I remember the first day of seventh grade very clearly. I wore the ugliest blue t-shirt with leggings. I was upset because I wasn’t in any classes with my friends, and I had Intro to Latin in the first period. But the thing I remember the most vividly is who I sat next to on that very first day in that Latin class.
First days have always been stressful for me as a person with social anxiety, especially when going in, and I don’t know anyone in my classes. That morning in Latin, I was sitting next to a girl named Lauren.
I knew Lauren. We had met doing a project in fifth grade, where we built catapults (it failed miserably); we had sat next to each other in band, and I remember inviting her to my birthday party in sixth grade. We were somewhat friends at the time and were familiar with each other, so I remember feeling a great sense of relief that she was my seat partner instead of some rando I’d never met.
We got to talking, and I don’t remember from there exactly what we talked about or what happened next, but what I do know is that somewhere along the way, she quickly became one of my closest friends. That conversation on our first day of seventh grade opened the door for the millions of inside jokes and memories we have made together over the past nine years.
She’s one of my closest friends, someone I’ve gone through so many important phases of life with and who I know will always play a role in mine.
We’ve been through our ups and downs, I mean, what friendship hasn’t? But we always found our way back into each other’s lives. Even after some time apart, we somehow landed at the same college, starting our first day of freshman year, once again sitting next to each other, giving us the opportunity to restart.
Now three years later, knowing that these next few weeks will be the last we get to live with each other after two years, I’ve been doing some reminiscing. I’m not sure where life will take the two of us in the future, but one thing I know for certain is that Lauren is a person who is meant to always have a seat at my table.
Our friendship isn’t perfect, not by a long shot. Both of us have made mistakes. Both of us have hurt each other at some point in time. Lessons have been learned. People have come and gone. Lots of tears have been shed.
But that’s all part of life. And honestly, the fact that we have been able to bounce back and grow every time we fall tells me that the friendship we have is a solid one.
So, to the next year of our lives. To many more late-night McDonald’s runs, car rides with “Loveshack” by the B52’s on full blast, and movie nights where one of us inevitably falls asleep. To new memories as we finish our last year of school, crash outs about school work, Starbucks runs, and jokes nobody understands but us.
The Lee-Lee to my Josiah, I love you to the moon and back.