Dear Nick

It's been a while Nick. I've been thinking a lot lately about the good times. I remember going bowling on half days, and how they never wanted a group of high school kids there at 1:00 pm. I remember your digital dashboard, and putting pins on the roof of your car so the upholstery didn't hang. I remember how you'd let everyone get in your car for lunch. You never complained about people needing to pitch in for gas, and you'd give everyone a ride everywhere. Sometimes it was a crowded back seat, sometimes we even had to make rules about how much space you could take up. I believe the rule was you got one fist in the backseat.

I remember how we'd often make our lunches longer than one period. First it was with woodshop, and then it was with drafting. It always worked out alright. Remember that guy at KFC that would always give us extra chicken strips?

I remember playing 2 and out in hacky sack, 3 years of soccer together, and countless pick-up football games. I remember before you had your car. We would hang out at the metra station west of school and just chill for hours, not really doing anything. I remember the hour-long bus rides to Ridge Mall. I remember the good times we had.

Now when I look back I also remember how in so many ways you were a man when I was still a boy. You taught me so much about friendship and how things like respect needed to go both ways. You were a tremendous example of being generous, being loyal, and looking out for people.

I still remember the day before you went in a coma. There was nothing abnormal, no warning signs. We just went to drafting (we actually went that day), joked around with Rasheef, and went to lunch and laughed like we always did. The next day you weren't at school and we all felt an emptiness we were only beginning to understand.

Now I'll remember the day you slipped on. Yoli told me you didn't suffer and that you went softly, without a warning sign, kind of like how you went into the coma. I wish I could be there today Nick, but my thoughts and prayers are with you even if I can't be at your wake today. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for bringing us all closer when you were healthy and when you were sick. I'll miss you man.