When I was in second grade, my teacher made me sit next to two girls I didn’t know at all during art period. While we three tried to strike awkward conversations about our colouring skills and shared crayons, I experienced something that I hadn’t ever before. My 7-year-old self felt so extremely connected to these girls. We bonded over the silly struggle of not being able to find the right shades in the colour box and applying glue only to peel it off when it dried just seemed like more fun with them.
These strangers soon became my best friends. They are the ones I had my first sleepover with, the ones who taught me math better than my maths teacher and the ones who guided me through the pre-pubescent years with advise ranging from changes in my body to budding love issues.
The bottom line is that these girls have shaped the person that I am today. From choosing the right lunchbox to choosing the right boy, I couldn’t have possibly functioned without their advice. On days when I lose my sanity, they restore it. And at other times, we all lose our sanity together and end up with a bunch of bad decisions and memories we’ll use as leverage when we’re old.
I know that I can be myself with them without being judged. We practice twerking together and drink home-made sangria when we realize we can never twerk. But I’d rather make a fool out of myself in front of these girls than the world. They’ve stopped me from embarrassing myself after a night of too many shots but they’ve also made Snapchat stories out of my embarrassing moments. You see, we balance the good with the bad perfectly.
These girls were the first ones to hear about my first crush. They know all my secrets but the important part is that they’ve picked me up after every heartbreak. They’ve done bad impressions of my ex boyfriends to drive the point home but they’ve given me absolutely accurate advice about how I need to put myself first. Moreover, they taught me that a box of cookies combined with an episode of Grey’s Anatomy is all you need to fix bad days.
My girls have stuck by my side through good and bad. There were days when they scolded me for bad life decisions and there were days when they’ve celebrated my smallest achievement with me. We’ve seen each other through pretty much everything.
We’ve had fights and misunderstandings, of course. It started with a rather serious glitter fight and graduated to fighting over common crushes. There have been times where we haven’t talked for months on end. Honestly, a cold shoulder from one of my girls feels much worse than a break up. But our friendship is much stronger than any fight. We’re more like family now.
We’ve grown up and are no longer the careless girls we used to be. We’re trying to adult, make a career and find the right match. We still see some lows and some highs. But I know my girls are always a call away. No matter how busy they are, if I need them, they’re right there. They dilute my bad days with their laughter and make me feel lucky to have ended up with them.
People may come and go, but I know that my girlfriends will always be my ‘forever.’
Feature Image Via sidweddingphotos
