Alaysha Pratt and Michelle Luu

00:02 My name is Michelle Wu I'm 18 years old and today is June 11th, 2016 at the Chicago Cultural Center. And this is my best friend, Alicia.

00:15 My name is Alisha Pratt. I am 18 is June 11th, 2016 and I'm at the Chicago Cultural Center. And this is my best friend Michelle. So if you ever kind of like when we met the first time, I don't really remember I know that is a volleyball but like I don't remember how to started talking to you or like coach Rob was like

00:39 And then I don't know maybe we were both on freshman B, but we were better than fresh. Yeah, but we are still better overall pure better and we should have a fresh bay.

01:03 That's when we became best friends camp. Camp. Kevin probably should have let me take him back to my cabin with me. He was huge and he would have never found its way back home. Now that big and I couldn't take him back. He was like the size of my torso, okay?

01:28 I mean I hate when you think about it though, he would have never found his way back home. I don't take him back. I will try to find him and then I will send you photos of Summer.

01:39 We'll see though you're mad that like dance mat. I can't do that was ridiculous because cuz you have on people laughing. So we still get our Dance Moms were way more body. I don't think that's it's too late for that. You're my dancing was outside before we had the dance battle and like OCT Marty checking out the guy who is so funny to me. You remember this all my heart and then oh, yeah, but that was like it was okay.

02:24 Camp manitowish in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. It was 10 days 10-day. I think we were closer just because we were on the same trouble, especially remember when you wouldn't let me sleep at night and you have flash your flashlight across the entire room into my face because I wanted to live it up interview was like no I'm tired.

02:54 That's ridiculous. I'm sorry. We had a lot to do we needed this week. I suppose we also a scholar coach that we had with us.

03:02 Idaho might not Maya. Yeah, it was she like with a really light sleeper apparently and yeah, but her breath was pretty wild when I told her that I cried in my sleep sometimes and not to make wake me up cuz I'm punching.

03:29 Oh you remember what it's like pretty weird, but you remember when everyone just like that day when everyone linked up on their Cycles all the girls. I was so blessed that I got it before we went to camp and then we just got totally surprised by Best in her mother the instincts and that goes great with you. Yeah, I remember when I had to wake daddy up because I lied. Two-week our friend Danio from sleep because we had to go we had to go eat and she just would not get out of bed. So I lied to her and I was like there's a deer the first I know there was but then I like the second and she was so excited to go back and there is nothing there, but she was out of bed. So I guess it was pretty effective.

04:21 Simple but effective exactly.

04:25 I feel like that was pretty intense and that whole thing with me screaming noise on trail in my sleep was so while I said they were you don't remember that. I don't remember it. I was I woke up in the middle of the night and you just woke up and you turned to me and then you turn to Maria and then you just started screaming help. I can't get out. Then you would look back at Maria and lay back down so slowly. It was the funniest thing really scared of you, but I was like, oh she's probably fine. Just lie about one thing that always said on trail that like me just really angry if a catchphrase. Yeah, I should have catchphrase. That's a non-issue that one was it really?

05:25 13 it for like 10 million stupid like every 5 seconds. She said it was every sentence. I feel like she's going to come back, please. I love Tara those you're so kryterion a lie there like best friends. Yeah. We looked at that picture is so like I felt like we looked a lot more disgusting than we thought and like Tara a lot more buff then we remember a lot of Schuler like sophomore year did people started dropping out knows it and then it was like what is 34 people at the end of song when he was four of us 400? Yeah, you're right. So then it's window down to four of us and then we went on our summer college programs near that was why?

06:26 It was like another experience to be honest. Honestly are I miss summer college program? So I do they really fine in like not a full commitment to college. I still talk to him was he will do it. It's like while it's like you really don't think you're going to make friends like that. When you go somewhere you really don't specially like such a short. Of time. It's like it's only two weeks and we are already like crying when we left each other. I know I feel like I feel like that's like the end of high school is and then when I don't know I have like mixed feelings about that kind of like leaving like high school and friends and stuff like like your best-friend that your closest friends by feel you cry, but it's just like sad, I don't think I'm going to cry I didn't cry graduation except. Yeah a little bit when I got my cord, but I didn't cry.

07:26 If we're not supposed to be friends, then why am I going to cry for you for years? I mean four years is a pretty long time to spend with people as well. And it makes sense really ready to leave Waukegan. So like to leave. Yeah, I don't even cry or anybody. Like I'm not you're going to grab my family hiking. Are you going to miss the lake? No, I'm not going to miss the lake-effect.

