Maybe it was our great exodus from the same friend group. Or the fact that all you needed was support and that’s all I showed you. Or that we didn’t talk all the time. But out of nowhere, you became my best friend.

When people ask me when we became friends, I know the time period: when it was my sophomore and your freshman year, and we were both in band, which made our connection even easier. But I can’t place the moment we met. Nor when we became best friends and you became my adopted sister and my family’s favorite.

Everyone knows the story of the tortoise and the hare – the tortoise and the hare race each other because the hare so confidently believes he’s the fastest. Our friendship developed like the tortoise, slowly but surely over three years. It did not waver, but kept moving forward. There was no breaks but instead a steady progression. Then there were relationships that resembled the hare, friendships I pushed for and pursued that had a world of problems because I wanted them to be these best friendship. A confident one, like the hare. But just like the hare who slept during the race, those friendships took steps back. Even in those steps back, I thought it would all work out. Overconfidence was my folly. When the hare woke up, when I took a step back from everything, there was the tortoise crossing the finish line.

I didn’t think that this friendship would turn into what it is now, because no one believed the tortoise would finish first. And I think that’s the best kind of friendships--the ones you don’t see coming. The relationships that just develop with time and always end up being a pleasant surprise because there wasn’t anything expected.

So thank you. Thank you for coming up from behind and showing me the love and support I so needed when the hare fell asleep. Because, like the tortoise, you saw right through the hare. You saw that I was overzealous with friends who in the end wouldn’t care. You knew I was in over my head when I thought I had made friends for life. When everything exploded you quietly held my hair and dried my tears.

You.

Never.

Wavered.

Now we don’t talk 24/7. I’m actually grateful for that because every time we hang out, there’s always news to tell. There’s never time wasted. The time in the future will be limited further, but I’m confident. I’m confident because friendships I’ve desperately pursued have an expiration date of a year. You’ve witnessed this. You’re not only my best friend, but you're also my sister, so I can guarantee this:

I.

Won’t

Waver.

I can’t thank you enough for being the best friend that just came about.

With all my love,

Erika

P.S. Thank you for being the B. Davis to my P. Sawyer.