Hayden and I first met when we were just 15 and 17 years old in the halls of Grissom High School. Every day, he’d walk past me with one of my friends, always trying to make me laugh or start a conversation. I usually had my AirPods in, so while I knew he was talking to me, I never actually heard what he was saying. One day, I decided to turn my music down and listen — and from then on, I looked forward to his daily jokes. Though we still hadn’t talked much in person, I often wondered why this funny upperclassman kept trying to get my attention. Eventually, Hayden texted me out of the blue, asking if he could have my leftover food from a local hibachi place — and that’s where our story truly began. From that moment on, we were inseparable. Through the rest of high school, we did everything together — I never missed a baseball game, we went to dances, had lunch together, and shared countless memories in between. Now, after both graduating and beginning our next chapter in college, we still do everything together and continue to have the best time — just like we always have.