The names I’m using this article are all real names and I’ve gotten the permission from all involved. Two of my best friends, Jeffrey Grady and Shari Greer, have been together for two plus years now and I’ve been along for the ride since nearly the beginning and I can proudly say I have enjoyed 99 percent of the journey. That one percent of the story can stay locked away until I give some kind of speech later on down the road. I always hear people complaining about having to be the third wheel on dates but if you asked me, I would jump up in a millisecond. I am an advocate of the third wheel lifestyle. It’s my mission to change peoples’ minds on the lifestyle of third wheeling and maybe make a third wheel out of you.

When your best friend first gets in a relationship you are usually extremely excited for them. They are going to be happy and have so much fun so you can only be happy for them because they’re like your family. You have no problem listening to them talk for hours and hours about the person they’re dating because that’s what friends do for each other. Sometimes it may lull you to sleep, but everyone can use a nap here and there.

There are a lot of stages after the lovebird stage that occurs at the beginning of relationships and they are all fun, but for this adventure to take place we’ll skip ahead to when my awesome life as a third wheel truly began. I really began to get close to Shari as a friend around the end of all our senior years in high school. I was always friends with Jeff but Shari and I started building that brother and sister bond that’s always great to have. Everyone knows when two people are extremely close they can get on each other’s nerves, and though we both loved Jeff, he could get on Shari and I’s last ones. She and I shared the not-so-real hatred for Jeff when needed and laugh for hours and hours about it. Everyone needs to let off some steam about their best friend every once in a while.

As we all moved off to college, Jeff and I going to Indiana State University and Shari going to Indiana University, I slowly began morphing into their relationship as entirely different part of it. When Shari would come and visit us, I say us because we were roommates, we would all do something. There were even times where I would "babysit" Shari (as Jeff would say) because he was busy. Of course, I let them have time to themselves but if they were going to eat, I was going to eat with them. If they were going to go to an event, I was probably going with them. If they were taking a picture then somehow I probably ended up in the back of it. It was like I had become their child.

The best part of being the third wheel is that I was able to improve an already brother-like level of friendship with Jeff and gain a long lasting friend in Shari. I could tell you about the inside jokes that no one else would get like calling Jeff a pug or the wild weekend stories we have all created together that Shari has to tell me about the day after, but I don't think that grasps the true idea. To get the right idea, one would need to know about the countless times Shari was there for me when I broke down for the silliest reasons or how happy I am Jeff pushed me to join Pi Kappa Alpha, even when I told him there was no shot I would join. That's the reason that being the third wheel isn't that bad. When your best friend asks you to go on a date with them because they would feel better with you there, then go. You never if it's going to end up becoming an awesome, ride of a lifetime friendship for you. Hopefully when I'm giving my best man speech I can just use this again and they won't notice, since you know, being the third wheel isn't all that bad.