Some people come into your life and leave marks that never fade - no matter how much time passes or how far apart life takes you. Nikki was one of those people for me. 

From the very beginning, she was more than just a friend; she was a constant presence in my world, the kind of person who made even the most ordinary days unforgettable. My memories of her, I now hold especially close. They remind me who we were, who she was, and how lucky I am to have had her in my life. Like the time me, her, and another friend once took WASHABLE paint and covered a wall at a previous school of ours (whose name I shall not disclose) with ridiculous stuff - anarchy signs, doodles, probably a few of those classic “S” symbols everyone used to draw - whatever came to mind. To our horror, the school didn’t even try to wash it off. A few days later they just painted over it with white, but you could still see everything underneath, plain as day. 

Or when we were floating... I mean, walking to Midieval Days. While cutting through a field I remember looking behind and seeing two cops on bikes heading toward us - it felt like slow motion. They caught up, searched our bags, and somehow let us go… even though we were definitely underage and each had a 2L cooler in tow. There were Girl Guide camps - swimming at the beach, sharing a tent, passing time whittling with our tiny pocket knives, and singing campfire classics like My Pink Pajamas and Kookaburra. We made up obnoxious songs about our tent-mates and sang them relentlessly. Most definitely annoying to everyone else, but we thought we were absolutely hilarious. 

We’d sneak out on weekends, conducting um... highly scientific (de)hydration experiments in fields, at parties and local punk shows. We got caught sneaking back in more than once I'm pretty sure - resulting in Nikki getting grounded, Marge trying to get a hold of my mom, and me doing my best to intercept the calls. We of course, used each other as alibis, as only true friends do. In a time before everyone had doorbell cams, we would take yard ornaments from one house and move them to another. I realize now, as an adult, how incredibly annoying that would be. Honestly, I still wonder if those poor people ever managed to track down their prized garden gnomes. So many days walking home from school, just being goofy - making up songs, talking about everything and nothing. 

She was a staple in my childhood, from elementary school through high school and beyond. We kept in touch here and there over the years, even if we didn’t see each other for a while. But I’m incredibly thankful for the memories I have. It’s hard to put into words, but even when we weren’t in constant contact, she was still a part of me. She’ll forever hold a place in my heart - and I’m so grateful for that.