It’s a Friday night. You’re sitting at home and you text your friends to see what they’re up to. They respond with, “I’m with Bae. What’s up?” If I had a dollar for every time I got that text, I could pay off my college loans. Being the single friend comes with a lot of costs, but at least you’ll always have your cat, right?

Wrong. I don’t even have a cat, and if I did would I be texting people to hang out? No. I have a cat. In all seriousness though, being the single friend really makes you feel like you’re at a disadvantage. You look around and see all of your best friends in their long-term relationships and you wonder, “When will that be me?” or “Why can’t I have something like that?”

As happy as I am for them, I can’t help but feel left out.

I don’t get to go on double dates. I don’t get to constantly brag about this amazing man in my life. I don’t constantly have that romantic partner that I know I can lean on for anything. Of course, I have my friends and I really do value my independence, but I’m not going to lie, being the single friend really isn’t that great when everyone around me is happy and committed to someone else.

Making plans with friends who are taken can be stressful at times too. There have been times where I’ve tried to make plans with them, but they’d already had plans with their significant others. That’s when I really start to think about my relationship status.

I start thinking that if maybe I had a boyfriend or at least someone in my life who was interested, then maybe I wouldn’t feel so…alone.

And maybe that's why I don't want to be single anymore. But then I think, I don’t want to be with someone just to fill a void. I want to be with someone because we’re both mutually interested and happy. In a way, I guess you could say that I envy my friends for the special connection they share with their boyfriends.

It’s hard being the one that’s single.

My favorite part is when people ask me about my boyfriend. That one makes me laugh.

I know being single isn’t something I should be ashamed of, and trust me I’m not. It’s just difficult watching all of your friends fall in love while you’re still the one waiting to fall in love too. And it’s even harder when you know that those friends aren’t always going to be 100% available for you as they were before they started dating.

But as much as my friends do spend time with their boyfriends, a good amount of them still make time to spend time with me and treat me like a true friend. For that, I will always be thankful. Because even though I’m known that as the “single friend,” I know that those girls will always have my back and support me with whatever fuckboy issue that comes my way.

So here's a huge thank you to the friends who haven't let their relationships affect our friendship. I will never stop appreciating you.