Even though I love to joke that I peaked in high school, deep down, I know it would’ve been pretty damn miserable without my best friends. So here’s to you guys—the ones that loved me through all my awkward stages, held me through my first heartbreak, and loved me through all the drama.
Dear Friends,
Thank you for the late-night phone calls when neither of us could fall asleep, and the early morning, pre-class vent/study sessions the next day. Thank you for never judging when I though bangs (blunt, side, or otherwise) were a good fashion statement. And thank you for helping me realize that it just wasn’t a good look.
Thank you for coaching me through my first real date, and being there to gush on the phone about my first love. But even more thanks for being there when it fell apart and I had my first heartbreak. Thank you for bringing the ice cream, tissues, and The Notebook, and making every Friday night a girls’ night sleepover until I felt better.
Thank you for finding me a homecoming date and talking about that football player that sat behind us in math class. Thank you for trying out for the cheer (or dance) team with me, and being proud of me when I made the team…but even prouder that I tried if I didn’t.
Thanks for not letting it show how nervous you were to get into the car with me when I finally passed my driver’s test. For the record, though, I was equally as scared when it was your turn too.
Thank you for going to football and basketball games with me. For introducing me to boys and new friends. Thank you you for hanging out with me at the mall, because that’s what everyone did after school on Fridays. Thank you for the sleepovers, shared clothes, prom dress swaps, and holding back my hair the first time I had a drink stronger than a Mike’s Hard.
Thank you for all the crazy dress up and spirit days we had in school. Thank you for keeping me sane during the SATs and college applications. Thank you for promising we’d always be friends, even if we didn’t end up at the same school. Thank you for taking up multiple pages in my yearbook, filling it with memories, and pictures, and inside jokes.
But most of all, thank you for getting me through the toughest times of adolescence. Thank you for looking out for me in the jungle that is high school. Thank you for still caring about how I’m doing, even though we’re hundreds or thousands of miles apart now, and are lucky if we see each other every few months. Thank you for the love, advice, and fresh set of eyes to every problem I need your help with because you all know me better than anyone else. And thank you for proving that high school didn’t have to be all that bad. Especially because I had my friends by my side.
I love y’all from the football bleachers, to the moon, and back. May the reunion dinner and drinks tradition, and catch up messages and coffee dates never end.
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