Every year, while writing this, I inevitably discover that I have far too many people to thank and never adequate words to express my gratitude, but I still try. So to everyone who is in this and everyone who isn’t: thank you.

To my family, who are always there for a laugh and a hug in that order:

Mom, thank you so much for everything you do for me. I appreciate you endlessly, and there are truly no words to describe how thankful I am. I love watching Christmas movies with you next to the fireplace and hearing all the stories about the stupid mistakes your students make on their tests. I love hanging out with you, and I’m going to miss you so, so much when I go off to college. Thank you for silly jokes and warm hugs and fashion advice and everything that goes unsaid or unmentioned.

Dad, I love our late-night conversations and your endless knowledge of random facts about science, movies, and life. I love watching movies with you and trying to slowly get through the Top 100 list—which I swear I’ll eventually finish. You make every conversation interesting, and I love spending time with you.

Lucas, I appreciate the, admittedly rare, moments where we get along well and talk about our lives. I like driving you around to all of your friends’ houses and getting updates on your life. Even though I’m 19 months older, I really haven’t known a life without you. You’ve always been my little brother that I fight with, both verbally and physically, and our entire childhood is shared. In almost every memory I can find, you are there beside me, playing Skylanders with me on the Wii, fighting over the TV remote, biking together in the neighborhood, racing to the ice cream truck, and going to Disneyland together, even if I called you a coward for not going on all the biggest roller coasters.

Jacob, I love watching Stranger Things with you and eagerly awaiting the release of the fifth season. Hanging out with you is so much fun, and I love your curiosity about the world around you and everything in it. I feel like you’re still the same little kid I used to play games and watch shows with, only now our shows and games have grown up and changed with us. In many ways, you have stayed the same; you’re still loving, empathetic, kind, and funny, but I know that you don’t want to be babied, so I’ll leave it at that.

Brielle, I’ve written over 1000 words detailing all the ways I love you, but I still don’t think it’ll ever be enough to describe how much. You came into my life at the perfect time after years of wishing for a little sister, and you’re exactly the sister I’ve always wanted. I love driving you to Target and doing LOL Surprise Doll unboxings with you. I love blasting music and yelling bleep over all the swear words, even though you know what they are. I love dressing up in fancy outfits together and having dance parties, I love roller skating and cuddling on the couch, I love seeing your gymnastics skills, and trying to persuade you to give me a bite of whatever you’re eating. You are the best friend and best little sister I could’ve ever asked for, and I love you so much.

Thank you, Auntie Jaimie, for being my board game partner, photographer, and the life of the party. I love playing cool new board games with you and hanging out together at all of the family gatherings. Thank you, Uncle Dom, for also playing board games with me, even if I beat you every time. Thank you, Anneke and Calista, for being my only cousins my age and for hanging out with me nonstop for the brief times a year we get to hang out nonstop. Thank you, Uncle Will, for going to the Lorde concert with me, even though it was a three-hour drive and you weren’t that big a fan. Thank you for all the Game Pigeon games, all the laughter, and all the fun I have every time I see you. Thank you, Tante Rika, for being such an influence in my life. I miss you every day, and it never really gets easier to be without you, but you influence my outlook on the world, and so much reminds me of you. 

Emmy, my other half

Emmy, you are my day one. You have loved and supported me through all of my painfully awkward and cringe phases, and you only occasionally make fun of them now. I have countless memories of us laughing over stupid stuff, like Donny the Dolphin and “Teeth taste yummy.” I think I become a slightly more stupid version of myself when I’m with you, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love watching movies in your basement and making you listen to all of my rants about Challengers and exchanging Stranger Things theories together. I can’t wait to pull off the quintuple switch at the cottage this summer and ask you a million more questions about Instagram because I still don’t understand it at all. You’re my go-to for fashion advice, life advice, or whenever I’ve had a hard day and just want to talk to someone, because I always know you’ll understand. I hope when we’re both off at college, whether it be a 15-hour train ride or a 20-minute walk, that we’ll always make time to hang out. We’ll catch up over coffee or boba, and I’ll update you on everything new in my life, and you’ll tell me everything about yours, because no matter how long we spend apart, we can always pick up right where we left off. I am so happy we finally broke the curse of having zero classes together, and getting to see you in sixth hour is the highlight of my day. You’re like a sister to me, and even though we sometimes argue like siblings, I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you so much.

