4 Types Of Friends Your Life Is Incomplete Without

What’s life without friends, right?

It’s dull. It’s boring. It’s devoid of drunken shenanigans, yearbook shaming and inside jokes about your ex-boyfriend Larry who was overly confident in the sack.

There are all different types of friends that we’ll encounter throughout our lives but here is my list of the 4 best friends your life needs and isn’t complete without:

The we’re friends because we’re family friend

If you didn’t attend every birth, wedding, anniversary party and funeral together, you may not have been friends otherwise. You both were probably in different grades, had different friends, had different interests but here you are – twenty years later with inside jokes, constant support, and someone who understands exactly how bat shit crazy your family is at Thanksgiving.
Aunt Ramona is getting drunk and re-enacting lines from The Night Before Christmas? That’s typical Aunt R for ya.

So you grab a seat, set up the Instagram video and wait for the magic to happen because this is your life, your family, and you both share it together.

2. The we’ve been friends since high school friend

They loved you when you were awkwardly blossoming from the acne riddled freshman who carried her entire locker to every class because she was scared of not being able to get a book for biology lab in case she couldn’t remember her combination.

Awkward hairstyles, rubber band bracelets hinting at what sexual activity you were skilled at (aka vacuum sucking, anyone?), and grinding up on that kid Matt at the sophomore dance just so you could be cool bumping up and down to “I’m in love with a stripper” pretending that they were your #lifegoals?

No judgment because she did the same f*cking thing and now you both laugh about it at cocktail hour.

3. The you’re my significant other friend

Boyfriends are great for snuggling, killing spiders, and off road hiking with.
Girlfriends are great for baking dessert, kissing, and asking someone for directions.
Individually, they each have their own awesome benefits.
But the girlfriend/boyfriend best friend is the combination of someone you cuddle with, make plans with, and can obsess over silly things like, Netflix, analyzing what your co-worker meant when she looked you up and down and said, “You look nice” with a slight tone of arrogance.
The SO best friend combines sex, and laughter, and family, and someone who you sincerely want to do everything with and never grow tired.

4. The we’ve been friends since grade school friend

They were there when you gained fifteen pounds when you were eleven and going through that stage. They were there when you got braces. And when you got them off, and when you wore a retainer. They were there when you were still playing Barbies, then when you purposely threw them out to become a big kid.

They were there when a boy asked you to slow dance in the second floor of the gym to N*Sync’s Bye Bye Bye and also when you obsessively drew hearts around his name and already knew what you’d name your babies.

They were there when you felt your first heartbreak, when your mom got sick, and when your dad lost his job. They were there when your boyfriend cheated on you, and when you were nominated Homecoming Queen. They were there when you felt fat, and insecure, and not good enough and they talked you out of it.

And chances are, today, they’re still first on your speed dial. They’re maids of honors, or bridesmaids, or godmothers, or Aunties to your kids.

They’re still judging you for that time you ate a whole bag of Oreo’s in the course of one movie, but honestly, your overeating, completely dramatic, somewhat cynical view of the world and your habits that involve overanalyzing, laughing too loud, and feeling no remorse for eating your weight in chocolate, is what they love about you.