To my unbiological sister,
As this semester starts to wind down, I keep finding myself thinking back to my favorite memories of freshman year, and I realized something. You are in every one of them. One random Thursday in October, when my hair was black and yours was still long, we went out together with the floor. I don’t think we even made it to a party, but that night was the beginning of a friendship that changed my life.
We say it all the time but I'll say it again: I really don’t know what I’d do without you. From texting each other when we see our crushes in the caf, to blasting Biggie when we get ready, to the many, many late night Domino’s trips, you’ve become more than just another college friend. You’re my sister, occasionally my mom, the person I share all the cute puppy pictures I find on Twitter with, and one of the people who inspires me the most.
Becoming friends with you meant that I now always have someone to go to, for anything, even the things I didn’t want to or was afraid to talk about. Most people don’t realize how private a person I am and that there are so many things I don’t talk about, but you pretty much know it all. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so comfortable opening up to someone - and it is still something I’m getting used to - but without you, I would be keeping a lot more to myself. You listen to me and care about me, and make sure that I’m OK and for that I thank you.
Everyone, you especially, knows I am probably the queen of questionable life choices and don’t always do what I know is best for me. If I had a dollar for every time I went to do something and you told me it was a bad idea, I'd be out of student loan debt forever. Sometimes I listen, but sometimes I go ahead and do what I want anyway. I seriously can’t thank you enough for letting me do my own thing, regardless if you agree or not, and still being there for me when I realize I should have listened to you all along.
The only thing better than living three doors down from one of your best friends is when they are the same size as you. I never thought I’d meet someone who loves American Eagle and owns as many jeans as much as me, but I am not complaining. Thursdays aren't really Thursdays if we're not running back and forth to each other's rooms debating what to wear. You wear some of my clothes more than I do and vice versa. Also, thank you for being patient and not getting mad when I don’t return your stuff for a week because we all know that I wait until the last possible second to do my laundry.
I used to let so many things slide and let people treat me badly because I was afraid to stand up for myself, but one of the first things I noticed about you was that you aren’t like that. You call people out if they mistreat you and demand to be returned the respect and kindness that you give to people. I’ve also realized that since we became friends, I have developed a backbone and don’t put up with people’s BS anymore, and I credit my new-found confidence to you.
The hardest part of next year will be waking up in an apartment every morning and not having you right down the hall from me. Not being able to walk into your room and share ridiculous stories about the night before is something I'll have to adjust to, but I know that this is definitely just the beginning of one of the best friendships I’ve ever had. Thank you for being my friend, but more importantly, thank you for making me a better person. Here’s to the rest of college, and the rest of our lives together (because you already know that you’re stuck with me until we are the old ladies in the nursing home flirting with the cutest guys and ordering pizza at 2 a.m.).
Ily,
Maddy.
