Vanessa Carlton's "White Houses" and the Nostalgia of Teenage Friendship
By
Vrinda Jagota
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
A personal, nostalgic essay about the author's friendship with Niha during their teenage years, centered around their shared love for Vanessa Carlton's song "White Houses." The piece explores how music, AIM away messages, and small cultural touchstones defined their bond and coming-of-age experience in the mid-2000s.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledMy best friend Niha knew everything when we were young.
She knew Pinkberry was chicer than ice cream, because it was tart, and because you could only get it by taking a two-hour bus from our hometown to New York City.
When she won 'best dressed' in high school, she knew to show up to the yearbook photo wearing a trash bag.
When she put a stanza about a boy in a red shirt as her AIM away message in 8th grade, I immediately scanned the AZLyrics page for another verse, typed it out in pink text, and added it to my own profile.
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