Chester Raccoon and the plus five | Things I’ve Learned From Strangers

A long, long time ago in a castle far away — okay, four years ago in Warren Towers — a very scared Lili moved in. 

There’s a children’s book called “The Kissing Hand” about a frightened little raccoon named Chester, who cried at his mother’s side, begging her not to take him to school.

Long story short, that was me. I was horrified. 

It took a long time for me to like sleepovers, and I never did well at summer camp. But college was different. There’s no counselor to lie to saying that your grandpa had a terrible stroke just so you could leave. 

Guys, I didn’t lie that he had a terrible stroke. He did — just seven years prior.

The point is, I needed to figure something out — and fast. Being Chester Raccoon just wasn’t going to cut it anymore. 

And then, there they were: Sarah, Izabella, Sara, Jessica and Jennifer. 

First was Sarah with an H. We’d eventually call her “SahSah”. 

As I was lugging up boxes, I saw her door ajar. SahSah was sitting in her desk chair, bed sheets checkered blue and walls adorned with photos of her family and friends. 

Her room is still pretty much like that — photos of her family, friends and the odd decoration or two. She jumped up when she saw me, and I noticed a slight quiver in her voice when she spoke. Thank God someone else was nervous. 

She offered me snacks and soon became one of the kindest people I’d ever met — And not just because she offered me snacks or because she still does, constantly. 

SahSah is just one of the good ones. One of the ones that makes you want to be good-er. You get that right from meeting her. 

Then came Izabella, or “Bells.” 

A sunny girl who, in our sullen dorm room, made me think: How have we not been friends our entire lives? She came in like a whirlwind with her pocket-sized mother Treenz. Treenz has quickly become one of my favorite people on the planet, too. She’s good at making pasta, finds the best clothes and knows how to decorate. 

While she decorated Bella’s side of the room, Bella and I caught up. There was never a formal introductory period. She instantly got me and I got her. We laughed. Treenz asked what we were laughing about, and I forgot I’d been crying on a bench outside before that. 

Bella has an energy that takes up the whole room. It takes up the whole room and wraps you up in it so you have nothing to worry about. Everybody knows it. You get that right from meeting the old girl. 

Now it’s time for Sara with no H. “Rara,” “Biz,” “Bizzy Bee.” 

She has lots of nicknames, which is difficult for new people. It’s even more difficult for my dad, who can’t remember my friends’ names to begin with. 

From the moment I met her, there was an obvious truth: Biz will tell you anything. One time, on Halloween, she gave her address to a man on the Charles River Esplanade in a “Scream” mask. Warren Towers. Room 1802B. 

While that instance got her close to death, this trait is also the number one reason I trust her with my life. I believe everything she says. People say they don’t have a filter all the time, but they’re usually using that as an excuse to be mean. There’s nothing mean about Bizzle. She’s like a bee — a little thing who will intimidate you, but if she stings you, she’ll die.

I needed a pal then. I need her now, still. She just wants to be your pal. You get that right from meeting Bizzy Bee.

Next up is Jessica, or “JL.” 

JL came later than the rest of us, which is just her style. She is fashionably late and free-spirited. Maybe because she grew up in a park. 

JL wanted to explore Boston from the minute she stepped foot here. She wants to consume everything — soak up the marrow if you will. She visits fun shops and cooks recipes that she whips up in her head. 

The little Chester Raccoon in me was glad to have her around. There’s always something fun to do and JL knows where to find it. She’ll go searching for it, and even if it doesn’t end up the way she planned, she says the journey will have been a good story. 

That’s JL, which — surprise, surprise — you get right from meeting her. You’ll have to wait though, she’ll be ready in a few minutes.

The last one to show up was my friend Jennifer, or “Joanie.”

Joanie moved in during unprecedented times. She was going through a breakup and was upset, but we all instantly had her back. It’s strange looking back because now we know that’s the pinnacle of Joanie’s character — having your back. 

She’ll get in a fight for you, whether it be physical or verbal, she’ll cheer you on in everything you do. She’ll usually text me that she loves my articles before I even know they’re out. 

We often joke that Joanie lives her life in eras, and that meeting her freshman year would be very different than meeting her now. But through all eras, there’s one thing that is always constant — Joanie’s there for you. 

Actually, Joanie was the last to arrive and the first to graduate and leave Boston. She’s now working at her big girl job in California. And if there’s one thing she taught me how to do, it’s support my friends. 

We’re so proud of you, Joanie. And we miss you here. But that’s the thing with these girls. I knew I’d miss them right from meeting them. 

Sarah, Izabella, Sara, Jessica and Jennifer. The girls that were once strangers and are now an irreplaceable piece of my life. The girls I have danced with through the streets of Allston, in the bars in London and in our shared living room. The girls I want the world for because they deserve their own suns, their own moons and their own skies if they wanted them. 

My plus five. 

My package deal. 

The girls you get right from meeting me.