To the Friend I Made My Senior Year

Remember that little piece of writing I wrote not too long ago, To the Friend I Could’ve Had? Well, a funny thing happened. That person whom I was describing became my friend. We’re not super close best friends forever, but I feel comfortable calling that person my friend. It’s funny, the way the world works. I wanted that person to become my friend, and they did. God works in mysterious ways. I’ve decided to continue my letter writing to that friend because they’re just so awesome, and I want them to know what I’m thinking and feeling. So, friend, I hope you enjoy this new and improved letter that I am writing to you to show you how much I care about you and how I want to be friends with you.

To the friend I made my senior year,

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. I went from being disappointed that we were never going to be friends, to being able to call you my friend. I love that. I love that I pushed myself, texted you, talked to you, and did whatever else I could to become your friend. I hope you’d call me your friend too.

Although our blossoming friendship is new and exciting, one thing does suck: knowing that we’re going to leave each other within the next year. Yes, we have 8–9 months to build our friendship and learn more about each other, but the pessimist in me is saying that it won’t matter because we’ll soon go our separate ways. I know, I know, this is stupid to be thinking about so early in the school year, and over time I will be able to ignore this feeling, but it still makes me sad.

A lot of people have told me to not date anyone my senior year or to not make anymore friends because I’m just going to be leaving them soon. But guess what? I don’t care. I don’t care that we have less than a year together because I’m going to make that time count. I’m going to cherish every second we spend together. I’m not going to discount our friendship just because soon enough we won’t see each other every day.

I hope you feel this way too. I hope you look at me and think, even though we just became friends, I am going to stay friends with her because I value our friendship, and leaving her in a few months isn’t going to change that.

I truly believe the friends you make your senior year are some of the best. You both know you’re going to be leaving for college soon, but you both are willing to put forth the effort to continue the friendship because it’s just that good. That is so cool. That is so awesome that two people are willing to do that, despite the tears and sadness that comes with leaving.

I know our friendship is new. I don’t know if you want to stay friends with me. I don’t know if you think our friendship is worth the tears and the sadness. I hope you see what I see. I hope you see a friendship that can become something truly amazing if we give it a chance. Don’t discredit our friendship just because it happened senior year. Don’t turn away from me because we have only a few months together. Embrace that. Embrace the fact that we have limited time and use that to get to know me on an even deeper level than you thought you would. I never thought I would be making new friends my senior year, so I’m not here to mess around. When I call you my friend, you have you know that that word means something to me. It means that I’ve loved the time I spent with you in the past, and I want to create even more meaningful memories in the future. I never thought I would call you my friend, but I’m so glad that I am.

Thank you for being willing to venture into our relationship despite the fact that we might leave each other soon. The thing about you is that there’s two possible outcomes to our friendship. One possibility is that once college rolls around, we’ll never see each other again. That would suck. Please don’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen because you’re my friend, and i don’t just drop my friends off on the side of the street like trash. The other possibility is that we could end up being in each other’s weddings because we’d just become that good of friends. I’m not here to mess around.

I like you, and I like spending time with you, so of course I want you in my wedding if God wills it! Just don’t lead me on and then kick me to the curb once college comes. If we’re going to be friends, actually be friends with me. Spend time with me, ask me the hard questions, make me laugh, and I will do my very best to do the same to you. Thanks for being you, friend, and know that I wouldn’t change our meeting-in-our-senior-year-of-high-school situation in a million years.

Love,

Lainey