we met in first grade

she saw me lining up in the classroom across the hall. when i flipped my long hair over my shoulder, she knew she wanted to be my friend. she was there in second grade when a boy called us 'gay' for holding hands in line and i told her it wasn't bad, gay really just meant happy. i flipped out when she said 'damn it' in mrs. carlton's class in 3rd grade, but she told me she could say it cause her daddy did. we spent the summers swimming, running around the neighborhood or playing at her house on 25th street. she came to every sleep over, every birthday. we spent the entire summer before our 6th grade year riding bikes and buying kit kats and dr. pepper for breakfast at the neighborhood store.

we went to our first girl-boy parties together in junior high, although she wasn't as into the boys as i was at first. i invited her to every church lock-in and every family outing i could bring a friend to. she helped me break up with boyfriends of two weeks and passed notes in the hall. she was there when i had my first kiss and my first broken heart. she stood by me when i pushed everyone away in order to earn the affection of the crappiest guy ever. she sat on the steps of my parents' house and listened to me cry and reminded me that i deserved more than that jerk.

she was there when i experimented and got into the trouble of a lifetime. we took the car together when i was 15 and i got caught, but i made sure she didn't get in trouble. i spilled a bucket of red paint in her parents' garage and hid in her room for hours afraid to face her dad. we'd spend hours at her mother's costume shop pretending to be someone else. she made me 'martha anne's book of happiness' that instantly brightens the darkest days.

we ran long distance together and would trade off blocking the wind so the other could sprint the last straight-away to win. we went sledding at mackenzie park everytime there was a good snow and nearly froze off our fingers and toes. she came with my family to california for a family reunion and listened to great aunts and uncles ramble.

i sobbed uncontrollably the night before i left for college, dreading the moment i said goodbye to all the girls. she came by the next morning so we could wait as long as possible to do the inevitable. we shared countless emails and teary phone calls our freshman year. she gave me advice that kept me from coming home and helped me grow in ways only she had the wisdom to see back then. we went through the worst times of our lives and she showed the importance of letting go of the hurt. she knows every joy, every insecurity, every moment.

and now, she's the girl i can call when my hormones get the best of me and the dumbest thing turns me into a bumbling idiot. she doesn't judge or blow me off, she just says exactly what i need to hear. she gives me hope and she inspires me.

i hope everyone has a tess.