The other day, a good friend of mine told a few of us that she wished she could have a crush. "It must be great to have a simple crush and really admire someone else," she said. "Having those fun little butterflies in your stomach and really just being happy to see another person is something I want to feel right now."

Quickly, another of our friends shut her down.

"No, it's painful and it hurts. You definitely do not want to have a crush or even a relationship."

So where is this difference coming from? Are crushes fun or are they not? Who will have the answers?

This didn't seem like something Google could solve for me, so I turned to my newfound love of "One Tree Hill" to answer these questions for me. Here is the definitive guide to whether a relationship is worth it according to OTH.

1. The Brooke and Lucas

They were an okay couple (in my opinion at least), but when it came down to it, they couldn't make a relationship work (see Peyton Sawyer). They were both great people, and sometimes great people don't just work together. Brooke and Lucas were such great friends, though, and he was the first person to look past her facade to see the real B. Davis. Their relationship didn't work out, but the two of them grew so much during that time that I can't consider it a failure. The pain the two went through ended up serving as life lessons that stayed with them the rest of their lives. Brooke and Lucas didn't end up together, but they became such great friends that wanted the best for each other, and isn't that what we can ask for?

2. The Lucas and Peyton

Lucas and Peyton had a lot of struggles (see above relationship), but from the moment they met, it was pretty obvious they were soulmates. I mean, how often do you come across two broody blondes? Lucas often put everything on the line to be with Peyton, or to save her. He was there from the beginning, driving her to see if her father was safe, running into a school shooting to make sure she was okay, and pushing her to consider her own health when she was pregnant. And while I'm not of the belief that a relationship should be about "saving" the other person, the two of them were equals and helped each other out a lot.

He even wrote a book about her, basically. When he wrote, even though he didn't realize it, Peyton was always his inspiration, and if that's not love, I don't know what is.

"It was more than just a comet because of what it brought to his life: direction, beauty, meaning. There were many who couldn't understand, and sometimes he walked among them. But even in his darkest hours, he knew in his heart that someday it would return to him, and his world would be whole again ... And his belief in God and love and art would be re-awakened in his heart."

- The Comet

3. The Brooke and Julian

This was the man Brooke deserved all along. While Lucas cracked through Brooke's impenetrable shield, she let Julian in. Both of them struggled with the worst parts of themselves before deciding that they were stronger than their doubts. Of course, humans are always going to have their own insecurities, but they didn't brush those aside and learned to love each other, not in spite of those faults, but because of them.

4. The Nathan and Haley

The "always and forever" of "One Tree Hill." The power couple basketball-player-turned-agent and rock star mom. Nathan and Haley were the reason I kept watching once the drama of "One Tree Hill" got to be too much. They centered the show and really served to show that you if you think something is worth fighting for, you can fight and claw your way out until you have what you want. The two of them believed so fiercely in each other it was hard to think that they wouldn't be able to accomplish what they wanted. When they struggled and even separated for a few months to figure out what they wanted, they both always came back to each other. Nathan and Haley have made so many of us believe in love.

These couples all had their fair share of good and bad. Did the bad outweigh the good? Did it make the good times not worth it? I may be somewhat of an optimist, but I'd like to think these relationships all helped these characters grow into the great people they were, and so I'd like to think the pain we may feel temporarily is balanced out by the "funny butterflies that make our stomachs flutter."

"But gaining your heart's desire? That's all you can hope for. This year I wished for love ... to immerse myself in someone else and to wake a heart long afraid to feel. My wish was granted. And if having that is tragic, then give me tragedy. Because I wouldn't give it back for the world." - Peyton Sawyer

"And that pain you feel? That's life. The confusion and fear? That's there to remind you, that somewhere out there is something better, and that something is worth fighting for." -Nathan Scott