If you told me two years ago that my friend Nick would be one of my closest friends, I wouldn't have believed you. We had sat next to each other in kindergarten, and I remember very specifically begging my teacher to move my seat because I just couldn't take his shenanigans anymore. We had a few classes together over the years and it wasn't until high school that I considered him a part of my life, but now that he's here, I can't imagine life without him.
Coming back to Wagner was tough. I woke up on my friend Tanner's living room floor after spending the whole night talking and playing games on Friday morning, dreading the inevitable goodbye. Slowly, we all rousted and said goodbye. I was too tired to cry but every hug hurt. I stood there watching each one pull out of the driveway, knowing that by that time the next day, I'd be on Staten Island. It was truly a bittersweet feeling.
My best friend Maura and I have known each other since we were eight years old. I needed someone to do the science fair with and when I asked her to be my partner, she said yes. We spent the next weekend freezing liquids then seeing how long it takes to melt them. That was our entire experiment. From that point on, she and I spent every weekend together. On my tenth birthday, she bought us best friend forever necklaces – mine is in my jewelry box right now. We've had our ups and downs, but we've made it this far. Being away at college has shown us that we are significantly different people, but the bond that we share is one that is unbreakable.
When we left for our freshman year in college, we stood in Nick's backyard for an hour, just kind of sitting there. The reality that we were leaving our hometown and leaving each other hung heavy in the air and heavy on our shoulders. We were so excited to go and start a new life, but we didn't want to lose each other. We didn't want to lose driving around for hours, sitting around the fire pit in the backyard, or going to Buffallo Wild Wings together for wings on Thursdays. None of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. We knew that high school friends typically fell to the wayside – college life takes precedent, getting wrapped up in new cities, new class, new activities and new friends. The only hope we had was our parents assuring us, "No, you guys are different. There's something special about you."
I was excited to get back to Wagner. I'm excited to see the friends that I made last year and help strength the friendships I created. I couldn't wait to move in and decorate my room and live with the rest of my sorority. I was optimistic to see what opportunities present themselves this school year. But I didn't want to say goodbye to the late night trips to Wawa's and playing Pokemon Go downtown in the park next to the river.
Someone once said that your experiences – including your friends – in high school were something that were given to you and you basically had to make due with what you were given. Over the course of the summer, we've introduced our college friends to our group. Maura lives by the motto, "My friends from home have to approve of you guys." Each one of us has these friends who are better reflections of themselves than we ever have been. Maura has friends who are scientifically minded. Nick has met great people who share a love for video games. Tanner has surrounded himself with technically gifted students. I'm at Wagner with singers, actors, and writers. College is the life that we chose; obviously we'd be surrounded by more like-minded people. Thinking about it now and looking back on high school, my friends formed out of some sort of necessity. We became friends because no one else appreciated our special brand of weirdness.
People seemed shocked when I told them that this summer, my friends and I just grew closer. It's because we know what it's like to be apart – to spend months without seeing each other's faces. We learned that not a lot of people in the world share the same level of crazy that we do. We have to embrace it while we can and while we have it.
Of course, we've had our issues. There were times where we were falling apart. Our busy schedules prevented us from seeing each other. Class schedules kept us in opposite sides of the high school. Break-ups threatened the carefully woven relationships that we'd created. We haven't always been the best friends to each other – fighting about things that I can't even remember a year later– or to others – becoming exclusive, forgetting the world isn't just is – but friendship is stronger than that. We've lost friends. We've made new ones (shout out to Sarah, Tori, and Sebastian. We're so glad that we found you.) We've had friends leave and find their way back to us.
I'm glad that I'll have stories to tell about these crazy friends I made in high school. I'm forever grateful for the love and support I've received over the years. I hope we have many more opportunities to create memories. Whatever happens, it's comforting that we'll always be friends.
