I remember looking at my phone and seeing a notification from Snapchat. V sent a snap. Confused, I opened the text. “We should become best friends,” it read. Although I was confused, I said yes because the overwhelming feeling of loneliness from quarantine was so powerful. I had hoped that this friendship would get me out of the feeling of being alone.

Soon enough, we were Facetiming and talking every day. My parents were still strict with COVID rules so seeing V. was hard. Now V was moving 40 minutes away. It felt as if I was going to lose my best friend.However, V and I became closer than ever when she moved to her new town. Our favorite hang out spot was in her new town: Boonton at the Bombers football games. Our bond only grew stronger. I can’t even imagine a life without her as my best friend.

I decided I had to write her a letter because we had a week of arguments. I printed the letter and took it to her house the weekend I was sleeping over for my birthday. V and I went into her bedroom alone and she read the letter. I poured my heart out. The last sentence I wrote was “You. Are. My. Home.” Those words are the most honest words that I have ever written. As V finished reading the letter, she stood up and gave me a hug. I will never forget this hug.

“I love you so much Dylan. I can’t imagine my life without you. I am not ever going to leave,” she said.

Having a home doesn’t always mean having a roof over your head. It can mean that you have someone who makes you feel the safest you could ever possibly feel and the tranquility of being yourself.

Home is not a definite place, but it can be a definite person.