Mackenzie-

If I could give my sister, Mackenzie, one piece of advice that she would never understand the importance of until she graduated from high school it is this: Pick Your Friends Wisely.
Yes, it is cliche, but I have never understood how very true it is until now. In high school, everyone is so good at being fake. Pretending to 'love' everyone just so you can all hang out around one another and save face. In high school, we're fake so we don't have to waste time arguing. We're fake so we can smile in the pictures and have memories that aren't flooded with animosity and hate. We're fake because that's what we've been taught. To paint on a smile, hand out some southern charm and power through.
Well, one day, you'll wake up and look around and find out that we lost track of who's smile was real. Who really cared about us? Who really wants to hang out... Even though everyone says they do. "Yea, I'll be home next weekend. We should get together." "Let's plan something." "Ohh yea. Next Saturday. I miss you so much." Facebook seems to be the only thing holding us together, but we can't even truly say that it is a stable connection. Facebook is simply a portrayal of what we want others to think that we are. I can't say that it's a sham, but it's a shadow. It's just a blank interpretation of what we desire to call ourselves. It's not genuine.

Dear Mackenzie,
Choose friends that build you up. You know those friends that crack jokes about how you might be smaller than they are or younger than they are or not as 'cool' as they are. Forget them. You are the coolest 12 year old I know. Hah, You're way cooler than a lot of the people I go to college with!
Choose friends that answer their phones when you call. Friends that don't break plans. If they're already doing it now, they will do it forever. I promise.
Choose friends that understand that boyfriends are absolutely less important than your girlfriends are. If you already have friends that are ignoring you or leaving you in the trenches for a guy, BUMP that. It only gets worse.
Choose friends that have are going places. Those friends that cuss and talk about sex and alcohol and drugs (yes, I know you have those and YES I know who they are)... Forget them! You will waste so much time trying to keep them out of trouble, and you will end up in trouble yourself!
I have been blessed with the most amazing friends you could ever imagine, but the real and true ones... they only come once in a lifetime. I had a blast for the past 18 years, and so many different people helped me to have that much fun... There are only a few that will actually stay a part of my life until the end, though.
Finally, I guess I have two pieces of advice. Pick your friends wisely, and don't be fake. Everyone fakes a smile to get by sometimes, but don't pretend you're somebody you're not for anyone else. I can honestly say that I didn't create any new personalities throughout the years of my life, and it certainly made things less stressful.
I watched friends change everything about themselves to accommodate a lifestyle I'm not sure they ever wanted. Man, especially for guys. I watched people that I love change what they liked, what they acted like, who they were and who they were friends with simply so they could make their boyfriend happy. Don't be that girl. You will end up miserable and stuck with no way out. When you tell everyone around you so many lies about who you are, you'll end up forgetting who you were in the first place. You are beautiful. And amazing. You are incredibly independent and hilarious. You are already a magnet for the boys... And I'm not sure how I feel about that... You're already having arguments with your friends that I went through before you. I wish I could give you all the answers, so you could coast through and be crazy happy. The only answer I do have id Just Be You.
Love you,
-M