(Author’s Note: Everything is lowercase by author’s request.)
dear audrey,
after my grandfather died, my father said to me, “as you get older, more and more people you love will die.” i wish could say that statement wasn’t true.
i don’t know how to react to the news because it still does not seem real. i don’t know why we stopped being friends, there was no fight or falling out, but somehow life got in the way and we just grew apart. i can’t even tell you the last time we spoke.
even though i do not remember the last time we spoke, every memory we ever made is playing on repeat in my mind. from breaking into (and getting caught in) three different pools in one night, to wall twerking literally everywhere and anywhere, to getting unbelievably drunk and rocking our hearts out to rock band, you were there for me when I needed you.
my favorite high school memories involve you. we would be with jordyn, shannon, and kayleigh for weeks on end, we all were inseparable. you used to make us all laugh till we cried. we did everything and anything together. you were there for me when zachary broke my heart, who knows how many times, and you were there for me when i fell in love with michael.
i regret not staying in touch. i wish i reached out more. i wish we weren’t strangers since high school ended. i wish i could have said goodbye before you left us.
thank you for the memories and inside jokes. thank you for all the ridiculous videos & photos i have to look back on to remember you. thank you for pushing me to be my best self, and thank you for always having my back and loving me unconditionally. most importantly, thank you for being you.
you found love and adventure in every single thing you did. you were brutally honest and always stood up for what you believed in. you were feisty, yet so loving and sweet. you were an incredible friend and an amazing human being, i am so blessed to be able to say we were friends.
ironic, isn’t it? the girl with the biggest & most affectionate heart was taken too soon because of an undiagnosed heart condition. if we all tried to be just a little more like you, audrey, every day, the world would be a better place. life is going to be a hell of a lot different without you around, but i know you are looking down on all of us, rooting for us all.
rest in peace audweeb, you’ll forever be in our thoughts & within our hearts. i can’t wait to see you again.
sincerely,
becca