There was a time when you spent nearly every minute together. Every weekend was a sleepover, every school-free day was spent glued to her side. Late at night, you would binge Netflix together, even sometimes from separate houses. You would stay up late Skyping. Sometimes you'd even just sit on video chat doing your own thing and not bothering to talk to each other until you said goodnight five hours later.

And then something happens. Some people fight, some just grow apart. Whether it’s the dreaded friend breakup (which are way worse than real breakups) or just becoming too busy for each other, you slowly fade into the ex-best friend zone.

This zone is worse than the friend zone. And it’s worse than being the ex-girlfriend. In the ex-best friend zone, you can’t text her late at night and tell you how much you miss her. You can’t show up on her doorstep with your favorite movies and chocolate because she probably won’t let you come back into her life just like that. It’s harder to get back into the swing of things with an ex-best friend.

If you’re really lucky, sometimes the universe gives you an opportunity to send that text, or give her a quick call to ask how she is, and you start talking again. Maybe you even pick up right where you left off and feel like everything is finally right with the world again.

This is why ex-best friends are the best kind of friends.

They knew you through some of your best and worst days, and, even without you by their side constantly, they still hold on to those memories. They remember the little things, like your birthday, and big things like how you love cuddling while watching movies.

You have thousands of text messages between each other and a secret language that hasn’t faded out of existence. Insults aren't really insults between the two of you, they’re terms of endearment. While you may use them cautiously at first while reconnecting, they slowly filter back into your everyday conversations.

Above all, you went through hell with and without them. You may have felt alone while the two of you were apart, but you both felt that same feeling. When you reunite, those feelings begin to heal. The feeling of losing a part of you begins to fade away and old memories that were once bittersweet become happy again.

Give your ex-best friend a call or a text. Things might not work out - but if they do, you’ll be much happier for it.