I am Samantha and this is the story of my friendship.

Ryan and I have been best friends ever since the day my dad abandoned me and my mom. Ryan helped me through this difficult time. He made me laugh when I was crying, he brought me ice cream when I was feeling down, and he had those long night talks with me when I couldn't sleep.

I believe that Ryan will be there for me no matter what.

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"My birthday is almost here." I said as I sat down on the couch next to Ryan.

"Your birthday is in three months." He said while he changed the channel to SpongeBob, our favorite t.v. show.

"It gives you just enough time to buy a special present for me." He looks at me and starts laughing. "Hey, it's not funny." I grab the popcorn from him and threw one at his face.

"Hey, don't take all the popcorn fatty." He tried to grab some popcorn from me, but I swat his hands away. "Sharing is caring Samantha." I stuck my tongue out at him and continued eating his popcorn. That's what best friends are for right?

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"Ugh. I can't believe I have to do homework, my birthday is tomorrow. That reminds me, have you seen Ryan lately?" I asked my friend Lily.

"No. I haven't seen him around lately. He is probably just studying for his exam."

"Or he could be preparing for my birthday. He always makes it special." A smile spreads across my face when I remember all my birthdays I spent with him.

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Today is my birthday and I still haven't heard from Ryan. Did he forget about my birthday? Of course not. This is Ryan you are talking about. He would never forget.

*Ding Dong* It must be Ryan! I got up from my bed and ran to the door. When I opened the door I didn't find Ryan, instead I found the mailman standing in front of me.

"Are you Samantha?" The mailman asked. I nodded my head. He reached inside his bag and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I grabbed the envelope from his hand and he walked away. I closed my door and ran back to my room to open the envelope.

The envelope was completely purple, my favorite color. It had no name or address on it, so I opened the envelope and took the letter out.

I opened the letter and it said:

Meet me at our place at 6:00 tonight.

Ryan

"Our place" is a treehouse in the woods. We built it one summer when we were bored, and we have used it ever since.

I looked at my clock and it read 5:00. I had one hour to get ready. With that I went to my bathroom and took a quick shower. When I finished, I blow dried my hair and left it natural since Ryan liked it like that the best. I put on my blue dress I bought just for my birthday and slipped on my black flats. I grabbed my car keys and shoved it into my purse.

Ten minutes later I arrived at his house. Instead of ringing the doorbell I walked to his backyard, since that was where our treehouse was.

When I saw the treehouse, my heart stopped beating inside my chest. The treehouse was beautiful. The outside of the treehouse was decorated with lights. A big banner that said "Happy Birthday" hung down from the roof of the treehouse. The stars hanging from the tree branches were beautiful. It was like Ryan went up to space and grabbed a handful of stars just to hang them up for me.

I headed to the ladder and started climbing. When I entered the treehouse I expected to be greeted by Ryan, but he wasn't there. What is this boy planning?

The inside of the treehouse was even more amazing than the outside. Lights were hanging on the walls. Teddy bears were scattered all over the floor and on all four walls there were photos of Ryan and I pinned up. On the couch I noticed another purple envelope and a box underneath it.

I went over to the couch and sat down. I opened the box and inside the box laid a beautiful heart shaped locket. On the front of the locket there was a picture of SpongeBob and Patrick. When I opened it on the right side it said "Best Friends Forever" and on the other side there was a silly photo of me and Ryan.

After I finished admiring my locket I remembered the envelope. I opened the envelope and out fell a letter. I opened it and started reading:

Dear Samantha,

To be honest I don't know where to begin. We have been best friends ever since we were 13. Do you remember all those times we stayed up late on the phone just to talk to each other, when we made food together, and don't forget our SpongeBob marathons. What I do remember is that whenever I'm around you I'm happy. It's like your smile is contagious and I can't help but smile along with you. I am really going to miss that. You are probably

wondering where I am right now. Am I going to climb up that ladder and surprise you? I wish I could, but I can’t. I don't have much time left... A few months ago my doctor told me I have a brain tumor and I only have a few months to live, but that gave me just enough time to prepare all of this for you. Please forgive me for not telling you. I was scared that if I told you, you would act different around me. I just wanted you to know that I'm glad we became best friends, because every moment I spent with you was the most beautiful thing in my life. I'm going to miss you... But one thing I know is that we are best friends forever.

Ryan