To the best friend I lost along the way,

The average friendship lasts about seven years. It's a fact of life. As we grow older,

meet new people and experience new things, the friends we were once closest with can become mere strangers to us.

That means there are only seven years of sleepovers, staying up all night talking about what boys we like, our dreams and our darkest secrets.

Only seven years of constantly texting and calling each other to talk about absolutely nothing. Only seven years to be best friends, soulmates, partners in crime, and so much more. We thought our friendship was more than just a statistic, that our bond was too strong to be broken by pointless drama, distance, and the ups and downs of life. But we were wrong. Over time, we stopped constantly texting and calling each other, we stopped venting about anything and everything, and we let our friendship fizzle out. We didn't mean for it to happen, it just did. Life got in the way of our forever friendship and now we are just another part of the statistic. We let our bond expire over the course of seven years.

We got busy, we got older, matured, and expanded our interests. Boyfriends got in the way, we started hanging out with new people, and over time, we drifted apart. Now that we're in college, things have changed even more. We're separated by distance, and keeping in touch just got too hard. Life took us in separate directions, and we couldn't keep up with it. It's OK, it's nobody's fault, but there are a couple of things I want you to know.

1. I still care about you.

Even though we may no longer talk, it doesn't mean I don't care about you. I find myself scrolling through your social media accounts sometimes, looking at all the amazing things you're doing, all that you have accomplished, and I'm so proud of you. You were my best friend, I knew everything about you at one point, and I still want the best for you in this life, even if I'm not in it.

2. I miss you.

We were once so close and I miss that. I miss always tagging you in funny things I see on Facebook or Instagram. I miss our crazy adventures. I miss all of our inside jokes and the way we would make eachother laugh for no reason. I miss your friendship.

3. I hope you know I'm still always here for you.

Even though it may seem like our friendship is now something of the past, I want you to know that if you ever need anything, I will always be there. We have shared so much, been through everything together, and our friendship is something I'll never be able to throw away and forget about. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm still here, and I always will be.

4. I'm sorry.

I want you to know how sorry I am for watching our friendship drift apart and not doing anything to stop it. For letting life get in the way, and for not trying hard enough to maintain our friendship. I just got so caught up in my everyday life, let time get the best of me, and before I knew it, our friendship had changed. I regret not reaching out more, not trying harder, and i'm sorry for that.

5. I want the best for you.

I want you to be happy, to make amazing new friendships, experience new things and live your life to the fullest. You deserve all the best things in life, and I only want to see you succeed. You are so hardworking, thoughtful and caring, and I know that whatever you do, you will thrive and accomplish all that you want. Although I won't be by your side to celebrate, know that I'm happy for you.

There have been countless times when all I've wanted to do was pick up my phone and call you. To tell you about the best or worst day of my life. I sometimes think about calling you to tell you all the things I've just listed out, but I always stop myself, because as sad as it is, we are in different places in our lives, and our friendship couldn't withstand the seven year expiration date. But who knows-- maybe one day we'll reconnect, make up for lost time and pick up right where we left off. Or maybe we won't. Regardless, I'm thankful for the time we had as best friends, for all the memories we've made together, and all the laughs we've had along the way. I wouldn't take our friendship back for anything, and I will always cherish those seven years we we're lucky enough to have.

Love always,

The best friend you lost along the way