It was a hot summer day, I vaguely remember it was noon when I finally left the house. Jogging up to Drew's car hoping I could dodge the killing heat. The car was already bumping with music as I entered, they greeted me with a smile. I met Drew at Homecoming during my Junior year, which is only a year ago, but it feels like I’ve known them for years. We were introduced to each other by a common friend in our friend group, and instinctively we were able to start a connection that made me feel like I could be myself. They gave me a safe space that I could go to and be vulnerable, and they did all that just by being them. 

I wish I could’ve met them sooner because due to them I was able to get on the right path again, and with their help, I was able to be more connected with myself. That day me and Drew were going to meet up with our other friends at Waffle House and maybe drive around a little bit. It was fun but eventually, everyone had to leave, and it was just me and Drew left. I didn’t wanna go home, and neither did she. So we decided to go watch a movie together. We watched Minions: The Rise of Gru. It’s a kid's movie obviously, but we were the only ones laughing in the theater. No one else was laughing beside us, and there were other kids in the theater. We left the theater gasping for air while still laughing and making jokes from the movie, it was amazing. This is another reason why I love them.

 I love being around them, I love how good of a listener they are, I love the way they smile, I love the way they are so so funny, I love that I could laugh with them about jokes that only we could understand, I love everything about them. After we left the theater, it was still light out so we said why not and went for a walk at Quail Ridge Park. So we drove there, and as the music was bumping and the hot wind blowing in the car. I looked over at Drew, the bright sun shining on their face, highlighting their beautiful eyes. They’re just driving and singing to the lyrics of the song, but that's when it hits me. Drew is the best friend I’ve been wanting, they’re the person that I’ve been looking for. I’ve always surrounded myself with bad influences which lead me to do bad things, but Drew, they make me want to become better. 

They make me realize that things will eventually get better and I’ll be ok again. I realized that I don’t have to become someone else just so I could fit in because Drew accepted me for the way I am, and as I grow they accept that too. As I kept looking at them, a feeling popped up. For the first time in a long time, I feel scared. I was scared that eventually, our friendship would end like how my other friendships had ended. I was scared that I would lose them, even though it was just my consciousness talking, I was still scared. I know that even if anything happens, I know we would be able to come to a middle ground and come to an agreement together like how we always do. That’s how our friendship works out so well, we talk about every aspect of things to make sure we’re both understanding each other. That to me is the most important component in every relationship. They understand that about me so I know nothing would turn bad because to me they’re like the sun that came into my world and brighten everything up. 

Drew to me is a really special person to me, and every day I am so thankful that I met them. After the hike we finally decided maybe it is time to go home, so we headed home. After that day my love for them never stopped growing. We hang out as often as we can, even if that’s just going to Walmart or walking in the park, I just wanna be by their side. I hope we’re gonna be friends forever because they make me wanna become a better person. I wanna experience new things with them and go to beautiful places so we can take as many pictures as we can. I wanna dress up and look cute together, I wanna cry together either because of happiness or sadness. I wanna experience it all with them. If I could say thank you a million times to them I would. I would say, "Thank you for being my safe place, thank you for listening to me, thank you for loving me, and thank you for just everything because without you I would be a mess right now.” There’s just too much I could say to them, so I’ll just put some of it in this writing.