It all began with “Inception.” Rounds of laughter, random discussions, squeeze-the-living-beep-out-of-me bear hugs, and a few tears later I discovered the truth about friendship- it can begin and flourish in the unlikeliest of places. But how does one determine whether they have truly become those best friends you were hoping for?
You know they are your best friends when each of you can complete one another’s sentences in a bizarre telepathic way freaking out everyone else near you guys.
You know they are your best friends when they are able to withstand your multiple references to pop-culture from different decades, obsession with coming up with nicknames and new phrases like “Awesome Sauce” and are able to deal with your ridiculously wild and often embarrassingly loud antics in public.
You know you are all best friends when in the midst of a battle scene in “Thor” you all break out handguns and have a thirty second battle of your own- sound effects included.
You know they are your best friends when at four in the morning of Post-Prom one helps you haul a dorm fridge to your upstairs apartment while the other crams a giant chocolate cake into your kitchen all the while, attempting to be as quiet as mice ‘cause everyone’s asleep.
You know they are your best friends when they somehow manage to get you addicted to BlackOps, superhero movies, and are currently trying to convince you to deck out with them in full Harry Potter get up, scarves and brooms, the whole sha-bang , for the premier this summer. Despite the fact that you are not that extreme of a Harry Potter enthusiast while you try to convince them to go cow tipping.
And I have Texas to thank for being able to meet two of my closest, truest, friends. Texas a stated I hated with a passion only eighteen months ago…
When I moved from New York to Texas I literally disliked Texas to the greatest human extent possible, maybe even beyond that. The thought of having to leave New York, a place I had grown attached to in the four years I lived there as well as spent each and every summer before. Most people come to New York and are sucked into the tourist glamour, the bright city lights of the city but are fail to see the beauty beyond. The New York I have come to love is not just the scaling sky scraper that cut into the bright blue sky but, the loud hustle-bustle of everyday, the fast-paced living style, the suburbia of Long Island with family twenty minutes far in any direction, three neighbors all named John, a high school near the hospital and county jail, and construction off the north State Parkway that has been “progressing” for the past ten years inch by inch and probably will continue for the next ten too. With all its flaws and imperfections I love New York, idolize it even, placing it on a pedestal above all others. I had been able to reach that green light that Gatsby never was able to attain yet; I was letting it slip through my fingers. This move was the complete opposite of my move from California to New York. As a native Californian I grew up there for thirteen years yet, I was more hurt leaving New York than I had ever felt leaving California. The notion of leaving New York for Texas was unthinkable but it happened and it left me in a horrible state. I imagined Texas as a place where everyone owned horses, went cow tipping for fun, spit tobacco, only listened to county, and spoke with a slow slur. Although I knew how ridiculous the picture I had painted in my mind was, I couldn’t come to terms with the move.
The first four months I spent in Texas I lived like a zombie, walking through halls like a ghost, crying myself to sleep at night, angry at the world. I made friends but shut them out with a fake smile plastered to my face.
That summer, the summer of 2010, I went back to New York. Once there I realized everyone had moved on, the world had kept spinning, some of my friends changed, some stayed the same as ever, we had all grown up. My second going away party was thrown only this time instead of tears and gloom there was acceptance and we shared good-hearted laughs. I still loved New York as much as ever but came to terms with the fact that it would be a while before I returned. I was only truly disappointed that I couldn’t stuff my best friend into my suitcase and take her with me back to New York.
Next thing I knew it was senior year! I wanted to start the year off right and decided to keep an open mind. During senior year, I found two on my truest, closest friends. It began in Horn’s We the People class when, Emilia and I convinced Michela to go watch ‘Inception” with us since she hadn’t seen it and flourished into one of the strongest most beautiful friendships I have known. We are possibly the strangest grouping of best friends out there but I have always been one to befriend people in diverse social circles. Despite, our dissimilar personalities, and few similar lies and dislikes we have become the best of friends. As the great Stacey Ninan once said, “friendship isn’t about the similarities between people but also the differences that bring them together.” Some say three’s a crowd but not for us. Honestly, I have no idea how I am going to survive college without these girls and I can actually say I no longer abhor Texas.