For three years your contact name in my phone was “my person.” It was mine in your phone, too. We were “those” best friends, the inseparable kind. We spent almost every second of every day together. In high school, we took all the same classes and joined all the same clubs; we even formed a debate team together. If we didn’t have school, we were swimming at your house or binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy. I still watch it sometimes, but if I’m being honest with myself, it just isn’t the same since you left. Nothing has been the same since you left.
In high school, college seemed like a lifetime away. We knew one day we would leave our small town, but we always thought we would leave together. However, as many of us know all too well, plans change. By senior year we had both decided on different colleges. You were leaving for east Tennessee and I had chosen to go to west. We promised each other we would stay in touch. You would come and visit me sometimes, and I would come visit you. We would make sure to Facetime each other each night to describe our day. In the beginning, we held to that promise. For the first few weeks it was as though nothing changed. I loved hearing about all of your classes and meeting your roommate. You seemed really happy, and I loved that for you. However, as time went on, you called me less and less. I stopped texting you each day to see how you were. You were busy with your new friends and your new classes, and I was too. I just wish I had put more effort into making time to spend with you.
A few days without talking to you slowly turned into weeks, those weeks slowly turned into months. The last time I saw you in person, I almost didn’t recognize you. You are different than the girl I was best friends with in high school, and I’m sure I’m a lot different too. We both have changed so much. We’ve grown up these last two years. We’ve made new friends, new hobbies, and basically new lives for ourselves. Maybe it was our fault that we grew apart, or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was for the best that we moved on, towards new dreams and new experiences. You will always be my best friend, and I will always cherish the times we got to spend together. We experienced some of the hardest years together, and I consider myself blessed to have had you by my side through it all. I hope that wherever you are, that you’re happy. I know that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Thank you for being my high school best friend.