Let's face it -- we all have those little compartments in our heads that tell us who's who. You know the ones. They've got labels from "stranger" to "acquaintance" to "friend" to "frenemy" to "best friend." The worst part is when someone in your acquaintance box has you in their best friend box. Or, God forbid, the other way around. This creates an awkwardness that always sends one of you running away screaming at the "What are you doing on Saturday?" text.
It's special, it's crazy and it's rare, but sometimes, just sometimes, the one in your best friend box has YOU in their best friend box as well. I don't mean you're on each other's top 5 lists for who you're willing to tolerate, I mean you're each others' #1 choice to do life with. In case you aren't sure if you're at the top of your #1's list, here are 5 ways to know for sure.
1. No Snapchat is too ugly.
The plus side about Snapchatting a true best friend is that you don't have to take 5 million selfies before you find the right angle or lighting. You got 6 chins? Cool. Food in your teeth? Sounds good. Face mask? No problem. You can send any snap, any place and anytime to this person and not care at all. (Bonus points if the snap gets screenshotted and saved into an album of ugly pictures of you).
2. You naturally assume you're going to hang with them on any given day.
"Do you wanna hang out?" "Yeah sure." "Good, because I'm in your driveway." These types of conversations are just your everyday texts. You often find yourself skipping the part where you ask if they're free and go straight to "What are we doing today?" Even if you're just sitting in your house all day eating pizza for three days straight, you know exactly who's joining you. (Bonus points if the pizza guy knows both of you or if you walk into her house unannounced).
3. You're probably more rude to each other than anyone else.
Those around you are sometimes shocked that you two are actually friends when they hear the way you talk to each other. Your most common reply is probably "I hate you" or "please die," but somehow you both understand that those things mean "I love you." You enjoy embarrassing each other on social media on a daily basis (that's where that album of pictures comes in handy) and you can't go a day without calling each other ugly. Maybe it's because you know that you can say anything you want and they'd still stick around because they need you too much, maybe it's because you think it's really funny when they're mad at you. Either way, deep down they're actually your favorite person and they know that. (Bonus points if you get slapped for insulting them more than one time in a day).
4. Their clothes are your clothes.
Whether you're going on a last minute date night or you're on your period and you need XXL sweatpants to eat a tub of icing in, their closet is the answer. You may even skip over your own closet because you know exactly what you need to borrow and where they keep it. Keeping each other's things for months on end is completely normal since you practically live at each others' houses anyway. Your favorite shirt probably isn't actually yours, but you're not even sorry. (Bonus points if some clothing gets labeled "ours" or if you buy something just to share it).
5. In the end, you know they are the one and only person you will ever love this much.
All disgusting amounts of pizza, insults, and ugly Snapchats aside, they are your person. They drive any distance when you can't do it by yourself anymore. They sit and listen while you go on for 2 hours about the same boy when you're falling in love, and for 2 more when you're falling out of it. They defend you when you're right and they snap you out of it when you're being completely unreasonable. No matter how many relationships or other friendships end, no matter how many times you keep them up all night because you can't sleep, they're still the one you want your kids to love as much as you do one day. You two are prepared to look back when you're 60 years old at letters from your birthdays, every trip you ever took, heartbreaks, weddings, and babies. Nobody has changed your life the way they have. (Bonus points if you find yourself in the nursing home together).
