Tracy
When I was 10 I had my braces put on. I was the first in our grade to go through that, and felt very left out. During school yard catfights, the topic of my braces was always used as a 'discussion point', and it was what made me unique - until Tracy had hers put on.

We immediately changed the class-seating arrangement to the effect that we shared a desk. We aptly named ourselves 'Braces Buddies', which to us was a very exclusive partnership. This continued until my family moved to the other side of the country (Perth to Brisbane) when I was 12 (braces had been taken off since then, by the way).

2 years later, Tracy's family decided to pack up and move to Brisbane. Tracy moved into a house about 300 metres away from me. We attended different schools, but all of my school friends knew her as "that girl who is always at Talbo's birthday parties" and all of her school friends knew me as "that girl who is always at Tracy's birthday parties". In fact, on my 16th birthday I attempted to turn my living room into a gaybar as a theme for the night, and it was Tracy who spent the entire evening stirring up mocktails for my schoolfriends that she barely knew.

What has never really occured to me until now is that, throughout this entire relationship, we've never discussed our friendship. We've never even really referred to each other as 'best friends'. Everything just 'happens', and it was only when I was going through high school (all girls school - very catty) and experiencing a myriad of bitchiness, backstabbing and insincerity, that I realized exactly what she means to me.

Now we're at the same university - we catch the bus there together whenever our timetables allow it.

So there it is. No life-altering crisis, no crazy circumstances, just a girl that I've known for a very long time. What surprises me is that, owing to my constant moving around the country because of dad's job (before settling in Brisbane), she's the only non-family member that I've known for more than 10 years. Everyone else has come and gone, except for Tracy.

The only regret I have is that I've never turned to her and said 'you know, you're a really good friend'.

I don't know how to finish this post.

*EDIT* On the first day she came to school with her braces, I was trying to mentor her, and told her not to bite down really hard on her braces. She bit down really hard on her braces, and had to go back to the ortho on the very same day he had put on her braces, in order to get them fixed.

*EDIT* When I was away on holiday, she called me (long distance) just to tell me that she just drove through a tunnel where somebody had written 'TALBO' on the wall. She ended up adding 'ROCKS!' next to it, eventually.

*EDIT* Our families went holidaying together to the coast, and she and I spent most of our time in the hotel room playing the CSI Board Game.
(talbo, Sat 29 Jul 2006, 12:43, Reply)