Tribute for Andy

All through middle school and high school I had a really great friend named Andy. He and I met my seventh grade year and immediately hit it off. He was a very silly kid and loved to joke around and have fun. He had a way of making me feel really good about myself when none of my other friends did. He would never accept a bad attitude and always tried to cheer someone up when they were down. 

I remember we used to hang out in my back yard each summer. We'd have water fights or lay on the trampoline and watch the stars. We used to write really long notes back and forth and exchange them at school. He was really great to just talk to about life and anything that happened to be going on. We used to say that we adopted each other as brother and sister. He really helped me when I found out that my mom was really sick, and would always come over to my house when I was having a hard time. The last year or so of high school we weren't as close though, we both had boyfriends and girlfriends- and everyone knows how much they take up your time when you're in high school- and I also started to do a lot of theatre and he wasn't really into the artsy stuff. (Though he never missed a performance.)

I never knew that he was depressed. I still don't really know what drove him to hang himself. It might have been family problems, though they always seemed so close; or maybe it was a bad relationship with his girlfriend...whatever was going on I couldn't tell through his usual smile. He was always the one to keep me from being down on myself. He always had a positive perspective to point out, always looked at the silver lining, always saw all the good things in people, and never pointed out the flaws. 

I hadn't talked to him for quite a few months, we had only just graduated from high school. I was staying over at a friends house when she called me to come look at the computer. She had stumbled across Andy's obituary. I couldn't believe it. We went to his funeral and I could hardly look at him. It wasn't my Andy, it was a cold stranger with a sad face. I wouldn't remember him like that. I will always remember him as happy. I'll remember his contagious laugh and smile, and all the kind words and wisdom beyond his years that he shared with me.