I remember being home alone and hearing my grandma walk up the creaky stairs in my garage to enter the house. My parents weren’t home yet, and she told me they didn’t want me to be alone right now. I was extremely confused and thought I was in trouble. I asked if I had done something wrong, and that’s when she shared the worst news I had ever been told, news that made me wish I was in trouble. Once she found enough strength, she quietly choked out the words, “Dylan died.”

Those two words changed my entire life. I asked her what she meant. I knew she had to be confused because I had just seen him last night while he was showing off his new car. Dylan was only 23 years old, how could he have died? I intended to ask her, but the words couldn’t escape my mouth. I felt trapped, like a prisoner within my own body. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t even cry. My mind was filling with thoughts: How did this happen? What did my brother do to deserve having his best friend taken away from him? It just didn’t feel real. That night, Dylan’s friends and family came to our house to celebrate Dylan’s life and accomplishments. We shared stories about him which filled the space with sounds of laughter, often followed by tears.

My brother, Matthew, and Dylan had been best friends since elementary school. In fact, Dylan spent so much time at our house he referred to my step-dad as his dad. Matthew and Dylan did everything together, from participating in demolition derbies each summer to graduating high school. Before we built our shop, the two boys built their first derby cars inside our garage, which I remember being an extremely noisy task. After they finished building their first derby cars, they participated in our small town’s county fair. Those two honestly couldn’t be happier because they both knew no matter what happened, whether they ended up winning or losing, they would still have a best friend.

Dylan was like a big brother to me. We treated him like he was a part of our family, and he knew he was always welcome to our house. He and I even fought like siblings. Although my best friend and I haven’t known each other as long as Matthew and Dylan did, we are very close. My best friend and I do everything together. It’s almost like we’re the same person. After spending two hours with each other we start saying the same things at the same time, which is pretty weird. Like she did with Dylan, my mom refers to my best friend as her fifth child – counting Dylan, my two brothers, and me. In fact, my mom was even going to have my best friend over to the house while I was away on vacation so she wouldn’t miss me as much, which I thought was hilarious.

Dylan’s death left me in pieces and left my brother alone, sad, and confused. I had millions of questions, but all I wanted to do was be with my best friend. I’m the type of person who doesn’t appreciate what they have until it’s gone. Until Dylan’s death, I didn’t value my friends as much as I should have. I believed if I lost one friend, I would be able to easily find a new best friend. I have now learned that when a person loses their best friend, they will never be able to find a person who can entirely replace that bond. I had never seen my best friend as a blessing; to me, she was just another person involved in my life. I respected her, of course, but I never put much thought into how lucky I am to have her. I hadn’t yet realized how rare it is to find someone in this world who shares the same passion for gossiping, talking about boys, running, and shopping.

Since Dylan’s death, each moment I’m with my best friend, Emilee, I am continuously thanking God for blessing me with someone who has stuck with me through thick and thin. Although Dylan’s death was hard for me, I am grateful I was able to learn something from it. Dylan’s death has made me more aware that life is short, and the time available to be spent with my best friend is even shorter. Now, I always tell my friends and family how much I appreciate them, and I will never take them for granted because no one ever knows what will happen a year from now, or even in the next minute. Over the summer, I plan to create as many memories as I can with my best friend because I would like to spend my life having fun instead of worrying about the future.