Yesterday, I met three beautiful girls.

They were strong and confident—unwavering in who they were.

They were a little bit crazy, a little bit scary, but so obviously full of a whole lot of love.

Somehow, we started talking. I honestly don’t remember when.

I wish I could pinpoint the moment I knew they were going to change my life forever; maybe it was just always a given.

Yesterday, I saw them cry and laugh, shout and shriek, hug and push away.

Yesterday, I saw three beautiful girls be true to themselves—and I was inspired.

It felt like they would be here forever, forever teaching me how to be the best me.

We had our ups and downs, but they never left my side, and I never left theirs.

Yesterday, I found the unwavering, undeniable, once-in-a-lifetime stuff of legends.

Yesterday, I met three girls who can never be described—never constrained— by the words in the English language they know so well.

Today, they leave me.

Today, they will walk out of room 139, and every single time they walk in after just won’t be the same.

Today, I say goodbye to the girls who pushed and inspired me to be the best me: my mentors and my friends.

Today, I say goodbye to legends, princesses, warriors.

And I’m scared, scared to say goodbye, scared to be left behind.

It feels as if the floor is dropping out from underneath me, leaving me to plummet into the darkness below: alone.

I can’t even imagine what my life is going to look like without these beautiful girls brightening it up every single day.

Today, I close my eyes and know that when I open them they will be gone.

Today, I am being selfish.

My beautiful, talented friends are going out into the world to follow their hearts, to grow and to learn, to make a difference in the world.

And the world is not ready for how lucky it is to have my best friends.

Today, I am lost.

Today, I am scared.

Today, all I want to do is call them and say, “please come back, please don’t leave me.”

Today, no matter how hard I cry, my friends will still be gone.

Tomorrow, they will come back to me.

Tomorrow, when I step out into the world, they will be there to welcome me.

I know they will never truly leave me.

Even if we should go days or weeks without talking, these three beautiful women are forever ingrained on my heart and in my memories.

I will take their advice and their example with me no matter where I go.

Tomorrow is a scary notion, but I will step into the future knowing that my best friends will be by my side.

 

Yesterday, three beautiful girls and I heaved open the doors to the future.

Today, they walked through those doors without me.

Tomorrow, I know they will come back to me.