friend.

It is that time of year again. Summer is ending and school is starting. It is the time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It also means that quite a few of us are going to be headed off to college. And while this is exciting and we have been planning this day since we knew what college even was, there are quite a few goodbyes to get out of the way first. Almost every goodbye is as hard as the last, but one seems to stick out more than the others. So here is one last thing I'd like to say as we spend our last little bit of time together before we move on to bigger and better things.

Dear best friend,

First of all, I love you. I love you more than the moon and the stars and all the cheesy analogies combined. As we head off to college I just want you to know that you are the greatest friend I ever had and that will never change. No matter how many new people I meet, and no matter how many new people I connect with, none could ever replace you.

It seems like just yesterday we were 10-years-old, trying to decide what we wanted to do at recess. I have spent most of my life being your friend--and what a ride it has been. Do you remember all the times we cried together? All the times I made you laugh until your eyes filled up with tears? I hope you never forget. I hope you never forget the time we decided it was a good idea to eat snacks, pizza, and tacos and our tummies hurt. I hope you never forget our senior year, when we hung out after school more times than not. The secrets we shared and the countless unforgettable moments. Please don't forget.

Never again will we be in high school together and never again will we share a lunch table with 10 of our other close friends. I won't be able to come over anymore when I'm sad, or show up at your house wanting snacks whenever I want. We will never share long afternoons after work out at the park laughing about God-knows-what. But even though this is all coming to an end--I won't cry too much. You wanna know why? Because you are my best friend and that is never going to change. Our friendship is the one thing that I am sure of and as much as it hurts to say goodbye and go our separate ways, it doesn't mean our paths will never cross again.

We came into each others lives for a reason--and I intend for you to stay there. I will miss you more than you will ever know. But as every single cheesy going-away line says, "It's not a goodbye, it's a see ya later."

Love you always,

Your best friend.