Dear friend, I know we will promise to keep in touch. And we will, for a while. But as the physical distance grows, the texts will get slower and slower.

“I am so sorry I just saw this. I’ve been busy.”

And when you do call, I will smile like I always did, as you tell me all the gossip of who’s dating who and how somebody’s friend’s cousin is weird. Only this time, I won’t recognize the names because I’m not in your life the way I once was. And I’ll feel sad every time you have to explain to me who’s who and what’s what, but as soon as I hear your laugh again, everything will feel just the same as it was.

It won’t be as it was. We will have changed and grown so much that I won’t recognize you sometimes. And other times, you will bring up our stupid inside jokes and suddenly it’s the person I remember again. As we grow old, I will always see two of you.

Thanks for being a friend when I was difficult or annoying or too much. Thanks for being a friend when I ditched you for whoever I thought was cool at the time, all because I never was. Thanks for coming with me to all those parties. Even when the music was trash, it didn’t matter because anything is fun with you. Thanks for being a friend even when I push you away every time I wake up and think that everybody hates me, or something. Thanks for being a friend. Because all my life I have had so few of them, yet you still chose me.

I’m sorry we don’t have more time, but we really did make the most out of college

Friend, I am so proud of you, and I hope you understand just how much others need to hear those same words from you. Whether we’re best friends or say “hi” only half the times we pass each other in the hallway, I am proud of you.

To all the friends at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, my Filipino Student Association family, at the University of Massachusetts and even ones who are strangers today, thank you. I’d tell you what’s in store, but I’ve heard “what’s your plan?” so many times that I can feel a ringing in my ears. I don’t do “plans.” I think I’m just gonna keep winging it!

James Rosales was the arts editor. He can be reached at [email protected].