Katie, my jester and queen 

Katie, you are one of the funniest, nicest, coolest, most incredible people I’ve ever met. We’ve gotten so much closer this year, and everything new I manage to find out about you only makes me love you so much more. I don’t think I’ve ever been as transparent with anyone as I am with you, and you might genuinely know everything about my life (if you remember it). Thank you for putting up with my food hyperfixations as I drag you to the same restaurant for the fifth week in a row to get the exact same meal, and thank you for being the friend who will hear me out on literally anything. I think I saw you like five times a week over the summer, but we somehow find a way to fill every single second together, talking about something. You are so, so talented (thank you for all of my masterfully drawn birthday cards) and you are so, so smart (thank you for tutoring me in APES). You’re my voice of reason when I’m beating a dead horse, and the scolding voice when I update you on my World Lit grade and the extent to which a person could possibly procrastinate. Even though you have your license now, I’ll never get sick of driving you around everywhere, and you’re my passenger princess. When I was a kid, you were the kind of friendship I envisioned having as a teenager. The one where we laugh so hard we can’t breathe, we gossip, we complain about classes, and we talk about literally everything. Thank you for existing and thank you for letting me pass time with you, always by your side.  

Priya, my strawberryer 

Priya, even though you haven’t always loved me, thank you so much for putting up with me. I love arguing over who’s gonna ask the stupid question we both have in Personal Finance, and which one of us is going to lock in on our work. You’ve let me complain about literally every single AP Euro assignment I’ve ever done, and you’ve watched as I last-minute panic study for every Macro quiz and test. I love being in Model UN with you and laughing over all of the stupid stuff Disha and Yutika say (thank you to you guys too for always making me laugh) and encouraging me—even if it’s rather harshly—to get over my fear of public speaking. I can’t wait for another Model UN conference with you, and I promise I won’t push you off the bed again, at least on purpose. 

Evvy, my missing puzzle piece

Evvy, I truly don’t think there is a way to sum up who you are and what you mean to me in just one paragraph. You are enchanting and charismatic, and I am endlessly drawn in by your smile and laugh. Even though we have two classes together, it feels like nothing after seeing you every day for close to five hours, and I wish we could spend more time together. I love sending you a million TikToks of everything I find funny and relatable, and I love all the ones you send me. You are destined to be anything and everything in life, and I know that in every other lifetime, the ones where you’re an artist, a poet, a politician, a journalist, a chemist, and every other job and life you wish to lead, that we somehow always find our way back to eachother because I can’t really imagine a life without you. Each alternate universe is filled with Evvy-themed songs and Evvy strawberry milkshakes and Evvy everything, and my life is better because of it. Despite what you may believe, you are a true muse and inspiration, and you just being in my life makes me endlessly more optimistic—everything is okay when you’re around. I love how you laugh at everything and how you make everything a million times funnier. I’ve picked up a number of your mannerisms and sayings over the past four years, and it truly feels as if you are a part of me in so many ways. I carry you with me wherever I go through tiny phrases and gestures. There is no one else I would’ve rather gone through high school with, and I wouldn’t be the same person as I am today without you. So thank you for being yourself, for being friends with me, and for smiling every day.

Evalyn, my Sassy Apollo 

Evalyn, we have known each other for a long time without ever really knowing each other. We had never really had a class together up until high school, and I merely knew you in passing as someone kind and sweet. Getting to know you better over the course of the past two years has been one of my favorite parts of high school. I love sitting at a lunch table with you and incessantly asking if you’ve seen the most recent TikTok I’ve sent you. I’m sorry for the 20+ notifications from me that you open your phone to every day, but they’ll never stop. I love doubling over laughing over stupid internet references like Sassy Apollo and the little butterfly, and I love our long, long list of restaurants we have to try on what would likely be a cross-country, and maybe continental, road trip. Our lunch table has evolved to a dinner table as you convinced me to come to Wednesday night dinners, and they’ve quickly become one of my favorite parts of the week, thanks to everyone there, special shoutout to Hearts, Spades, Clubs, 13 Spades, and 52. One day, I will convince you to play an entire game of pool with me, and you’ll have a great time, but until then, I’ll keep spending every first hour trying to convince you. I know I stress you out with my chronic procrastination and poor time management, but thank you for keeping me accountable. 

Ailani, my Macro wife 

Ailani, we only just met at the beginning of this year due to our W last names, but it has made Macro go from entirely unbearable (sorry, Mr. Riley) to something I look forward to every day. I love your niche references, even if I only understand like 5% of them, and I can’t wait until we go to the Model UN conference. Thank you for explaining concepts neither of us understands to me, for whispering loudly while the entire room is silent, and for making the Speed face at everything. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Micah, my style icon

Micah, I know you’ve been told by about a million people, but you are truly one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. I’ve told you this before, but I was so intimidated by you going into the class last year, even though I was older than you. Your fashion sense and general aura of hilarity and coolness scared me. Although I know you now, sometimes I still think you’re far too cool for me. Seriously, I could have an entire Pinterest board of just your outfits. But really, I appreciate all of the niche references during the meetings, the outfit inspiration every day, and your random singing that is far too impressive to be so casual. Thank you for going thrifting with me, for watching the Community TikToks I send, for being one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, and for having the hardest fits of anyone I know. 

