Even when the screaming voices and body heat of tens of thousands of people suffocated me, only one person was on my mind.

Sunday, November 19, 2017. The first installment of Halsey’s hopeless fountain kingdom Tour was nearing its end. My heart pounded against my chest like a construction worker with a jackhammer, my arms ached from holding my phone in the air to record my favorite songs, and my voice cracked every time I tried to sing.

At 9:50 pm, a seat belt alarm blared throughout the arena, signaling the beginning of “Drive”. The stream of thoughts racing through my brain came to a halt.

I wasn’t thinking of what I would be missing in my classes the next day, nor the fact that an artist I adore was singing my favorite song right in front of me.

My thoughts were replaced by the girl who was standing to my left—my best friend.

It felt like she had just introduced me to Halsey’s music; now, more than two years later, we were standing amongst 18,000 people, shouting the words to her songs, the lyrics acting as a catalyst for the bond between us.

Our friendship began over half a decade ago. Since then, we’ve laughed for endless hours over inside jokes and comforted each other when our depression is bad. Even after all of this time, we still value each other’s company. Now, in our senior year of high school, I only get to see her for about 15 minutes a day, but we make an effort to hang out once a week—whether that’s by carving pumpkins or sitting in her car at the beach.

Her voice projecting the lyrics to “Drive” into my ear reminded me that even when we move to different towns and eventually break our promise to talk every few days, the memories we make before that inevitable time will stick with us for the rest of our lives.

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Title inspired by lyrics from “Drive” by Halsey

Featured image by Kira M.

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