Hey,

I've heard a lot about you. Not all bad of course. I've heard about all of the good times you had with my best friend and how much her mom loved you. I've heard about the trips y'all use to take, and I've seen tons of pictures of you two together. I know y'all were inseparable, and could always make each other laugh. I know that she was there for you when it felt like your own family wasn't and I know her family treated you as their own.

I also know that she loved you. My best friend loved you with all of her heart. She would have bent over backwards and gone to the ends of the earth for you. She thought you were going to be there with her walking hand in hand on y'all's first day of college. She thought you were going to be her maid of honor in her wedding. She thought y'all were going to have kids and they would grow up together, being best friends just like y'all were. She trusted you with her secrets. She told you about her dreams. She believed with every ounce of herself that y'all would be friends for life and nothing could break apart the bond that y'all shared. You were basically sisters.

But sadly, college changes people. You changed. You abandoned her. You became caught up in the life of frat parties and drinking, a life she wasn't about. But she waited patiently hoping you would come back. You made new friends to suit your new lifestyle and gradually the texts between the two of you became less and far between. You no longer included her in any of your plans. She reached out to you, only to be let down time and time again.

You must be wondering how I know so much. It's because I was there. I was there to send her encouraging messages, ensuring her that you didn't hate her. I was there the times she cried, not knowing what she did wrong, and why she was losing you. I was there to go to lunch with her because you didn't respond to her text. I was there to calm her nerves on the first day of classes, and late at night when school was overwhelming her. I was there for her to share her secrets and plans, and I am still here, being her best friend. I was there because you weren't.

But don't think I hate you. And please don't think she hates you. She still loves you and cares about you more than you know. You took up such a big place in her heart, that she can't not love you. She speaks so highly of you, and misses all of the good times y'all shared. She wishes things were different. She is such a good person, that she forgives you. She is understanding of the way things have played out, and she is moving on.

But let me tell you this: She deserves a best friend that's constant. She deserves someone that isn't going to turn their back on her when things get tough. She deserves someone that values their relationship with her more than the guy of the moment, who isn't guaranteed to stay. She deserves someone that will give her attention, and include her. She deserves someone that will communicate with her when there is a conflict or tension, instead of avoiding her altogether. She deserves to know that the person she has carefully selected to be her best friend, isn't going to easily leave. She is the kind of person you cannot help but love, and she deserves the world.

Personally, I would like to thank you. Because without all of this, I would not have her as my best friend. She walked into my life at the perfect moment. She is patient. She is kind. She has a beautiful heart. She encourages me daily, and strengthens my walk with God. We are so much alike that it blows my mind. We can do anything and have a good time, even if it is studying. I can see why you chose her to be your best friend, and it makes me sad to think you are no longer around to enjoy the beauty of who she is. But we think about you. We pray for you. And maybe one day you will wander back into her life. I hope you do because I know how much she would love that. But until then, I will be here to fill in the spot.

And if you don't come back, then that's okay. I hope you find a new best friend that's all you could want and more. I'm grateful to have found mine, and I couldn't have done that without you.

So thank you. I wish you the best, because everyone deserves to have a friend.

Love,

The friend who took your place