I just got off of a short Skype call with my best friend from high school, who is currently at a school in another state. We talked about how her college experience was going, what friends she had made, the job she recently landed, a story or two from her first two weeks there, about when she would be coming home, and in all honesty, I envied her. We talked as much as we could in less than the thirty minutes we had, but it didn't seem like enough. Now, the whole “best friend going to college in another state” thing isn't the most unusual thing for kids my age, but that doesn't make it any less weird.

I start cosmetology school this week, and trust me, I am so excited. It's been a dream of mine since I was little to be able to cut hair and style it; helping people feel beautiful for a living, but it's not college. I'll be living at home, attending school full time, and working. So between work and my 9-to-5 school schedule Tuesday through Saturday, I won't be having a typical 18-year-old student experience.

I won't be going to classes I choose the time for each semester.

I won't be rushing any of the sororities that I see videos for all over my social media. (The closest thing I'll get to it is memorizing the Delta Nu handshake from Legally Blonde and trying to get whoever is in my class to join me.)

I won't be meeting hundreds or even tons of other students that I'll be spending the next two to four years with.

I won't have the opportunity to go abroad for a semester.

I won't be going to football games in giant stadiums, not that I did that in high school anyway.

I won't be living in a dorm or eating college meal plan food (which maybe I'm not really missing out on.)

I won't even be finding my way around a giant campus, totally lost for the first few days.

So yeah, I envied my friend who had been telling me all about her dream school, this one girl who she was talking about being roommates with, and how there was a dog walking class that could count as a physical education requirement or something like that throughout our senior year.

She got the opportunity to leave home, be an adult with the possible safety net of a college campus with awesome opportunities and will leave there (eventually) with a degree and experience in so many areas that I could only dream of.

But stronger than the feeling of envy was the feeling of missing seeing her every day at school.

Not high school, I didn't miss high school.

I missed having lunch with her for seven out of our eight semesters.

I missed talking about whatever drama was going on with whatever people we were talking to at the time.

I missed talking about who we thought were attractive or who was dating who.

I missed hanging around her so much that I needed a break.

I missed needing her so much that the break only lasted ten minutes or maybe, at the longest, a day.

I miss being able to drive to her house and hang out for hours just vegging on the couch in her basement, then going out to Jewel for snack food.

I miss my best friend being five minutes away instead of a Skype call away.

I miss my best friend, and it hasn't even been two weeks into her freshman year.