Us 20-something-year-olds have this preposterous idea that we need to be in a relationship. Whether our moms keep reminding us at every family gathering or we have this indescribable yearning for a guy to take us for a romantic evening out—I mean that’s what happens in movies, right? Guy flirts with girl then takes girl on date, they fall in love within the hour and a half feature, and that’s the end of it.
Having relationships and having someone you care about so intensely is imperative at this age; it helps us grow and learn and mature, but why does that person necessarily need to be a boyfriend? These ever-constructive relationships are right where we weren’t looking. These are the people we have learned with and grown with throughout the years—they have taught us so much of what we need to know about ourselves. They are the ones we’ve fought with countless times, but who somehow still end up by our side. You know exactly who I’m talking about, the “day ones” who have been through it all and stuck it out through thick and thin. I mean, you gotta have your girls, right? Your best friends are the most important relationships you’ll have and here’s exactly why:
1.They’re there at the end of the day. Sometimes we just have those days where we hate just about everyone and everything. But you can always call up your BFF or shoot them a text and vent about the world while they just sit back and remind you that you’re right—that blonde girl in the green shirt was giving you a dirty look at Starbucks earlier, and yes, you should have made a scene in public.
2. You have to work at it; every relationship is two-sided. If they’re worth it, you’ll fight for them, just like you would any guy. No friendship is perfect, let me tell you. You fight, but every time you fight you bring yourselves closer. You know each other’s weaknesses and exactly how to push each other’s buttons, which is dangerous, but just proves how much you know each other, and you surprise yourself every time.
3. They know all of your demons, regrets, and secret shames, but still don’t judge you. Remember that thirsty Thursday hook up that you disclosed to no one? Yeah, your best friend is the only one that knows, but they’re not going to tell anyone. If anything, they’ll just hysterically laugh about it with you in 10 years at your bachelorette party.
4. They love you unconditionally, and no matter what you do, there’s a way to work through it. Everyone makes mistakes, we’re only human, right? We f**k up all the time, and sometimes we sulk and have this deranged idea that no one will forgive us. But with time, and working through it, your BFF will be there, right where you left her, ready to cry with you and for you, but also ready to make you smile and pick you back up.
5. You’ve been dating your bestie for years, and I bet you never even knew. No, they probably wont buy, because they too are broke college students, but you can definitely take them home with you after dinner, and they probably already brought a change of clothes to spend the night. Dinner and a movie, or take-out and Netflix. Even better, they’ll binge watch TV with you and pig out on just about anything.
6. You end up loving the same things, and sharing the same hobbies, yet you still have your own thing, and they get that. Orange is the New Black? They are the ones who got you into it, in fact, you binge watched the first season together in about 48 hours. It makes it that much easier to hang out because you always end up wanting to do the same thing. Whether it be bar hopping or vegging out, there always seems to be some common ground…well, most of the time. But yeah, just because they love top 40, and you’re somewhat of a music snob, doesn’t mean you can’t jam out together. You learn to love the same things in time.
In the end, the point I’m trying to prove is that you “don’t need no man,” when you got your girls. But down the line, when you just so happen to fall in love and have that movie-esque romance, your best friend will still be there, through it all, by your side, crying for you and with you as you say I do.
