Life gets really hard. Luckily, we all have those fantastic people in our lives that will tell it to us straight, no matter what. These are the real heroes, and, most importantly, the people who teach us valuable lessons even when we don't choose to listen. Here are a few lessons that they teach us:

1. How love really works.

Remember that person in high school that you swore you were in love with? The one who you thought was the best thing that ever happened to you? I bet you feel pretty silly looking back at that relationship now. No matter how many times they broke your heart and then apologized, you ultimately went back to them, and the cycle repeated itself. Every single time your best friends let you lay in their bed and sob uncontrollably until you couldn't even remember what you were crying about. They let you get it all out, gave you a pint of Ben & Jerry's, and then told you no matter what that boy ever did to you that you were worth so much more. See, what you thought you knew about love was so far off base. Luckily your friends showed you that even though they knew you were wrong, they didn't once tell you that, and always supported you through everything. And what you may not have noticed through this whole ordeal, is that even though you were busy "loving" him, your friends showed you the only kind of love you ever truly needed.

2. You will be wrong sometimes.

I have never met a single person who likes to admit they're wrong. You don't; It's a universal problem that all humans share, but there are always those rare times that you have to bite the bullet and take what's coming to you because you ultimately screwed up big time. Best friends fight. And there is a 50/50 chance that at some point during those fights you will be the one that is wrong. Friends teach you that it is okay to be wrong because it is okay to be forgiven, and that is a beautiful thing. A true best friend forgives. Even when you are so wrong that it hurts, they choose to forgive and forget and continue to stand by your side because not doing so would be even more wrong.

3. What real laughter is.

Obviously, some of the best times are those spent with best friends. And if I could calculate the amount of calories I've burned just from laughing around my friends, I'm sure it would be well over 5,000. You know what I'm talking about: that side-splitting, gasping-for-air, soda-coming-out-of-your-nose laughter. They teach you uncontainable joy. And if you happen to have friends remotely as funny as my best friends, more often than not you, find yourself thanking your lucky stars that you found someone who will not only laugh at you (multiple times, I might add), but along with you.

4. There's no such thing as secrets.

Everyone keeps secrets. Many of them are probably about how you haven't washed your hair in a couple of days, or maybe you don't want anyone to know who you hooked up with last night when you had a little too much to drink. Trust me on this one: do not keep secrets from your best friends. There are two main reasons for this. First, they will find out. I can't think of a single time when one or more of my best friends found out a secret I was trying to keep. When it comes from your mouth, they will always be a lot happier than if they find out from that one girl in your physics class. Second, most secrets are better when shared. Your best friends don't care that you hooked up with that guy last night. It happens; they understand that. They don't want you to shoulder that burden alone. Best friends teach us how to trust someone with everything we've got. You openly tell them all of the things that matter most to you, all of the things that hurt you, and you learn to fully trust them because you know that they will always protect your secrets.

5. Quality is more important than quantity.

You could have one best friend, you could have five. But like they say, quality is more important than quantity. You will lose friends. You're not growing up if you don't. Your best friends freshman year will not be the girls that stand by you as you graduate high school. Your fake party friends will not be the same girls that wipe your tears after a breakup. But the girls who have held your hair while you puked your brains out, the ones you can go on breakfast dates with, the ones who will smack some sense into you and call you out when you're wrong are the ones you will want standing beside you when it comes down to it.