Dear Chelsea:

You started off intimidated by me, you, a veteran dancer of 16 years, intimidated by a second-rate freestyling hip-hop dancer of four. Funny girl you. You only broke the barrier at NFLC because of a mutual friend you were creeped out by. You went from intimidated to estimating the shortness of my manliness in 2.3 seconds. Then to the lack thereof in another 1.2. That's how we started getting to know each other. Great story.

Then throughout the beginning of the year we stomached getting up and arriving at the high school at six every morning. Six o'freaking clock. Both of us with our bed faces and bedhead still on, sweatpants dragging, we'd start up the ancient 135 year old espresso cart taking inventory, getting milk in to the fridge, getting the money. We did that for a couple of months as we got to know each other and began realizing that we shared the same ferocious [lol] passion for dance. You realized what only a few people know about me from our high school, my aspirations, the things that drove me, the things that kept me waking up, in that first month. And still, only a select few know the real me, the real Ulyber with his real insecurities.

You taught me things that I didn't know I could learn, things I needed to know but didn't have a starting place to learn them. You taught me how to dance.

Before then I had never really learned combinations or choreography, I didn't know what a stupid plié was or the difference between contemporary and modern. You were the one that eventually got me in to Betty's godforsaken Jazz II class and the Company. And you were the one that gave me the confidence in knowing that my aspirations weren't just dreams but tangible goals that I really could reach. Shit, you even let me take your speakers.

I'm graduating in less than 4 days now and I thought that it was about time that I thank you for everything that you've done. I'm really not the sentimental type that likes to be gushy about things like this, but I want you to know that you really have no idea how much I appreciate these things... even just being my friend. I still read that post you posted on my birthday. Friends are hard to come by for me around here, but you made up for it.

Thank you for making my senior year wonderful.

I know an 8GB iPod is nothing compared to your massive library, and I know it really doesn't come close to how much I really do appreciate everything, but it's all I got. Hopefully that's a good enough thank you for now.

We'll keep in touch. :D <3