Everyone has someone they call their best friend, but what actually makes a best friend different from just a regular friend? Aime Hernandez said, “Friends I talk to often tend to see me more. Friends I don’t talk to much tend to distance themselves.”  Iris Machado said, “A true best friendship is when we can talk about anything and be ourselves.”  

But what actually makes someone a great best friend? Students shared the qualities they value most in the people close to them. Cindy Martinez said, “Qualities I like in a best friend are them being funny, kind, and loyal.” Aime said, “Honesty, loyalty, and kindness are the most important traits in a best friend to me.” Zebdi Quintanilla said, “Loyalty, humor, and I’d  probably like honesty in a best friend.” Iris said, “Some traits I think are important in a best friend are being kind, having respect, and being trustworthy.” 

Just as important as knowing what we want in a best friend, we need to know what we won’t tolerate. Aime said, “Liars, being a bad influence, and being rude are deal breakers for me in a friendship.” Zebdi said, “Some deal breakers to me in a best friend are overthinking, dishonesty, and talking badly about others.”

Friendships also require effort, especially when life gets busy or disagreements happen.  Aime said, “I think it’s okay to disagree with each other sometimes because you can always compromise.” Cindy said, “I think best friends should all have their different perspectives and opinions.” Camilla Urrutia said, “It is important to disagree with each other so you can understand them more. If it’s a neutral disagreement, it helps build the relationship with each other more.” Camilla also said, “When I’m busy, I maintain friendships by already having boundaries established prior. With a healthy friendship, if I don’t feel like every second of the day needs to be spent with them, or else I don’t feel close.” Zebdi said, “If I had a disagreement with my best friend, I’d talk to them about it or say let’s calm down or take a break.” Aime said, “If I had an argument with my best friend, I’d fix it by compromising whatever the issue is.”

But how long does it really take to become best friends? Iris said, “Just as long as there’s no weirdness and I’m comfortable with them, they could earn the title best friend.” Cindy said, “I feel like the title best friend doesn’t depend on the time but on their actions.” Zebdi said, “I think to become best friends it would take 2 years or more.”

Students also reflected on their own experiences and what their friendships have taught them. Cindy said, “I have 3 best friends. They are special to me because they make me laugh when I’m sad and are really respectful.” Camilla said, “I consider a few people to be best friends, but there is one person I consider by bff. Because it’s the person I’m closest to and have experienced more with. I never question my trust for her or our friendship because that’s what being BFFs means.”  On top of that, Camilla said, “Friendship breakups aren’t always bad, but they make you realize traits that weren’t the healthiest for you to be around. Sometimes it also helps you come to a conclusion that you both need to be in a better place and think about how to fix things.” Zebdi said, ” A habit I got from my best friend is listening to Malcolm Todd.” Aime said, “I play Roblox more because of my best friend.” Iris said, ” Something I got from my best friend is listening to music more.” And Cindy said, “My best friend got me to love playing Adopt Me.”

As students grow older, their ideas about friendships start to change. Iris said, “To me, a best friend would be someone I’ve been friends with for a while and can do anything with.” 

If you didn’t see your best friend for a year, would your bond stay the same? Here is what Zebdi said, “If I didn’t see my best friend for a year, I think our friendship would stay the same because we are like that, the bond is so strong that we can spend a lot of time away from each other and we’ll still be good.” Aime said, ” If my best friend moved away, I think our bond would depend on the communication we’re having.” 

At the end of the day, a true best friend is someone who stays no matter what happens or where life takes you.