The 16 Stages of Becoming BFFs
It's hard to imagine a time before you knew your BFF, but that time definitely existed, and it was probably at least a little bit uncomfortable when you first met. You've both come a long way in your friendship, as does every pair of BFFs. And you've absolutely gone through these 16 stages in your relationship:
1. Small talk you can't wait to get out of. You say “hi”, they say “hi”, you run away from the situation as fast as you can because talking to new people is terrifying, even if they do seem really nice.
2. Awkwardly waving every time you see each other. You still don’t know what to say around each other, but you’ve talked like twice, and have to at least awkwardly wave or whisper a meek “hey” when you bump into each other.
3. Complimenting each other’s outfits. They wore really cute boots today and they love your dress. You’re each other’s go-to for an easy confidence boost.
4. Following them on Insta and realizing they’re cool. They take all the weekend trips you’ve been wanting to do and also have your dream cat. Who knew??
5. Actually talking like real people. It’s a lot easier when you know they saw Britney last night and can excitedly ask them how it was.
6. Being afraid to ask them to hang out. Asking someone new to chill with you makes you feel like you legit don’t remember how you ever made friends in the first place. You stare at your blank iMessage bubble and try to think of the least lame way to say “Hey! You free on Saturday?”, type about 57 cringe-y variations of that, then send a random GIF instead.
7. Actually hanging out for the first time. You make breezy, low-commitment plans like coffee or drinks (in case you end up hating each other after an hour) but then realize HOLY SHIT THEY ARE YOUR NEW FAVORITE PERSON. They get all your jokes! They watch the same shows! They end up ordering the same thing you did for dinner because you are actually two long-lost halves of the same person.
8. Texting each other nonstop. You never leave them on read because you’re legitimately always interested in whatever they just sent you. You’ll go to bed late or risk checking your phone during class for them, because you know whatever those three new texts contain, you will either be entertainingly shocked, genuinely LOL, or know that they need you right now.
9. Hanging out ~ALL THE TIME~. Your other friends start to get a little jealous because your weekends are suddenly always booked!
10. Planning so much in advance. Concerts, day trips, ambitious AF vacations in foreign countries – you will blow your collective money doing fun things together. There’s always something to look forward to, because you never for a second see yourselves as suddenly not being friends.
11. Being able to hang out in silence. You're just as comfortable watching TV or taking in a hike without feeling pressure to offer up funny commentary ALL the time.
12. