#5 - Mikey

June 11, 2012

#5 - Mikey

Depending on when I post this, either tomorrow or today is Mikey's birthday. Mikey was a great friend of mine all throughout high school. We ran cross country, track, did swim team, and were on the yearbook staff together. No doubt in my mind that he was the reason I loved and looked forward to yearbook. Even though I had to redo his spreads a few times (looking back at the yearbooks now, he had some super funny captions...comic genus) he kept me laughing.

He would've been 23. The loss was devastating, he really and truly was such a nice person, always trying to include everyone and make sure everyone was having fun - whether we were out at a party or on the bus to a track meet. Below is something I wrote about him when it happened. Just thought I'd share.

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Not really sure what to say. Just lost someone who meant the world to me all throughout high school. Emily and I just went through my old Xanga and from 2004-2006 he was mentioned in every single post. Our shenanigans were endless! Thinking back on it, he might have been the one to truly bring me out of my shell and embrace being sorta quirky. I spent hours with him watching professional wrestling, listening to Saosin and Atreyu and other…super joyous?…bands like that. We ran track and cross country together, swam in the summer for swim team, and had every 1st period together for yearbook. For goodness sakes, I had my first ever beer with him! He was my best guy friend, one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

Found out while I was down in Florida with Lizzie. We were at her friend’s house party, when all of a sudden I get some texts “We need to talk about the accident today” followed immediately by “why is everyone facebooking RIP mikey henley?!??” How are you supposed to deal with that? I started getting more and more texts; by then I escaped the party, sat down outside and just straight up sobbed. Called my parents who had just found out, they filled me in. More and more details came all night long, talked to everyone I could.

Wish I could explain more about him. His situation was sticky - his dad died about 4 years ago, and his older sister is mentally challenged and will never be able to leave home. I can’t even imagine how his mom is right now. Mikey was keeping her sane.

After high school, he went to JMU for 2 years, switched to NOVA, then went to VCU, where he still was. Last time I texted him was back in May. We just lost touch. Wish I had spoken to him recently.

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Something I didn't write about previously that still makes me laugh to this day was "the Army". Freshman year of high school (his sophomore year) me and him and about 15 other people would get to Hayfield super early and hang out in the cafeteria. It turned into a real organized event, we called ourselves the Army and we all had fantastical positions (I might've been guarder of the Frogs...) and would all trade lunch food and give each other dares. For instance, I had a massive crush on this kid on the basketball team. He always hung out by his locker in the morning (we had all the intel) and I got dared to run up to him and take a picture with a disposable camera. Please keep in mind we were all giddy little 14-15 year olds. Well, I wouldn't do it, so Mikey just marched up to him, chatted him up for a little while, and asked if he could take a picture for the yearbook. The guy said of course, Mikey got a picture, and to this day I still have it somewhere in my stack of hs stuff. We were ridiculous, but we had fun and always started the day off on good notes.

It might have been a while since I last talked to him, but just knowing that I can never text him over the summer or call and ask about some screamo song that I actually kinda like, or just ever get together at all is heartbreaking. He meant the world to me and my friends during high school, and he always will.