Imagine you're sitting on a bus, going to school in your freshman year. You sit alone because you've chosen to go to a small school that barely anyone has ever heard of. You've seen some of the faces around you once before, but not enough to strike up a conversation.
All of the sudden you hear a group of kids laughing together like they've known each other for years and they have. Then they catch you listening to their conversation, but instead of telling you off they drag you in. That is how I met my best friend Taylor.
I remember seeing Taylor beforehand at the school's freshman cookout, designed to make us uncomfortably stand around and barely communicate over food. My mom had pointed her out, recognizing that she was a distant friends daughter. My first words to my mother were, "I don't think she's my type of friend." I couldn't have been more wrong.
I was a stupid high school freshman, judging character before I even knew who people were. She wore chokers and wore all dark colors. She seemed edgy and I wasn't sure how I'd mix with that. But then I got to know her. Whether it was over strange conversations about the weirdest things imaginable, or just plain old schoolwork we got swamped with, we clicked. Sure we were different kinds of people, but we were still very similar. She introduced me to the new musicals she found and we did everything together. We were good friends.
It wasn't until sophomore year and on that we grew very close. I'm not exactly sure what changed to cause us to bond, but I'm grateful it did. It's always cheesy and mildly unbelievable when people talk about their relationships with other people, but with ours it's true. She, as many of my friends know, is my platonic wife. Everyone who knows us together knows us as wives. We've been through so much together. If one of us suffered, the other did too.
She was there for me when I was struggling with my fathers drinking, staying up with me at odd hours of the night dumping alcohol down the drain, all the while never judging or sticking her nose up. She was there for me when I broke up with my boyfriend and saw none of my friends because of it. She took on more names and was put through so much because of me, and yet she stayed. I can proudly say my best friend is my rock.
Senior year may have been hell, full of so many downs with little ups, but she made it worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our relationship. She is my rock and my hope for better days. In one of my previous articles, I discussed my abandonment issues and I can proudly say that Taylor is the main reason I try to fight them. She shows me every day that not all people leave when the going gets tough.
I am proud to have such an amazing best friend and even more grateful to still be able to maintain our friendship while at a separate colleges. Taylor, my wife, my sister, my best friend, I love you forever and always.