07:52 TV series the lake is why you get maybe cuz I know we could like seeing and then there'll be like 5 for the same with me but week in the beach. I guess. This is like us I mean, I guess since we're talking about this now then later and maybe we'll get cleaned up. But who knows? I feel like the beach is so nice place to be like don't drink the water don't think about the PC to use cuz we're all going to die eventually, right? So yeah, exactly like I guess everything is like that.

08:36 High school for me. It was an experience. I was really I think I grew a lot throughout high school and just kind of growing up and I mean I definitely have a different person that I am that I was freshman year. I think just more mature different outlook on life a bit more open-minded stuff like that didn't come off for me. Like I remember like fresh and soft when you look cool could take anything that they wanted to me and I was like, okay, but now I'm like don't say anything to me or I will literally

09:12 Yeah you when you yelled at Kenny. What did he say? He said something about immigrants and emigrants. He said the n-word and I like went off on him how to use white. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I think we just kind of grew a little more. I I feel like we both did we really different people and we first met each other. Yeah, but we still get along really well, but I feel like that makes sense iconic grow with each other.

09:48 I feel like we're kind of opposite people but very similar and the same way. We have a lot of same mannerisms. Yeah, we like we express ourselves differently. Yeah, I feel like you like I okay you're pretty angry angry but and then you kind of exert it more but like I feel like I'm a lot more passive to tell you but whenever we like talk to you today about soccer bad about your like. Yeah, and I'm like, I'm going to like a balance each other out for you and it's make sense.

10:29 Can we like a lot of the same things? I would say seem to use just the way that we present them. I think they're different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

10:39 And that makes you it's like a best friend right there. It's a good balance. I think cuz if I were super hardcore and like I don't think we would be angry all the time. We were just making sure there ain't so that makes ya

10:57 That is a wrench. It really is in a Nacho. Yeah, basically, like fire and ice.

11:07 I think

11:09 I just remembered kind of like everything that we've done throughout High School to like together because of schueler like all the different experiences that we've had like similar to each other like ICP Neden like different trips, like other countries like Canada MN the Netherlands and then all the exposures that we did that impacted the growth of a lot to be honestly Alkali whenever I'm with my like my other friends and I was like, oh, yeah, I did that like, oh, yeah, I went in there like I've never been there in like, yeah, it's not him. It's like a different experience and I don't think we would have had that and I feel like being exposed to all those things was really cool throughout High School just like being surrounded by like music in like different types of plays and all of that.

12:06 Just exposed us to a lot more in life. And we like got friends from other schools and like other countries and stuff like that. Where is like other people around us? They just kind of like friends list if you would go to high school with exactly which is why you have so many Snapchat friends you stuff at all that. Yeah, you just kind of get to Branch out in the world more if you like. Maybe that's why I'm not going to be sadly we high school because I've already had the process of like leaving friends that I really really love at least for like a. Of time we both had to do that like every summer and just trips and stuff.

12:44 True

12:47 What were some like I guess?

12:50 Important moments in high school

12:57 I would say all the hard things that I had to get through like throughout High School, which is very generous by Marriott silver heart. I was like, why do I do this to myself? I mean I could just give up and not pass calculus. I think just learning how I work and how I broke through stress like that really helped me with. Important life skills boys. For some reason I think boys are dumb. I think just understand me that if you aren't meant to be in your life, then they're not going to be and if they are then I guess they will eventually come back to you and I think that's like an important life lesson. I've learned through life.

13:57 Boys and like all those situations with them that might have been pointless and not have been really hard for me in high school. Like I do when it comes to large changes. I feel like I just never really dealt with them while I got always be calling you in like to talk anyway what has happened and I can't do any homework and I don't know what I'm going to do with my life and I'll be like knocked out and you're doing beautiful. Are you? Okay? I'm going though. You don't understand. It's the end of the world. Yeah, they're a lot like that and all the problems you had but I feel like knowing that I mean the world never did end after this problem says something. Yeah.

14:40 I don't like all of them is like made me like a better person because now I guess that ever happens again, but I know like so it's not the end of the world.

14:51 I think yeah, I agree your big changes. I think just big personality changes of it like

15:02 Yeah.

15:03 Play going from being like quiet but also loud loud, but also quiet.

15:16 And you sound like you don't have to do anything. We don't we technically don't have to do any of it.

15:23 And that's why I saw this in your throat that online that side bro. We just graduated just to go back to school but it's still it's like you're going to school that you like one you want to go to that school and you're going to do stuff that you want to do rather than like I have to go to the school and I have to learn this stuff and I don't have a choice. Yeah, that's true. I feel like I'm kind of worried that I'm going to

15:52 Change a lot more but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing in college cuz it's still about growth and I'm not really worried. I'm going to change them excited to change like I feel like going to be pretty much a completely different person. I mean other people can judge you just noticeable, but I feel like one just because it will be so busy until I transfer to Haverford. Yeah that makes it allows pets.

