My boyfriend is in many ways my best friend. But I only recently became friends with him (early ‘08). Counting him, I have two best friends. Then another two who come very close (one of which goes to Stanford with me).
But the one who’s been there the longest is my friend Alicia. She’s been my best friend since 6th grade (I moved after 5th grade, so not much chance of being friends with anyone longer than that). She is of the opposite sex, obviously, but I suppose it’s easier since I am gay (she actually did have a crush on me back in middle school). She is an amazing person; we have had so many adventures together (literally hundreds). She was the first person I told I was gay, 3 years before I came out to anyone else. She and I discuss virtually anything (that is a big part of having a best friend), we can always talk to each other. She is the one I can rely on to be able to talk to me if something’s going wrong or if something’s going right, to be honest. I’ve spent more hours with her than any of my friends. Couldn’t count how many times she’s been over to my house and how many times I’ve been over to hers. She is a friend of my entire family. She feels like family, to be honest, and I am very close to my family.
One of the core aspects about a best friend is that they are “always there”. It’s cliched, but it’s true. Now, obviously, since we are at separate colleges (she is only at Santa Cruz which is not that far), we communicate less than we used to, but I still talk to her as much as possible and I visit her as well. She, another friend, and my boyfriend are planning a massive road trip this summer. I cannot wait. :)