my best friend.

Laura has been my best friend since 7th grade, and I figure that I'll first give a quick run-down of the Hayley-Laura history before I get into why I'm talking about it at all tonight.  

So, like I said, it all started in 7th grade.  I don't know what exactly it was that got us to be friends at all, because we weren't in 6th grade and in 7th we didn't have any classes together.  But I do remember that we both made Burneson Brigade- Lee Burneson Middle School's show choir.  Normally not that many 7th graders made it into the show choir, so when the list went up and we were both on it, we could not have been more excited.  I didn't even know that Laura could sing until she made it into Brigade, but damn, she can SING. 

We started hanging out and writing each other cute little notes with more frequency all the time, and by the end of 7th grade we were full blown bffs.  I remember a funny instance that she told me about.  One time a friend of Laura's asked her "You and Hayley Hartman are friends?"  and Laura of course said "Yeah, what about it?"  the girl replied "Isn't she weird?" and Laura just said "Yup."  And that's why I love her.

In eighth grade we had every single fricken class together and it was awesome.  Eighth grade is still my favorite year of school, not just because of Laura, but because I had excellent companionship in every single one of my classes.  I also had wonderful teachers and stuff, and I wish I could just skip back four years and be in eighth grade again.

Laura and I were different than most friends- we literally never got mad at each other.  Well, she may have gotten mad at me but I'm pretty sure I can safely say that she didn't.  That's why when high school ruled around and both freshman and sophomore years when we had almost no classes together at all, we remained tight.  We still hung out all the time, being goofy and lazy and happy.  

We both continued with choir and singing and we both take voice lessons from Kevin Foster, which brings me to why I'm writing an entire post about her.  

So tonight I had a gymnastics meet which Laura and another friend of ours, Sarah attended.  After that, at 8pm, Laura had her voice lesson and mine was right after hers at 8:30.  I got to my voice lesson at Kevin's around 8:10 because my meet finished early and I knew that neither Laura nor Kevin would care if I sat in on Laura's lesson and also I knew that Sarah would be there too.  

Like normal, when I walked in we chatted about stuff for a few seconds and then Kevin started playing warm-ups for Laura.  She sang through them, and Sarah, unfamiliar with Laura's extreme vocal talent, was in awe.  I however was more conditioned to Laura's talent and was able to keep myself under control, it was just warm-ups.  And then Laura sang through a song and of course, it sounded really nice.  Then she got out a song called "Send Me a Song" which she has been working on with Kevin for probably a few weeks.

"Send Me a Song" is about two lovers and one of them moves away, so the singer is asking the lover to sing to her whenever he misses her and she tells him that she will sing to him to, send him a song.  However, it can pretty much be applied to any situation where people that love each other are separated, be they actual lovers or best friends.

She starts in on the first verse and I just felt myself relax because it was so good.

"Take the wave now and know that you're free
Turn your back the land, face the sea
Face the wind now, so wild and so strong
When you think of me, wave to me and send me a song"

And then she starts in on the next few phrases, and I started to tear up.  Not just because of her singing, but because of the meaning of the words.  

"Don't look back when you reach the new shore
Don't forget what you're leaving me for
Don't forget when you're missing me so
Love must never hold, never hold tight, but let go"

So she starts in on the second part, and I had already texted Sarah something along the lines of "dude I'm like tearing up right now" because I'm eloquent like that, and Sarah looks up at me.  And then the words

"Calm your sadness and loneliness
And then start to sing to me
I will sing to you 
If you promise to send me a song"

came out of Laura's mouth I was just full on crying on Kevin's couch and Sarah's in awe of both Laura and the fact that I'm sitting there crying.  And then Kevin stops Laura because she messed some notes up or something, and Sarah and I just started laughing because Laura had no idea at that point that she was making me cry.  Laura turns around and looks at me and goes "Why are you laughing?!"  and I couldn't even speak and she was like "Are you crying? Is this a JOKE?"  and I was like "No, it's just so good!"  and Kevin's just sitting there probably thinking "Holy shit there are too many teenage girls in my living room right now."  

The full lyrics to "Send Me a Song" are here.

This isn't even an original story though- I'm pretty sure that I am the second girl to cry while their best friend sings "Send Me a Song."  I've deduced it down to that the song really does mean a lot to me because there will be a time when I'll hug her goodbye and not see her for a few months at least, maybe more.  And that it's about singing to someone you love even if they won't hear you.  It's about sending the simplest gift and they don't even know that they're receiving it.  

And I know that it's ridiculous that now I'm crying again at the prospect of having to leave my best friend and be with people who don't understand me, but it took me a really long time to get to the point I'm at with Laura.  I can tell her anything, I can trust her with anything.  And although I know that she will always be my best friend, there will be a time in about a year and a half where I will either have to stop needing someone to tell all my shit to and rely on or I will have to find someone close-by who I can do that with.   And I can't picture me being like that with anyone but her.

But unless we go to the same school, it's not going to be the same.  It's not going to be going on walks a few times a week and it's not going to be us driving around scream-singing Ke$ha and N'Sync Christmas.  

I can promise you, Laura, that when I'm in college or wherever I end up being, I'll send you a song.  I know that it's cheesy but I will.  I hope you'll send me one too.