it’s been almost exactly 2 years since we first met, and i still remember your smile that first day. i was terrified, barely 13 years old and newly admitted. you made me feel safe, and you continued to every single day i was blessed to know you. my heart aches when i think of you, but i have come to realize this is just a testament to my love for you. you have been gone for what feels like eternity and yet your hand is still firmly in mine, guiding me through the darkness. when you died, a part of me did too. but our friendship bloomed a hope inside me that lives on, and i will not give up now. i love you beautiful girl, today and always