Most everyone has a best friend. Maybe she lives next door to you or ten minutes away. Maybe you can bike to the park and meet her there. And, perhaps, you can call her on the phone and not worry about how much it will cost. If you can do these things you're lucky. When I call my best friend I have to use a phone card or a ton of units on my cell. I can't walk or bike to her house. My best friend, Shannon, lives fifteen hours away. When she used to live ten minutes away from me I took it for granted. Now I realize how unbelievably hard it is to not be able to see her face so often.

Shannon and I met in the second grade. We got into a huge fight over something so stupid neither of us remember what it was about. Then in fifth grade most of our friends ditched us to join the "in" crowd. So, she and I were stuck sitting next to one another in math being connected by only one common interest: both of us wanting Al Gore to win the Presidential election. During our math teacher's long lectures on how bad of a class we were, Shannon and I began passing notes. However, we found out we really didn't have all that much in common. We both had dogs and that was about it. But, in our case at least, there is a lot of truth in the saying "Opposites attract". We became close and began calling one another. The only reason we both lived through the week was the fact that we would be spending the weekend and one another's houses.

For middle school Shannon and I went to different schools. I went to a private school and she went to the local public. We began calling one another for two hours to discuss crushes and teachers. We went and saw every single PG movie together. We did what every pair of bets friends does and finally began to consider each other sisters rather than friends.

The summer after sixth grade my family took Shannon to Myrtle Beach with us. We spent evenings on the balcony in our pajamas searching for "hotties". Then, that September we began seventh grade. The two hour phone calls continued and were about how, "Oh my gosh, I made eye contact with him!". That October two snipers went around killing people at random and for safety reasons the schools were closed(especially since one of the shootings was right now the street from my school). Shannon and I spent the two days off cooped up in her house making milkshakes and throwing Sprite at one another. We weren't allowed outside even for a moment so I think we would have died of boredom without the company of one another.

That November Shannon's dad got a job offer in a state fifteen hours away. He took it and Shannon moved away that January. I remember being very afraid that we would stay friends for a little while then lose touch. However, it was quite the contrary. I still talk to her every day online and usually at least 20 minutes are spent on the phone with her, and its been nearly three years since she moved. We spent this past summer traveling to Chicago (yes, we're Broadway geeks and we went to see Wicked) and to the beach and everywhere in between.

So even though she still lives a long way away from me, I feel we've grown closer since she moved. We've also probably grown more opposite. She's Catholic and likes to wear pink and skirts and be very girly. I'm Jewish and wear the "scary" Hot Topic clothes (she claims the store ate her soul). But she's still my best friend. After many things: boys who brought us tears in the end, fights with other friends, and computer crashes, we remained friends. This girl is amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without her. So even if your best friend is moving to China you don't have to lose touch no matter what people say. Don't lose any friend due to mileage.