This Is What Best Friends Are For

A best friend is the girl who held your hand when you fell off your bike and scraped your knee, and later on, who did the same when you got your heart broken for the first time. On both occasions, she told you that it was okay to cry.

She’s the girl who went with you to that party or to that concert, even if she hated the people there or the band, because she knew it was important to you. She did so with a smile on her face.

She’s the girl who cooked your favorite meal when you were down (or cooked for you, period), and who threw you a surprise get-together with friends that year you didn’t feel like celebrating your birthday.

She’s the girl you call in the middle of the night, whether it’s to tell her about some great date you had, or a terrible, distressing piece of news. Whatever it is, she’s there for you.

She’s the girl who’s applauded all of your achievements, big and small, and who reminds you of them when you feel like your life is going nowhere. She’s your own personal cheerleader and is always edging you on. She’s as proud of you as your mom.

She’s the girl you’ve had the most inconsequential fights with. And she is always ready to forgive you, even when you let her down, or say or do something inexcusable.

She’s the girl who knew you when you were an awkward, bookish teenager, and with whom you recall your shared anecdotes of those years past amidst a tad of nostalgia and many, many laughs, especially when you reminisce about that unexplainable crush you had or that terrible haircut.

She’s the girl who lets you — at least for a short while — run away from your problems. She’s got your back, and she’ll catch you when you (eventually) fall, and force you to talk, even when you don’t want to.

She’s the girl whose approval every boy in your life needs.

She’s the girl that knows when you are not going to follow her advice, and she lets you know that she is aware of this fact. She gives her guidance anyway.

She’s the girl who’d never tell you “I’d told you so,” and if she does, it’s only to get you to pay attention to her unsolicited counsel and prevent you from getting hurt again, as she hugs and comforts you.

She’s the girl who forced you to study for your finals, even when you just wanted to go to sleep.

She’s the girl who can finish most (if not all) of your stories, because she’s heard them thousands of times.

She’s the girl who makes your day with a beautiful text message or a phone call. Or maybe, she’s the girl who isn’t very expressive, but who sends you articles or marks passages in books that describes your friendship and the love you have for each other.

She’s the girl who gave you a whole different outlook to life and who challenged you to be less judgmental and more open, and overall, who pushed you become a better person.

She’s the girl who always comes up with something about your life to celebrate and to toast to.

She’s the girl who is present when you need her most, even after you’d dismissed her and told her it’s unnecessary. Although you told her you were “fine,” she knows you too well. You can look back at all your bleak, painful moments, and see her lingering there, always supporting you.

She’s the girl with whom you’ve shared lovely, breezy summer nights and cold, relentless winter days. Because you were together, everything was better (and yes, she laughs with you at your horrible attempts to be a poet).

She’s the girl who visited every day and brought you flowers when you got sick, and who even brushed your hair when you had no strength to do so yourself.

She’s the girl that goes shopping and sends you pictures of cute clothes you might like. Nevertheless, she has, at some point, seized your credit card and stopped you from purchasing unnecessary items.

She’s the girl who has a stock of the junk food you love at her place. Or maybe she’s the girl who is trying to get you to enjoy healthier food.

She’s the girl who calls them as she sees them, and makes you see the error of your ways.

She’ the girl who patiently explained why that boy you liked (or loved) was not “the one,” even when you did not want to listen. Maybe she just posed the uncomfortable questions you were not willing to ask yourself. You later went crying to her when it didn’t work out, and she consoled you.

She’s the girl who, even if she doesn’t read, understands your passion for books and the written word, and will smile as you gush on and on about some fictional world. Or maybe, she is a reader, too, and gets that you actually shed real, glistening tears when Dumbledore, Aslan, and Ned Stark (among others) died, and that you truly are hoping to find a Mr. Darcy or a Little Prince in this messed up world.

She’s the girl who, for some unknown reason, knows that you, an adult, still adore anything that is pink and glittery, and will buy useless accessories and gadgets for you, only because you are going to shriek something shallow in the likes of “OMG this is so me, I lo-ve it!”

She’s the girl who is the first one to call you on your birthday, and some years, she’s even dropped by unannounced at midnight with a cupcake and a lit candle.

She’s the girl with whom, to this day, you scream-sing Disney songs with. Yes, you’re both Princesses at heart.

She’s the girl who lets you be when you’re in a bad mood, and ends up getting you to smile again with some stupid joke.

She’s the girl who makes you write your New Year’s Resolutions, and as you recap on the past year, she reminds you of how far you’ve come.

She’s the girl who knows which events or comments will spark your bad memories, and will reach out to you when you’ve been suddenly reminded of something painful.

She’s the girl who taught you to pray and to have faith.

She’s the girl who laughs with you and at you, but always in a loving manner. She taught you to laugh at yourself, too, and to not be so serious.

She’s the girl who you brunch with after a great night out, because part of the joy (and the fun) of living a good moment is reliving it amongst endless giggles.

She’s the girl you’ve planned vacations and traveled with. You often recall these voyages, and wish you were back at that city or that beach, but deep down, you’re just thankful you got to go there with her at least that time.

She’s the girl with whom you’ve shared your silliest dreams and your darkest secrets. Whatever it is, she never passes judgment.

She’s the girl whose own life is an example of strength and resilience. You truly admire her intelligence, her bravery, and, most importantly, the purity of her heart.

In a nutshell, she’s the girl you’ve shared countless laughs and tears (nay, sobs) with. And even if right now you are in totally different stages of your lives, and even if you don’t see her as often as you’d like, each time you get together everything is as it always was.

Because she’s the girl who truly feels with you, as if you had only one heart. Because she’s your own life’s testament that a shared joy is a double joy, and that a shared sorrow is half a sorrow.

After all, she’s the girl you’ve seen grow into an incredibly beautiful woman and you would rather die than to let somebody hurt her.

Your love for each other is simply immeasurable, and no amount of words (or stupid lists such as this one) could ever come even remotely close of defining or describing her, because she is simply greater than life, and on top of being your best friend, she is the best person in the world, too.