u/zitronelemone

TIFU I messed up, and it's a big regret. I never really told my best friend how much he impacted my life, and now I never will.
His name was Marcus. We met in seventh grade when he accidentally threw an eraser at my head and then spent the rest of the day apologizing. That's pretty much how our eleven-year friendship began.
Looking back, I was on a bad path then. I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, skipping school, and getting into trouble. The teachers had pretty much written me off, and my parents were exhausted. Then Marcus showed up, and surprisingly, he stayed. He'd drag me to family dinners, court for basketball, or we'd just hang out and watch movies. He never made me feel like I was a project he had to fix; he just treated me like the person I was meant to become.
I actually graduated high school because of him. My whole life changed direction, and it was all thanks to him.
He moved across the country for a job about three years ago. Our calls started to get less frequent. I kept telling myself, "I'll tell him properly someday. Maybe over a beer, when I figure out exactly what to say."
He passed away six months ago. A heart condition that no one knew about. He was only 26.
I spoke at his funeral, but even then, I couldn't bring myself to say the real truth out loud.
So, I guess the point here is, don't wait for the perfect moment. Because sometimes, there just isn't one.
TL;DR my best friend pulled me off a bad path just by refusing to give up on me. He died at 26 never knowing what he actually did for my life