Dear L,
Thank you for being my first friend when I moved here, and my best friend for many years after that. I still remember the first time that we met. We were both new coming into first grade at our elementary school; I had moved houses and you had changed from a private kindergarten to public school. It was a sort of orientation for new students in the district and their families. They gave us a number and I got number 14 and I couldn’t be happier- 14 was my lucky number. It turned out, you had number 15 and the luck the number brought me was you. We were both quiet kids, but our parents forced us to talk. You had just gone on a cruise and had braids and beads in your hair, and I thought that it was the coolest thing. Purely by chance, on the first day of first grade we ended up with the same teacher and sat right across from each other at our table. This was one of the best things that has ever happen to me.
From then on, we were inseparable for years. By forcing our parents to drive each other the 3 minutes and 35 seconds (give or take a few seconds depending on traffic) back and forth to each other’s houses and sleeping over at my house on this day and yours the very next one, we became the best of friends. As I’m reflecting back on our times together, what is bringing me the most joy isn’t the big things. It’s the simple things that we did that are my fondest memories of us; the forts we built in our rooms, playing school with my brother as our only student, making a business out of selling pillows and our endless trips to Joann Fabrics, begging each other’s neighbors to let us walk their dogs, and every single laugh we shared over nothing.
By the time we got to middle school it had been a few years since we’d had class together and our friend groups had changed. We were still friendly, but we grew further apart as our interests grew further apart. I’m not sure when it happened, but eventually our friendship became nothing more than saying hi to each other in the hallways.
I miss my first real best friend. Thank you for doing absolutely everything with me for 6 years of our lives and for showing me how to be a best friend to someone. We didn’t really talk much in high school, but I hope that you followed your dream of becoming a teacher. If you did, second graders will be so lucky to have you as their teacher. You have impacted my life in more ways than you know. I was so lucky to have you.
I miss you,
Katie
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
Looking at your picture immediately brought a smile to my face and I knew I needed to read more about the two cute girls in it. I think your letter perfectly encapsulates the bittersweet feeling of leaving childhood and also the friends that came with it. I love how you draw importance to the small details like the “3 minutes and 35 seconds” it took to drive to each other’s houses or the beads she had in her hair the first day you met. Incorporating these different elements makes the letter all the more personal and builds the strong connection between you two to the reader. I also really like your line, “It’s the simple things that we did that are my fondest memories of us.” As I wrote about a similar situation with my childhood best friend, these words really resonate with me. I think the simple laughs and quieter moments you have with a person are what truly make the bond even more special. Great job, I hope you are doing well!
-Cally Carmello
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Katie,
I enjoyed reading this letter because of how relatable it was. I feel like everyone understands this feeling of losing a childhood friend and how bittersweet it is. How important that friendship was to you but knowing that sometimes, drifting apart is inevitable. Your letter really embodied this feeling of innocent friendships and growing up.
I loved how the beginning of your letter draws out this innocence of a childhood friendship and all the memories you had with someone you meant so much to you. I think your attention to the little details such as remembering the little beads and braids in your friend’s hair when you first met her really added to how much she had meant to you as a child.
I think you did a great job depicting the gradual shift away from each other and the slow loss of friendship.
This letter was like opening a time capsule, reflecting on your past and slowly moving your way through these memories and I feel that while reading this letter, I was able to reflect on past friendships and how I have grown from them. Thank you for that!
-Joanna
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This post hit a soft spot for me. My first best friend was constantly by my side for years. We were inseparable, but once we began high school in different places, we almost completely drifted apart. This is something that had always been troubling to me, so I completely relate to your feeling of a loss of a bond that is impossible to recreate. I have similar memories of forcing our parents to allow sleepovers multiple times a week, playing imaginary games, and laughing endlessly. I appreciate the nostalgic feelings your post arose, as it seemed to help me appreciate what I had with my first best friend, rather to focus on what I lost. My childhood was undeniably better because of her, and I wouldn’t change anything for the world, despite our falling out. It is hard to drift away from someone who you were once so close to, but remember how lucky you were to have that bond. Thank you for the unintended trip through my memories.
Bray Fedele
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