I make the same joke a lot, “I don’t have any friends.” It’s not necessarily a joke but it’s what I say in awkward situations to get a laugh. My friends, however, don’t find this too funny. It isn’t necessarily true though – at least not all of it. I don’t have zero friends but I also don’t have what some would call a ‘squad’. But you know what? I’m very ok with that. I am so fortunate to have the most amazing best friends in the world that it makes up for all the other people who are missing out on my outstanding personality.

     From middle school to high school I thought I had the closest friend group imaginable. It took till my sophomore year to realize that I was wrong when I was pushed out and was quickly left with no one. 

     Or so I thought.

     In fact, right by my side, all along was my true best friend. I met her during first hour of the first day of sixth grade. At the time we didn’t know it but eventually, it would be me and her against the world.

     We came from different elementary schools so we were originally a part of different friend groups. In middle school, people so often think things have to be divided and that you can’t intermix people into your elementary friend group. That was how it was with us. We were best friends but in separate groups that never mixed.

     I always considered her my best friend but it wasn’t until I was out of my ‘original’ group that I realized she was the one person who would never leave me. She, in fact, was my true best friend.

     Shelby Petersen, you are my best friend, my partner in crime, my sister and truly one of the most amazing people I have ever met.

     I’m not gonna lie, in the beginning, it was awful not having a big group of girls to go out on Friday night with or to sit with at someone’s locker in the morning but I soon realized that all that fluffy, superficial stuff didn’t matter anymore. This was because my morning with Shelby in front of our locker recapping all the tea is one of the best parts of my day.

     As cliché as it might be, a couple of amazing friendships are so much better than a whole group of girls who never surpass surface level. There is so much more to life than the number of girls you can fit into one group chat or the number of girls in your Homecoming group.  I believe that the actual connection and bond you have with another person will always hold more importance. 

     Shelby, our friendship is so much more than commenting ‘my BFF is gorgeous’ on each others Instagram photos. Our friendship is what I believe to be, a true bond that can never be duplicated. We’ve been there for each other during some of the toughest times of our lives and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

     A lot of people say, “We are going to be best friends for the rest our lives,” and that might happen in some circumstances. For us, though I know it’s true. I can 100% say that you are going to be a bridesmaid in my wedding (sorry my sister is my maid of honor) and an aunt to my children.

      To my best friend – I can’t tell you how you have changed my life and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side as we fight this battle that is high school.