Growing up, I was more of a tomboy kind of kid that played in the dirt with worms and roly-polies. Through middle school, I was one of those annoying girls who always said, "I'd rather have guy friends than girlfriends." I was dumb.

Through every relationship I've ever had, it's been my girlfriends who have been by my side without faltering. This article is a tribute to the girls' nights growing up and the memories we all forged together, dedicated to every girlfriend that's stuck by my side through every boyfriend. You're far more important to me than they'll ever be, honestly.

1. Staying up and playing games later than we were allowed to.

My entire childhood is filled with memories of staying at my friend Emma's house and playing Dance Dance Revolution with the volume down low but inevitably getting yelled at for stomping when we were supposed to be sleeping. Or Rock Band. Or our Littlest Pet Shop toys. Point is, we never went to bed when we were supposed to, and I loved it.

2. Cramming as many girls as possible into one bed for a sleepover.

Big sleepovers were stressful to my anxious little self, but so, so fun. My birthday parties basically consisted of me inviting all of my girlfriends, never any boys, to my house and then having them all sleep over. It's actually an art form to fit five girls in one full-sized bed.

3. Crying over breakups together and then becoming revengeful together.

Breakups hurt. Whether it was a short relationship or a lengthy one, ripping off the band-aid always stings. No one was ever more important than the girl you ran to cry to. At a girls' night post-breakup, the usual routine was to make Sims of our exes and either make them gay for each other or brutally murder them. It was a good way to cope. Very healthy.

4. Doing each other's hair, nails, and makeup as horribly as possible.

Doing it well would just make too much sense, and there's no fun in that. Crazy pigtails, bright blue eyeshadow, and gaudy lipstick was the only way to go. We each had one of those eyeshadow palettes that had probably over 50 colors and, by the end of the night, they'd always be ravaged. The pictures we took afterward have all been deleted from Facebook, in case you were wondering.

5. Spending the entire night gossipping until 3 a.m. every time.

Girls' nights just aren't girls' nights without some juicy gossip to keep the night alive. Everyone professed their most private secrets in the darkness of the bedroom, updated the group on who's still and no longer "a thing," and what couple did what nasty little act. The sole perk of growing up in a small town was the drama was always fresh and never ran dry. It was these secrets that made us all feel so close.

Girls' nights were such a pivotal part of my life growing up, and they still are. The girls in attendance are still at them now. We still gush secrets, get dolled up but in a better way, and threaten to ruin an ex's life for each other. Girlfriends are always more important than boyfriends, that's just fact.