Welcome to TextFugu!
That sounds like you have a very determined goal… I am jealous! Also, congrats on reconnecting with a long lost friend! You’re lucky that you have a Japanese friend that (if they’re willing) will GREATLY help your Japanese studies as you will have someone to practice with!!!
TextFugu has some great content for beginners like myself. After working through TextFugu for a bit, I would also suggest giving WaniKani a try for upping your Kanji Reading skills. You can get through the first two lessons for free to see if you like WaniKani before buying into the program.
Also note, Tofugu (group that owns TextFugu) is currently working on a NEW version of TextFugu called EtoEto. EtoEto will eventually replace TextFugu, though there is no release date for it. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see as much traffic in this forum or if you can’t get an answer here. This is another reason why I would suggest having an account at WaniKani as that forum is always bopping and I always get good help there!
Hope to see you around and good luck with your studies!!