Steve continued

But the best part was when we stole the Let’s Go Pens sign from Mattress World. Jess and I had been wanting one for a long time, so we decided we were going to get one. We parked the car down the street from Mattress World and Jess and I went to go get the sign, cause John and Steve were too chicken. Little did we know that the sign was embedded 10 feet in the frozen ground and we had to dig to get it out. But it was worth it. We took the sign back to my car and it wouldn’t fit. We had to stick it in the trunk with the legs hanging out.

I drove as fast as I could back to Scott Twp, where I knew I’d be safe, since I know all the cops. It was such a rush.

When Steve and I got back to my house we were so tired, but so wound up at the same time. We laid on the couch and talked. There is nothing that I couldn’t say to him. He was so easy to talk to. He listened to every word I said and never forgot any of it. He remembered things that I didn’t even remember telling him. And he always knew exactly what to say to me. I found myself falling in love with him.

That was the worst thing I could do. He lived over 12 hours away. What kind of relationship could we have. He was leaving the next afternoon. We only spent a few short days together, and I felt like they weren’t enough. I wanted him to stay longer. The next day, we went and picked up Jess, Zoe, and her sister Jen. Steve was getting ready to leave. I walked him out to his car and begged him to stay one more day. But he couldn’t he had to be back at school for finals. We said goodbye. Then he leaned out the window and said, “come here for a minute.” I went over and he kissed me. It was a love hate moment. I wanted him to kiss me, but at the same time it just made the whole situation worse because I knew he would be leaving. He said goodbye one last time and drove off. I stood there and watched his car until I couldn’t see it anymore. Then I went in my house went upstairs, turned on the song Heaven, and cried like I have never cried before. I listened to that song over and over again. Jess came upstairs. She knew I was crying. She came into the bedroom and just hugged me. She said that I would see him again and that everything would be okay.

She was wrong about seeing him. It’s been over a year and I’ve probably only talked to him about 10 times, and I haven’t seen him. We don’t talk to each other very often anymore. But that’s okay. After he left we talked online. The conversation we had was the best one I’ve ever had with him. He told me that I should not be sad that he wasn’t there, but instead I should be happy that I had the chance to spend time with him and create so many good memories. Remember the good times we had, and be grateful that you had the chance to make them.

He was so right. He really helped me through a lot of hard times. He came into my life just when I needed someone the most, and he left when he knew that I would be okay. It took me months to get over him. I thought I loved him, but I was just looking for a friend, and in him I found one. He is not always there, but he has this tendency to come back into my life when I need him. I’ll go a few months without so much as seeing him online. Then I’ll really need someone to talk to, and I’ll come home and he’ll be online waiting for me to talk to him. He’ll make me feel better and then disappear again.

And while sometimes I still get teary-eyed when I see something that reminds me of him or when someone mentions Boston, I know that I don’t need him to survive. The only thing I need is the memories of our times together and the wisdom that he has instilled in me. So dear reader I’m offering you the advice of my good friend Steve. Number one, live each day to the fullest and get the most out of it. Life is short and you don’t have forever. Do the things you want to do now, you might not get a chance tomorrow. Two, don’t dwell on the bad, live with the good. You can’t change the past. You can only use it to make the future better. And lastly, you are never alone. There is always someone out there who cares about you. They might not always make their presence known, but they will be there when you need them.