To my girls back home, the ten girls that know me inside and out, forwards, backwards and upside down, the best group chat under multiple names that should not be repeated in an article for the world to see, the members of "Skid and Tina Rock",

Thank you for three years of laughing at each other over stupid things, adventures, late nights, gatherings, heart to hearts, concerts, lunch and dinner dates and everything under the sun. There is nothing I value more than the times I spent with you guys, happy as ever and not caring about anything in the world. It was around my girls, my best friends, that I truly felt happy in high school, that nothing was too terrible.

Thank you for listening to my problems late at night, passing around a small pouch of Boy Scout popcorn and telling our secrets to each other. The few times we used that, I felt us grow closer as friends and soon, we didn't need to pass the small child around the mashed circle we were formed in, because we were all close enough at that point. I remember our first Christmas as a group and the chaos that came from buying EVERYONE presents. I still have a lot of them in my room-even the original picture Bridget gave us.

Thank you for letting me be myself. In the years that I hated who I was, doubted everything about myself and refused to cheer up and see the brighter side of life, you all stuck by me and were my rocks. The days when I was in school and not talking, you made me laugh and smile, giving me a reason to look forward to the next day. I was able to be goofy and silly and just downright weird when I was around all of you--something that I feel like I took for granted a lot of the time because there are truly no people quite like my girls.

Thank you for lifting me up and letting me see that I am worth the compliments I get, and the nice words that are passed by me. You helped build my confidence, self esteem and outlook on life up when all three of them were the lowest they could be.

Thank you for the car rides, the bus rides, the random trips to the mall, the mornings in the Cabrini parking lot, the days in homeroom, those days at the lunch tables when all of us wanted to cry and run away because of math and the strange conversations we would share.

Thank you for helping me understand that I'm not my thoughts in my head, the things that happened in my past and my flaws, fault and mistakes. On top of that, thank you for accepting all of these things, for taking me for who I am, not what I did or where I've been. You guys truly know me inside and out and make me who I am.

Most importantly, thank you for being my best friends; for our ups and downs, our highs and lows, the messy moments, the best memories and everything that has affected us. Thank you for accepting me for flaws and all, listening to my sob stories and not judging me for anything I may have done. The ten of you are angels and I've been endlessly blessed with your constant friendship. Freshman year, I prayed and wished and hoped for friends, one that would be with me and actually stay with me. I cried some nights that summer because I thought I wouldn't have anyone, that no one would want to be friends with me. But then came Liv and then Darragh, then Berta and Syd and Allie, Franny and Christina, Bean and Laur and finally Ally, who made our group complete. You guys showed me that friends come from unlikely places and situations, that the weird things I loved would be shared. So, I took a chance with Liv and slowly, I found more love, friendship and more than I could've ever asked for.

Thank you. For three years, for many more. I love you all from the bottom of my heart and I'll see you all real soon.

Be safe and stay happy

XX