Chip, Part 2

My summer was not adventurous. Really, not in the least. But I kept Chip informed to some extent and we mainly just chatted over the summer.

Soon after I returned for school, we started hanging out some. I included him in some of the stuff I was doing with some of my friends. He didn't have a car, but he lived really close to another friend of mine, so I would often pick him up and we would go hang out with this other friend. Our friendship started getting closer at work as well.

He was pretty shy, but he would initiate conversations with me (which he didn't do all that often before), and we had a crapload of inside jokes. We made each other laugh all of the time. I don't think I can overstate how well I got along with Chip.

It did not take long for both of us to consider the other their best friend at work. It also did not take long for us to start speaking to each other about things that were more important than inside jokes and small talk.

The reality is, though, while Chip was a great listener, he didn't open up much about himself. I took note at some points and encouraged him at others. I really do believe that he trusted me, and he did open up to me some. He told me once or twice that he trusted me, but he really didn't have all that much going on that he needed to talk about.

But Chip was the best. He was truly one of the best friends I have ever had. This was my senior year, and I eventually graduated. This is the majority of when things started to get somewhat weird.

Chip and I texted back and forth pretty frequently after I moved back home. It was some of the things that we were saying, though, that I remember. Chip paid me so many compliments. So many. Not like "You're sexy," compliments. More like "You can do this because you kick ass." He once told me I was his best friend. And he once told me that we would always be friends because I was too awesome for anything to happen to our friendship. I loved these things that he was saying.

I wish that they had all been true.