“Hold a true friend with both hands.” – Nigerian Proverb
Your real friends are the people who feel like family. They feel like family because you can be honest with them. You can get angry at them. You can let them know when you dislike something they’ve said or done, like you would a sibling. But you love them and you are loyal to them like they are your flesh and blood.
Your real friends are the people who call you out on your bullshit. They don’t do it because they are trying to one-up you or make you feel terrible. They do it because you need to hear it especially if you’re on a negative path. They tell you the truth about yourself in a way that slaps you in your face. It’s a painful slap but you needed it and they only do it if you need it.
Your real friends are the people who are there when it counts. They are there when you’re at your absolute worst and you need someone to pick you up off the floor where you’ve been laying because you’ve felt like you can get up on your own. They are there when you are sick, when you are heart-broken, when you feel unwanted or hated or like everything is going wrong. Your real friends are there, by your side, holding you up or right behind you, to catch you if you trip.
Your real friends are the ones who deal with you even when you are not very easy to deal with. They love you despite even when you’re at your most unlovable because they know that’s when you need it the most. They defend you when no one else will and they stand up for you even when they’re the only ones doing it. Your real friends give you a break when you need it, and they give you a break for as long as you need it.
Your real friends are the people you may not see in years and yet when you meet up with them, you pick right back up where you left off. Your real friends are the people who accept that you might be busy and that they might be busy too, but you do try to make time for them because you value their friendship more than jewels. You real friends bother you even when you’ve told them you want to be left alone, because the know deep inside, you still want them to show they care.
Your real friends are the ones who would be difficult to forget because they are hard to make in the first place. Should the friendship ever end, you know that you would be heartbroken. You know this because you’ve been through so much with them. You’ve seen each other laugh and cry, and together you’ve built a special bond that has contributed to making you the person you are today. And for them, you are eternally grateful.
Your real friends are the ones who know that you’re changing, and that you’re growing, and growing up. They know that the friendship may change too this but they’re not giving up because they want to survive all the changes because they believe in this friendship. So your real friend holds you closely and you hold them closely too; you hold them with both hands. 
