A best friend, by definition, is "a person's closest friend." I was lucky enough to call one guy my best friend for the past six years. We still talk every day, even though we've moved to college. I've also found some of my best friends in college in one group of guys. Some people have had their best friend since they were born and some have only recently met them, but instantly clicked. I have had a fair amount of "best friends" throughout the years and I still have a lot of people who I consider to be my best friends. However, one of the closest friends who I've ever had and who I ever will have is my guy best friend. So, thank you for everything.

1. Thank you for all of the times when we had to tell people that we weren't dating.

Every guy-girl best friend pair knows this to be true and also knows that you will probably be asked about a thousand times if the other person is your boyfriend/girlfriend. This is just something that comes with being best friends with someone of the opposite sex. A lot of the time, people just assume that you're a couple. People assume that we must be dating, considering how close we are and how much time we spend together.

2. Thank you for pretending to be my boyfriend.

It is always funny because while we have to tell people that we aren't together, there are always those few times when we pretend that we are so that the other person doesn't have to deal with being hit on by strangers. Sometimes, the last thing in the world that I want is to be hit on by some random guy at the party or bar, so thank you for being there when that happens and pretending to be my jealous boyfriend. Thank you for being my pretend boyfriend when I need you to be.

3. Thank you for loving me through the awkward stages.

We became best friends in middle school and now we are both in college. That means that we saw every awkward stage that the other went through. From bad boyfriend decisions, horrible outfit choices, to just bad decisions in general, you were there for it all. So, thanks for loving me anyway and sticking with me through those awkward times.

4. Thank you for being part of the family.

Thank you for including me in your family and for becoming a part of mine. Just this week, I went over to my your house and hung out with your step-dad and your dogs while you were still away at college. I feel like they are also my family, so I have no problem going over there even when you aren't home. So, thank you for sharing your family with me and, of course, you will always be a part of my family as well.

5. Thank you for all of the little things.

There are too many little memories to count that I will always cherish. From all of our lunch dates to driving down the road and singing like idiots, I will never forget all the little moments that make up our friendship. Thanks for every little memory that I will never forget.

6. Thank you for looking stupid with me.

This is something that happens way too often. We are two of the biggest goons on the planet, but we do it together and that makes it OK. Thank you for being stupid with me and never making me look stupid by myself. If one of us was going down, the other was right there with us.

7. Thank you for being my partner in crime.

Thank you for always being down for an adventure, even though they weren't always the smartest. Like I said before, if one of us was going down, the other was probably part of it too. If you said it was a good idea to go drive off a cliff, I was sitting shotgun. If you thought it was a good idea to sneak into the high school pool, I was standing watch. Thank you for being my partner in crime and for never letting me do dumb things by myself.

8. Thank you for being my voice of reason.

You may have been my partner in crime, but you also kept me from doing some really dumb stuff. Sometimes, I just needed someone to talk me out of some of those bad ideas that I had. Thank you for keeping me out of trouble and for always being there to tell me when I was being stupid.

9. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on.

You have been there for it all: every breakup, fight with my family, bad day at work, or just a day when I felt like nothing was going right. You were always there to talk, give me advice, and be my shoulder to cry on. I trust you with my life and I don't know what I would do without you.

10. Thank you for being protective over me.

I know that I've made my fair share of bad decisions when it comes to guys, so thanks for always being protective over me. This is me saying that you were right and that I should have listened to you. I don't have a older brother, so thanks for acting like one and always being protective.

11. Thank you for all of the promises that you kept.

We have shared a lot of secrets throughout the years and have made a lot of promises, so thank you for keeping them all. From promising to come visit me after graduation to not telling anyone any of the secrets that we shared, thank you for all of the promises that you kept. I trust you with my life because of it.

12. Thank you for being my taxi driver.

There were a couple times throughout the years when one of us needed a safe ride home and I knew I could always count on you. I'm sorry for calling you and having you pick me up way more times than you called me to do the same. From picking me up from the airport to just picking me up from down the street, I appreciate it and am forever thankful for those safe rides home.

13. Thank you for putting up with me.

You have seen it all and you never left my side, no matter what. I will never be able to thank you enough for that. I'm sorry for being kinda crazy sometimes, but it's OK because you are too. So, we are just crazy together. You stuck by me through thick and thin and I will always love you for that.

14. Thank you for all of the laughs.

There were so many late nights spent talking and laughing until our cheeks hurt from smiling too much. If there is one thing that I know that I can count on whenever I see you, it's that our time together is sure to be full of laughter. Thank you for making me laugh no matter what. You're the best friend that a girl could ask for and I'll love you forever. Here's to all of the laughs and memories from the past and too many more still to come in the future.