on being her bridesmaid.

At her bridesmaid brunch, after manicures and the day before her wedding, each of the girls were given a little time to toast to Laura. I told her that being there felt like an awards banquet. I spent three years in college working towards this day: three years of  taking every major class together and finding excuses to hang out in the library for hours, working on our study guides.This was an achievement! I knew I wanted to be Laura's friend since that first day of class.

And, the funny thing is, I think a lot of people feel that way. She is a rare kind of person : open-hearted, witty and perfectly punctual (all. the. time.)

I joke with Laura that I'm her "secret friend", a phrase I borrowed from Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Despite already having three best friends, Mindy has another friend who loves comedy as much as she does, and who she only hangs out with one-on-one.

“There was just Mavis and me, but it never seemed lonely because we never stopped talking. We never needed best friend gear because I guess with real friends you don’t have to make it official. It just is.”

Laura is the most important person in so many people's lives, and there are at least six of us out there who call her "my best friend". I don't think I'll ever get over the honor of being asked to stand up in her wedding, or the joy I felt on that day knowing she had found her forever.