Blog 14: Jessica
After a long and restful week in London, followed by a brief but memorable day in Paris, I’m finally back to blogging. I have to admit, I missed taking the time to reflect on all the wonderful people in my life, and I’m excited to share this post with you. So grab a cup of tea or coffee, take a moment to relax, and enjoy this one.
Throughout this blog series, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on my friendships, but there’s one person I haven’t had the chance to talk about yet—my first friend. Growing up, my mom was an elementary school teacher, which, if you’ve ever had a parent in that profession, you know it means a lot of waiting around in empty classrooms while your mom was in faculty meetings or student-parent conferences. My brother and I spent many afternoons roaming the school building, often bored out of our minds. There were a few other teacher’s kids around, but none were my age. That all changed when I was six, and I met the school guidance counselor. She had a daughter who was also six and in the same grade as me, and from that moment on, it was really just the two of us.
I saw Jessica every afternoon, and we quickly became inseparable during our elementary school years. We spent countless hours together, playing hide and seek throughout the school— a playground dream for a couple of teacher’s kids. We made the most of every moment, and our friendship blossomed. By the end of elementary school, we were best friends.
It was in middle school when we realized we would be separated. Her mom wanted her to stay in her local school district, while my mom preferred I stayed at my school. So, at the end of 5th grade, we parted ways. She went to Topsail Middle School, and I went to Cape Fear Middle School—rival schools, of course.
In the beginning, it was difficult to keep in touch. Neither of us had phones, and without cars, traveling between towns at twelve years old was nearly impossible. But by seventh grade, things got much easier. We started communicating daily through messages, Snapchat, and Instagram. To prove this, looking at our snapchat streak now it is 2,524 days long. It has never broken in the time that we’ve started using the app. To keep this streak means we had to send a Snapchat at least once a day to each other. To celebrate our streak in high school we even baked a cake for celebrate 1,000 days of our streak!
Although keeping in touch was still a challenge, especially as we didn’t have cars yet, we always found ways to be there for each other during the important moments in life. And one thing that never changed? We never missed each other’s birthdays. If we didn’t see each other at any other point during the year, you could always count on us showing up for the other’s birthday celebration.
Even though life can sometimes make it hard to stay in touch, we’ve always been there for one another during the most important times. In fact, Jessica was the only friend who came to my dad’s funeral when he passed. I had told a few friends about it, but she was the only one who showed up. I remember standing in the room, feeling completely numb as I awaited the ceremony. Jessica, sensing my quiet despair, came right up to me and started talking about the most random thing—a light bulb, I think—and made a joke that actually made me laugh. That moment, in a sea of sadness, was the only time I truly felt a break from the heavy grief.
As we entered high school, life became increasingly busy. Extracurriculars, honors courses, and college preparations took up a lot of our time, but we still managed to keep up with each other daily through texting.
When I transitioned to college, Jessica stayed at home, and suddenly we were 2.5 hours apart. College life is hectic, and unfortunately, our texts became less frequent as we had less time to catch up. But despite the distance and busyness, Jessica has never failed to be there for me. For example, when I got Frankie, my dog, this past summer, I knew I would need someone to watch him while I traveled. And as always, Jessica stepped up without hesitation. She is the first to offer her help without question, simply because she understands.
She’s now watched Frankie for me during my trips to California and London—both lasting over a week. I can’t express how incredibly grateful I am for her willingness to help, without a second thought.
Our friendship has taught me so much over the years—how to maintain a lifelong friendship, the importance of communication, but most importantly, how crucial it is to be present in the moment. Since Jessica and I don’t get to see each other often due to the distance, the times we do spend together are so much more meaningful.
Despite the distance, we always pick up right where we left off whenever we reunite. And I’m not sure everyone can say that about their friendships. It’s a rare and special bond to know that, no matter how much time passes, everything will be just as it was. We’ll always be there for each other.
So, thank you, Jessica, for being my first friend, for showing me what true friendship means, and for always being there. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.
