She very well could be my twin. Except, you know, we look nothing alike, and we have different parents. But other than that, she definitely could be my twin. With just one conversation with her, I knew this to be true. It’s like we are the same person in two different bodies. Every time we talk it stuns me to realize how easily we communicate and joke with one another.

I met Mary Kate when I was fourteen. My baby brother was getting a new babysitter for every third Thursday night when my step mother had book club. I remember that first night, we discussed her days with her Algebra teacher, the one I had at the time. She always had interesting stories to tell me, whether they be old high school memories, circumstances from other children she’s watched, or hilarious, sometimes unbelievable, stories of her and her college friends.

It’s difficult to say when our friendship started, and we both began to look forward to her visits. As the months went by though, our conversations began to revolve around me and what was going on at home. At the time, I needed a friend more than anything who was seeing and understanding first hand, what I was experiencing. No one else was truly “getting” what was happening at home. Even though I only saw her once a month, somehow talking with her always made me feel better. Mary Kate was and is always there for me to vent to, to bring a smile to my face, and offer some much needed and well-used advice.

I think of Mary Kate as a role model for myself. Seeing as she is twenty-one, it kind of makes sense. She treats me as a younger sister, telling me about her days and listening to mine, but she also treats me as her equal and that’s what I love about her. I can really look up to her in terms of my future. Mary Kate is pursuing a career in the medical field. She’s given me advice on schools, where to look for jobs before I attend medical school, and even areas to look post-graduation. We’ve both also discussed working up toward Chicago together. What an idea!

Mary Kate probably acts more like she’s my age than a college junior, but for her it works and is understandable. The fact of the matter is, we both are in love with a little show that holds the name “Glee”. [More like obsessed, I’d say.] Thought that may just be on my part, but we will both confess to anyone that we are gleeks. You know when you meet someone and start talking and there’s that one thing that you both love, well for us that one thing is this particular show. Each of us could talk non-stop about it for hours, about storylines, songs, and things we hate the writers for. My interest and appreciation for music has increased and become even more important to me because she has exposed me more to this show, Broadway, and theatrical music. We both love being a part of the amazing gleek fandom. It’s even to the point where she encouraged me to skip typing my creative writing final paper to watch Glee. [Saying Glee was more important.] Such a bad influence, but the episode was worth it, plus I got the paper done.

Maybe the only time she steered my wrong was then, but I don’t believe so. She had just suggested a much needed break and escape into a world I wish was contained more in this high school. Mary Kate has become my mentor and encouraged me to do things I wouldn’t normally do like break out of my shell and say what I want to say and don’t hold it inside, and fight for what I love and believe in, and for myself.

Mary Kate has a quick wit and whether she knows it or not she uses it to make me laugh every day. [Sometimes it’s even the highlight.] She’s the sister I never had, but the one I always wanted. [Perhaps, even better.]