Loyal, kind hearted, fearless, and dependable. That’s how I would describe my best friend. She knows me like no one else does. She knows me inside and out. Backward and around. We are born five months apart, but we act like twins because we are inseparable. When I was six months old, she moved into the house two doors down from mine. We instantly became the best of friends. Her and I, for the most part, are complete opposites. We like different music, foods, tv shows, subjects in school, and have different interests in general. This balances us out, though. Although we bash heads sometimes on certain topics, it doesn’t change who were are. She likes the things she likes and I like the things I like. Having every single thing in common would be too much for us. Then, we entered preschool together. Carpooled every day. We had playdates almost every single day. We would alternate who’s house we had dinner at every night. She is the sister I never had and I am the sister she never had. She is part of my family and I am a part of hers. We entered kindergarten together. Carpooled every day. We learned how to count to ten together. We learned the ABC’s together. We learned how to tie our shoes together. Although she did struggle with getting the technique right until second grade. We entered elementary school together. Sicomac. Carpooled every day. We learned how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide together. We had every single class together all our lives. We hung out every single day for as long as we could until our parents forced us to come home and go to bed. Life was good. Until out of nowhere BAM! She was face down on the ground. Let me start from the beginning.

On Friday, September 9, 2011, she and I had just gotten home from school. We went to her house to hang out. It was a very sunny day and we were sweating underneath the hot sun. We decided to take out the pogo sticks, that we had just mastered how to use. At the same time, her two brothers, grandfather, and her brother's friends were playing stickball on the other side of the driveway. She was showing me how to pogo with no hands and then the next thing I knew she was her face down on the ground. I assumed that she had just fallen off the pogo stick. I said her name, but she did not stand up. She rolls over onto her back and I see a pool of blood surrounding her eye. She starts to scream. I stand there in complete and utter shock. She gets up and runs through the door. I hear the most petrified scream come from inside the house. I knew it was her mother. I sprint back to my house as fast as my nine-year-old legs could go. I open the keypad to the garage and put in the code, but it would not open. I run to the window and bang against the glass. My mom and my brother open the window and I scream to them what had just happened. We rush back to her house to find her being put into the car and about to be taken to the hospital. People say that during near death experiences, their life flashes before their eyes. This happened to me because she basically is my life. She’s been in the life for the longest I can remember. I stand in the driveway and look to my right. I see that the stickball bat was laying right next to our pogo sticks. I then found out that her brother had been swinging at bat and, that the bat flung out of his hands and hit her. I went home and waited for the call to find out if she was okay.

After a full recovery, we went back to our normal lives. Still hung out every day and alternated which house to eat dinner at. And then the day finally came. The day we had been dreading for so long. The first day of middle school. Eisenhower. We were so nervous, but we knew we had each other. Our schedules were almost identical except for a few classes and that is how it was all three years there. Now we reached the final couple years where we’ll be able to see each other every day. We finally entered high school. Ramapo. We still carpool every day. We don’t have any classes together, but still find time to say a hello in the hallway whenever we pass each other. She has been there for me whenever I needed someone. She helps with my school problems and my personal problems. She can always tell when something is up with me. We have an unspoken language that only each other can understand. Even just a look we give each other, we know exactly what it means. Although sometimes we fight, I know that it’s healthy because not every friendship is perfect. She has been in my life my entire life and I hope that that never changes.