Hey.

WARNING. This deals with death. If you don't feel like reading something depressing, don't read this.

Dear Danny,

Hi. First off, I don't know you, and you don't know me. In fact, we've never met in our lives. You wouldn't know my name or my face if you heard or saw it (them?). I'm just some random girl who came up to your town for university and heard about you through friends of friends. Don't be too weirded out; Facebook creeping is just kind of what I do. I'm nice, I promise :)

I have to say... from what people write on your wall, you're one hell of a guy who has made a huge impact on the community. I could probably go up to somebody at random here and ask them about you, and they'd have some crazy-awesome story to share about you. It seems like you really, truly care about everyone you talk to. Maybe it's just something about the seniors of 2010, but we do seem to be a fairly fantastic bunch. High-five for the class of 2010!

Unfortunately, I won't ever meet you, talk to you, experience a crazy time with you, or give you that high-five.

You died in a motorcycle accident on August 14, 2010. Two weeks before the start of your freshman year at Tech (and two weeks before the start of my freshman year up here as well). You were eighteen. My age.

It's very plain to see that the shockwave that rippled through the community is one that still ripples through today. I don't know if you can read your wall anymore from where you are, but your friends post fairly often about how much they miss you. And I don't know if you'd ever checked out a deceased person's wall before, but usually, the person gets a ton of posts for the first month, and then people just stop. Your wall, though, still gets a good amount of posts regularly. Especially from your girlfriend. 

Oh God, your girlfriend. I can't even begin to imagine what she must be going through, even now. You must have left a huge impression on her, because she still loves you just as much as she did when you were still alive. She dreams of you often, do you know that? She misses you terribly. No, that's a massive understatement. There just aren't words to describe how much she misses you. Or if there are, I can't think of them.

So, Danny, through the wall posts, I've come to discover a bit more about who you are. You loved skiing, it looks like, as well as your Xbox. Like most guys ;) Like me, you were a procrastinator. Not a bad thing at all, I promise. You sounded like a really hilarious guy who could make anyone laugh, no problem. Honestly, you sound like the type of guy I would have loved to get to know better. And you and your girlfriend sound perfect together. She was really lucky.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I didn't know you, I'll be thinking about you frequently and wishing everyone who met you the best. I'm so, so, so sorry about what happened to you, and I hope that wherever you are, you'll find this and know that you've touched one more life. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but you have touched my life by touching the lives of those around me.

May you rest in peace, Danny.

- Me