Shelby

When I was thirteen, my family moved from Green Bay to Milwaukee. I was devastated. I was very shy, and the first several months in my new home were spent in solitude. I saw my family, of course, but other than them I was entirely alone.

Then, at camp, I met Shelby. She invited me to stay with her and her friends in their already too-crowded cabin. After a week of drama and friendships breaking (I was not involved in this, but I shed tears nonetheless), I emerged from the camp a happier person than when I had left. Then, Shelby just happened to be on the recreational soccer team I joined.

Shelby ended up being my very best friend in high school, though I’d be surprised if she said the same of me. She was gregarious and outgoing, whereas I was shy and self-conscious. She taught me how to talk to people and how to get what I wanted. She taught me how to have fun again, and I owe her to this day.

Together, our adventures knew no limits. We drove our parents cars 100mph at midnight, and we jumped off of the cliffs at quarries up to 45 feet above the water below. We snuck out to the park behind my house to meet up with boys and smoke weed together.

Shelby introduced me to new people and helped me grow in unimaginable ways, and I could not be more grateful to have her as a friend.