Addie/13 Spades/Addison, my name twin

Addie, we first met in my 8th-grade Natural Expressions class when I knew you as “Megan’s sister,” and I never really thought I’d know you past that. But when I got to know you, you were such an incredible, kind, empathetic, and hilarious person. Although I don’t remember much of the class now because all of 8th grade is a blur, I do remember your smile and how much fun we had exchanging nicknames and battling over who deserved to be called Addie (it’s still me, by the way). Even though I’ve only gotten to share TCT with you for a couple of years now, it feels like you’ve been part of the class with me since freshman year, and you’re an indispensable part of it. You’re a joy to be around every day, and I miss copy editing with you. Thank you for exchanging glances with me when someone does something weird in class or at Wednesday night dinner, and thank you for still being friends with me even after meeting me at the peak of my awkwardness.

To everyone else in my life who makes every day immeasurably brighter

Thank you, Norah, for actually playing pool with me and randomly locking in halfway through every game; we’re both on our way to becoming world-renowned players. I love driving you home, waving at you through the window of the side room, and returning my tray with you at dinner because I’m too scared to go up alone. Thank you, Shanza, for being the only one to put up with my geography games in second hour and for laughing with me in Spanish over how completely lost we both are sometimes. Thank you for going to a random college visit just so we wouldn’t have to present, for being mi compañero on Spanish quizzes, and letting me copy stats homework occasionally. Thank you, Ella, for putting up with me since seventh grade and having a million old memories and embarrassing moments to reminisce on. I’m sure you have far too many embarrassing photos of me in middle school, as I do of you, but I appreciate you being a consistent part of the last six years of my life. I love teaching Project Charlie with you and laughing at all of the stupid stuff fifth graders say. Thank you, Maylee, for texting me every time I log a movie on Letterboxd and for parking next to me every morning. I love your joy in class every day and sixth hour, and many of my classes over the past couple of years wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you, Cam, for being my third-hour friend and for listening to me talk about how behind I am in all of my classes—I swear I’ll catch up someday. My independent study would be incredibly lonely without you, so thank you for giving me story ideas, for listening to my problems, for rolling your eyes at me when an Intro to Business kid doesn’t shut the door behind them, and for being an incredible part of the class even though you can’t be in sixth hour. Thank you to PACE Club for being one of my favorite parts of the week to talk about everything that’s wrong in the world. Being surrounded by people so in tune with what’s going on and so intelligent reminds me that there are great people out there. Special shoutout to Sophia, who’s at every meeting and always amazes me with how much they know and how smart they are. Thank you, Aiden, for playing board games and video games with me and for occasionally explaining something well in macro. Thank you, Phoebe and Saraí, who were my persistent joy throughout a week of near-hellish temperatures and humidity and some of the most boring lectures I’ve ever had to sit through. Thank you for making stupid jokes with me and laughing over stupid stuff while we were supposed to be working. I miss you guys so much, and you made Girls State a million times more enjoyable. Thank you, Mrs. O’Brien, for making first hour someplace enjoyable to be and for having the most random stuff I’ve asked you to borrow. Thank you, Sr. Silvestre, for being an incredible teacher and person, and for helping me through the last year and a half of Spanish, from where I started, afraid to even say hello, to where I am now, having conversations. I love all of the songs, activities, and general openness to learn in our classroom, and it is one of the only classes in high school that has had that feeling. Thank you, Mr. George, for the two hours I spend in your room every day. I can see how much you love and care for each of your students’ academics and life. I love that you can still joke around with all of us and have fun even though you’re our teacher, and I love all of your cringy jokes that you make during the meetings. Thank you to the entirety of TCT and everyone on staff who help the class keep the magic even through room and teacher changes. This class has been a constant for me throughout the past four years, and I would not be where I am or who I am today without it.

Thank you to everyone who is not named in this as well, and everyone who has supported me throughout high school, college applications, and life in general. These past couple of years have been some of my favorites, and they wouldn’t have been the same without everyone. I love late-night drives and mid-morning brunches. I love boat rides around the lake and long FaceTime calls. I love dinners at KPOT and sitting in a dark movie theater. I love my friends and I love my family, thank you.