The Nicole I Know

I remember the first day I went to college. I can almost feel the nerves in my stomach as my parents and I pulled up to Waneta Hall, which was to be my home for the next year. I had no idea what to expect. Unlike some of my friends, I had come to college basically alone. While many of my friends stayed back in Spearfish and went to BHSU, I had decided to go 7 hours from home and attend South Dakota State University. Not many of my classmates chose to go there, and the one that did and was what I considered a close friend was in a different dorm than I. He was a guy as well, so I would not be able to room with him. I was completely and utterly alone.

When my parents stopped the mini-van in front of the hall I pulled up behind them in my little Topaz. I was excited for this next step, but also incredibly scared. See, I'm not a person that would be considered an extrovert. Any time I enter into a new situation I feel a sense of panic and fear that perhaps I won't meet anyone, the entire time will be terrible, and I will want nothing more than to go home. Most people don't know this just by looking at me, because I put on a good front, but my good friends know what I am like. My family knows as well. They also know that everything usually turns out fine and I usually come back from whatever event I was involved in saying it was the best time of my life and I made tons of friends. That's just me! So, with that in mind, I decided to try to look at dorm life optimistically. I checked in to my room and began to move all of my things in to my side.

The tiny little 10 X 14 foot square that I was to share with a stranger suddenly seemed VERY small! My roommate was not there and I didn't know anything about her. All I knew was that she was a sophomore, so this was her second year there! I moved my things in, met her, and realized that we probably weren't going to be close friends. She already had an entire set of friends that she had made the year before. They filled the rooms on both sides of us, and they were all in their second year of university. The outlook suddenly became very bleak.

I went to our first floor meeting...if you have lived in the dorms you know that usually the RA will hold a floor meeting right away so people can meet one another, know the rules, blah, blah, blah. I looked around the room and it seemed that everyone was best buddies with their roommates. Who would I ever connect with? To my left sat the girls that lived directly across the hall from me. They said their names were Melissa and Nicole, and they already knew each other from going to Girls' State together. Great, I wouldn't get into their group! Little did I know that I couldn't be further from the truth.

The days went by and the first few weeks were not exactly easy, but I did begin to make some friends. Then, one day, my roommate was on the phone with one of her many boyfriends from that year-she was on a man hunt, by the way-and I really felt like I should leave the room to give her privacy, but I didn't exactly know where to go. I wandered across the hall and saw that Melissa and Nicole's door was open, so I stopped by. I think I said something like, "Hey, do you guys mind if I hang out in here for a bit?" or something equally lame, but thus began one of the greatest friendships of my entire life.

I now have no idea where Melissa is, and we never got close, but Nicole...well, that's a story for the ages! Neither Nicole nor I can actually remember why we started hanging out so much, but we did and the rest is history! The Nicole I knew and still know may not be the Nicole that you know, but she's quite a girl and quite a friend.

At first, Nicole seemed quite shy and reserved. Since I am this way myself, I decided not to judge the book by the cover and was soon glad that I hadn't! Nicole and I spent hours talking into the night, sometimes about nothing of importance, but it was important at the time. We went to games together, we always ate together, and she soon became my best friend. We were both in the university Women's Choir, and our trip to North Dakota for a choir fesitival is one of my fondest memories. I will never forget sitting in the back of that bus with her and our friend Natasha. We were forced to endure the stench of the bus bathroom all the way to Fargo...let's just say it wasn't pleasant!
On that trip we really got to know each other even better. Our friendship was solidified and from that moment on, we were inseparable. We laughed about boys such as "Pizza Man" and "Java City Boy." I remember long talks about who would get married first and what kind of guys we would eventually end up with. I also remember driving around in the car, eating Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies and drinking Diet Coke. We just drove all over Brookings, talking about life and learning about each other.

I soon learned that Nicole was not the quiet, shy, and reserved girl I first thought her to be. She has this outrageous laugh! I can still hear it now...if something was insanely funny to her she would laugh until she was gasping for breath. I love the fact that I can still hear that laugh in my mind, even though it has been over three years since I have seen her and heard it in person. Nicole LOVES 80s music, and I remember her and I dancing to it and singing at the top of our lungs in her dorm room. She is always ready to joke around and she was not afraid to look silly. I remember one night in particular. We probably had a little bit too much time on our hands and elegant, classy, and reserved Nicole decided to try on the clothing of other girls in the dorm and turn herself into an 80s rocker chic! I could not post the picture that I so DEARLY wanted to post, for fear that she would kill me, but doesn't she look great?

As the years went by, we went through a lot together. I remember sleeping on the floor in her room one night when she was so sick that I was afraid she might not get out of bed in the morning if I didn't stay to help her. I remember her listening to me go over my post-grad options. I had no idea what to do and she helped me analyze all of the situations and she never made me feel stupid for my fear of the unknown. One night in particular sticks out in my mind. We had been friends for over a year and I was now an RA in another dorm. She came to my room, tears streaming down her face and I knew that it was my turn to be there for her. She stayed in my room that night, and I helped her get through a painful break-up. I remember numerous parking tickets, a trip to the impound to get her car out of holding, tears, laughter, silly moments, sad moments and so many cherished memories.

I can still remember her wedding day, and how beautiful and serene she looked. It was a moment when I sort of grew up a little bit more. This good friend of mine was now a wife. I think that we all have those moments in our lives. Nicole and I grew out of childhood and into adulthood together. Those four years at SDSU were some of the most cherished of my life, and she is in the middle of so many of those memories. We have both moved on from that time, and been through a lot in our individual lives, but our friendship remains steadfast. The other day she mentioned in an e-mail to me that we had been friends for seven years! That seemed impossible to me, because I could still clearly remember walking into her dorm room and asking if I could "hang out." I have watched Nicole grow from a young woman, fresh out of high school and ready to tackle the world into the strong, amazing woman that she is now. I have learned so much from her through the years. I always know that if I need someone to be honest with me and challenge my ideas without being hurtful, Nicole is the one that I can go to. I know that I can bounce my own thoughts and opinions off of her without the fear that she will be offended. Nicole is one of my most cherished friends.

I can't wait for the day when we can FINALLY have a girls' weekend together. We will laugh ourselves silly. Perhaps we will overindulge in some Oatmeal Creme Pies. We will tell stories of the good old days and share our fears of the future. Nicole, whether you move to Washington, Italy, or Timbuktoo, I will ALWAYS be your friend and want to hear about every silly little thing in your life. I love you like a sister, and miss you more than words can express. Here's to the Nicole that I know, my "Nicolo," my dear "SIB," a loyal friend for the ages!