They say that if you have one true friend, you're the richest person alive. I guess I can be considered one of the richest people in the world, but not because I have a lot of money. I am just an average, hard-working teenager, but I have found my one true friend.

The greatest thing about our friendship is ... everything! We can talk to each other about anything and can be ourselves. We grew up with similar backgrounds but Joel and I weren't always best friends. How can someone I've only been friends with for a fairly short time be my hero?

Joel came into my life when I was having a hard time living with my mom. I was getting really depressed and thinking about hurting myself. I am the type of person who, if I am not smiling, you know something is wrong. When I had only known Joel for a few weeks, he realized something was wrong, so he told me to call him that night if I needed to talk. I didn't call. The next day he called me. Ever since, we've talked every night.

But that night when he called, he saved me! I was about to take my life, I even had the pills in my hand. My mom told me he was on the phone. I set them down and made up my mind to take them when I was finished talking to him. But then the best thing happened - he talked me out of it.

Joel has helped me many times. He has been a shoulder to cry on; he has listened when I needed to talk; he has even been there when I was having problems with my feelings for him. I thank Joel for what he's done. Joel is my hero, my one true friend.