16:37 They will but I mean I guess.

16:41 I don't know. I just just knowing that like yeah, we probably won't talk as much as we do now. But yeah, it's not necessarily A Bad Thing familiar. I feel like it's good that we're not going to be in school cuz I feel like we would rely on each other too much. Yeah, we really wouldn't make any other friends other friends and you have me and then I have like my friends have you? Yeah, and it's like outside the circum-pacific. Yeah. Yeah, it's good for us. I think but that doesn't mean that you like still wouldn't be going to call you in the morning. I will probably be there probably be awake.

17:42 That's true. I mean separation isn't necessarily bad for us. Definitely.

17:52 Will come back. You can't text me to ask me about your outfits all the time, though. I probably still will. Yeah, you probably cuz I happen if I can't go to the bathroom with you anymore. Oh, no, it's like people ask why girls go to the bathroom together all the time and I don't even know why I don't always have to go to the bathroom with someone but like we're going to the yeah, it's a comfortable. I feel like maybe it's like stemming from volleyball freshman year when coaches would tell us to like the entire team had to go to the bathroom together. Like there was no question about it. If one one of us went all of us had to go home and I feel like she was scared that we were going to get jumped from like the opposing team was just probably is

18:45 What of college will be like that? I don't know what probably just going to be like we've done quite like summer college programs I have and I'm not exactly you have that set schedule and just being so open and colleges something. I'm kind of scared about.

19:03 I'm kind of excited but then like I'm also really worried about like the type of people that I'm going to be around that you're going to be in Iowa right? Click Philly. Basically, you know, what's so funny. I applied to like three schools in Philadelphia and then I decided to go to school in Iowa But like after I accepted Grinnell, I was like smoothies where I want to wait for the rest of my do I know that is not late, but I don't regret it you I don't I don't regret the school, but it's just kind of like Iowa City Iowa City in Des Moines Keegan for Chicago and Milwaukee. I like it.

19:46 To the West

19:50 To the west of us like towards like the west of Southern, Illinois.

19:56 I don't know but I feel like it is but I'm not sure. I really don't know math. That's all. I know. I was going to be in like California spring. But you know, I'm you find the one you find the one that's like people. Oh, wow far is really 12 hours away from blank by car, but I'm not going to drive obviously. I'm Michelle. How could you do this to me? It's 25 hours away by train. Do I take the Amtrak but probably not going to do that. Either you feel about that. I like flying. I know but your parents are coming. Which sister Leah, not your best friend.

20:56 People hate me.

20:59 It's because it's because you ignored her question one time, I didn't know you're probably right. Yeah, I know she's going to find this and be like

21:21 They're going to be old by the time that happens when you were talking about me a storycorps how rude I think I asked me that my college life will be good. I feel like you're going to be like so fast while in college. I think you go to get like all crazy and emotional Uno's in tulelake, directly and they like carrying. Yeah. I'd like to leave and let your guinea pigs Tuesday, but they come back for their graduation. Yeah, that money is for nothing if you know you leave and they don't stay.

22:20 What are you guys hope for the future? I hope we stay friends. Yeah, I feel like you'll be weird. If anything, I think eventually come back and stay in touch basically been together. I feel like we could live together. Like I feel you can kind of tell me what is ignore the signs that they can't live together and they do it. Anyway weird if you're ignoring them.

22:53 I'm not maybe I just want to be happy with whatever I do in the future cuz I don't know right now. Yeah, I really just want to be independent and like be making my own money and be like doing what I want all in on a budget for the good. But yeah, I think just being a little more than content with what I'm doing. I don't want to choose anything that like I hate and end up regretting in life, but I know that it's all a work in progress and I can only just experienced all those things first.

23:35 Mango, though is to not be so I can walk again. If I'm going to stay in Waukegan. I want to want to stay in Waukegan. I don't want to be forced to stay in Waukegan. Yeah, I think I'll miss Waukegan though. I feel like we have a culture of live at like no other town really has like regardless of anything that like people say about Waukegan. I feel like we're really accepting at least a high school for the most part like a great place to live. Honestly the most Progressive town, but it's not the most

24:08 What do you call a conservative Town? Yeah, I did actually were really in the middle except the lake-effect. I hope he finds you. Yeah, so this is it. Yeah. Thanks for being my best friend for four years without would be a mistake you for being Tyrone from my West Wing.

24:34 And

24:35 I guess I'll see you in the future to okay. Goodbye. See you later.