“Can I borrow your Crayons?” I look up from my picture of a tree and surveyed the little blond boy in front of me. After deciding that he wouldn’t eat them, I held out my box for him to share. After scooting onto the bench next to me, we sat coloring contentedly. His name was Justin, Justin Michels. I loved that name; it was so normal in comparison to Lorelei Mikulski. Everyday this routine continued until, we became inseparable. As the end of Kindergarten drew closer, I was dreaded leaving my newfound best friend behind. But, the ominous day finally came and I cried as we colored our final picture, a portrait of us. I didn’t see Justin that summer and eventually the colorful memories of Kindergarten faded.

I entered my fourth grade classroom and searched for my seat. I finally spotted my chair, which was right next to a boy with sandy blonde hair. As I took my seat I came face to face with the blue-grey eyes that sent all the Kindergarten memories flooding back. “Hey.” He said. Shocked I blushed, realizing that he didn’t remember me. His eyebrows knit together until his face slowly spread into a smile, “Hey can I borrow your Crayons?” He asked. A matching grin appeared on my face as I nodded at my old best friend. The year passed quickly and we found fifth grade drawing closer, and middle school looming over our heads.

Fifth grade came and went, and soon our first day of middle school had arrived. As we entered the massive building I inched closer to Justin out of pure habit, being equally scared he linked his arm with mine as we nudged our way through the crowded halls. That first day of middle school made me glad he was my best friend, we went through it together and in the end it brought us closer. But, as middle school went on we both began to change, and soon bickering ensued. The fights tore us apart and for seventh and eighth grade we barley spoke. At graduation, he came up to me and handed me a wrapped package. After he had walked away I slowly unwrapped the gift and was surprised to find a 24 pack of Crayola crayons with two pieces of paper taped to the back, one was a note that read, “Lorelei, I’m sorry.” The other was a messy drawing of a blonde boy and brunette girl with a scrawled caption saying “Best Friends” tears filled my eyes when I realized it was the picture we had drawn on the final day of Kindergarten. I smiled before I stood up and ran to him. I flung my arms around him in a hug that would’ve made my five-year-old self proud.

We repaired the damage over the summer and we were both ready to take on high school together. As his mom’s car pulled in front of the large building, it was Justin who moved toward me. Arm in arm we shakily walked toward the large building, and prepared our selves for the hellhole that is high school. We moved through freshman year and soon we found ourselves in relationships. I had a boyfriend and he had a girlfriend, and truthfully I was jealous, Justin had been mine for ten years and I wasn’t ready to share him. Eventually my boyfriend noticed my attachment to Justin and said he wasn’t going to be second best. Justin was the one, who was there for me and held me while I cried. Slowly his girlfriend noticed too but I unlike my boyfriend she gave him an ultimatum; it was either she or I and I fully prepared myself to lose him again. But the second the words came out of her mouth, he grabbed my arm and left and It was my turn to be there for him. That girl may not know it but that was the fight that finally made me realize how much I love Justin. By senior year we were a couple and were ready to once again, climb the feat of a new school. At graduation we turned our tassels ready to take on the world together.

Now here I stand on my wedding day, looking back to the childhood that I shared with my true love. In the end I guess I finally got the name I have admired since Kindergarten, for I am no longer Lorelei Mikowski but instead Lorelei Michels. I am one of the few who can truly say I fell in love with my best friend. So, I leave you with this, a lot can happen between “Can I borrow your crayons?” and “I do.”