What makes a true best friend? I’ve constantly questioned this since starting college. I’ve met a plethora of new people at school and they’re great. Yet, there’s still an empty space that’s missing. It's that umph that pushes you between being friends and being best friends. I have two very close friends from high school who I have never lost touch with. Our group chat is called "Multivariable Atomic Programming." I’m a statistics major, Pam is a chemist, and Khanh is a computer scientist. Multivariable Atomic Programming is constantly being bombarded with crazy pictures, crises, and the occasional, "This chat is deader than my love life." It is through this chat that we remain in touch, how we help each other during hard times, and how we catch up on each others’ days.
It was February 25th, the day before my 20th birthday. I thought that it would be just like any other Friday. I had thought that I would wake up and go to class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I would come back to my room, watch some Netflix, and order takeout. I would attempt some homework and then go to bed.
It was 10:00 p.m. when an old friend called. We aren’t in constant contact, but, when one of us does call, we just pick up where we left off. Before I knew it, it was 11:45 p.m. I told her that I was going to bed and then she protested that we had to ring in my 20th birthday. I laughed, telling her that it really wasn’t a big deal, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wouldn’t have brought in my birthday any other way, complete with a celebratory Snapchat story.
Pam was scheduled to arrive on the night of my birthday. That afternoon, a friend in Pittsburgh asked me how I was going to be celebrating that night. I told her my best friend, Pam, was driving in. She asked if I wanted to meet up for dinner. Initially, I refused, since I had a midterm to study for. She somehow persuaded me and we met up at Starbucks. I was waiting at Starbucks for my friend, just people watching, and I saw a familiar figure in mint green skinny jeans and flannel. I blinked twice and nudged the thought out of my mind that it was Khanh. After all, she never told me that she was planning a trip to Pittsburgh. Yet, there she was, in the flesh.
Multivariable Atomic Programming was back together for a weekend. We explored Pittsburgh and I had never felt more at home. What I thought would be a mundane birthday weekend suddenly became one of the most memorable weekends that I’ve had in a while. These friends—the ones who stay up until midnight to celebrate your birthday, the ones who drive the 300 miles to visit, with or without telling you—are the ones to cherish. Their visits made me realize that they’re always willing to go the distance. We don't always have to talk, but I know that they’re there. While so many long-distance friendships fall apart, I know that I’ll always have these friends by my side through thick and thin.
