My first memory of Tay was in 8th grade Spanish class. He was standing in the front of the room, giving his "Bienvenido", or welcome speech. It was a requirement that each Bienvenido be entirely in Spanish, which wasn't something that came easy to him, as we all soon discovered. He stood up, shuffled his feet a little bit, looked around nervously, and began.
"Hola," he said. "Bienvenido. Mi llamo es Tavo." ...and then laughter erupted. He hadn't pronounced a single word correctly. Not even his own (albeit Spanish) name. The thing I remember most was that he didn't get offended or embarrassed, as I surely would have done. He just laughed with that explosive laugh of his and continued. I came home that day with a grin on my face and told my mom of the experience. It was just so funny to me, for some reason. And even though we didn't become friends for a long time after that, I remembered it. I remembered him.
Taylor was always so much cooler than me in school. He was an Student Body Officer in 9th grade at our middle school, a football player, someone that was surrounded with friends all the time, someone that was really adored by so many people. I, on the other hand, was not that person. I was shy and awkward and still coming out of my shell. I had a hard time talking to people that I perceived as "cooler" than me, and Tay was definitely one that fell under that category. So for a long time, I admired him from afar, wished we were friends, and went on living my small life.
High school came, and we started talking. We, for some reason, had like a million classes together sophomore year and through that, we became friends. I had never anticipated how kind Taylor was, or how easy to be around. He texted me every Sunday night, almost without fail, about a homework due in classes the next day. I occasionally made him laugh. We told each other our crushes and about our families. I learned that he was an only child and he learned that I was a really terrible driver (he was one of the first people I told about failing my first attempt at the driving test). It was simple and I loved it.
Some things eventually changed, and Taylor, slowly but surely, became my very best friend. We spent all the time we could together, all through high school. We went through amazing times and really, really terrible times, simple and difficult, and through it all, things somehow always worked out. He was the first and last boy that asked me to a dance. He was the recipient of all my terribly thought out Christmas gifts and birthday gifts. He was the one that held my hand as we rode the Ferris (or as he calls it, Farris) Wheel at Town Days three beautiful summers in a row. He saw me at my worst and my best and cared about me through it all. I got to see him grow up, little by little. And now he's decided to leave everything he loves for two years to serve a mission, and it's the best decision he's ever made. Ahh. I can't even tell you how excited I am for him! Witnessing this transformation in him has been inspiring and has made me want to be better, as well.
So, here's to someone that has changed me for the better, and continues to do so everyday. Here's to someone that has been the best possible friend that anyone could ever ask for. We are both moving on to bigger and better things, and the future is becomes closer every passing minute, but I'll never stop being grateful for Taylor.
GOOD LUCK IN MEXICO, TAY BABY!! WE'RE SO PROUD OF YOU!
Thank you, my dear, for being everything.
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