Beautiful

The sun hovers above the edge of town, filtering through the trees and bathing us in a buttery light. Grass tickles our arms and legs, emitting the sweet smell that is the very essence of summer. Beyond the wooden walkway, the Detroit River rushes past, covered in slowly chugging freighters and little speedboats zipping past. My friends and I lay in a circle beneath the shade of an old oak tree, laughing and whispering like teenagers will do.

Words float on the breeze, rolling off of our tongues as easily as waves off the shore. The laughter mingles and intertwines, creating a symphony of happiness. There are smiles all around, not an ounce of effort being put into trying to hide who we really are. Conversations are confused and interrupted. We cut each other off and say the first thing that comes to our mouths. The rule is say what you think or you might as well shut up.

I glance around the group surrounding me. All the faces I see look so different, but inside I know we are all the same. To my right is Derrick and Elizabeth, the established couple of the group. Then there's Bradley and Lauren, the insane ones that might as well be six years old. Across the circle from me is Patrick and AJ, the notorious single men who can never hold onto a girlfriend for more than a week. Next there's Jessica and Darrell, the two people in the world who seem to know me better than I know myself. On my left there is Jenny, who I always seem to get in fights with. But we always make up because deep down our hearts might as well be identical.

As I look at all those faces, think about all those personalities, and remember all of our jokes, I can't stop myself from grinning. The bond between the gang isn't something that can be broken by words, it can only be made stronger. Every laugh, memory, and tear shed is another thing that ties us all together. I can't help but think that these are the people who I want, and hopefully will, always be there for me. They are the kind of kids who let me say whatever I want and not be held accounted for it. I want to talk about Pokemon? That's cool with them. Been feeling self- concious? They'll give me a pep talk and allow me to feel even more sure about myself than ever before.

And that's when I realized even that day wasn't more beautiful than my best friends.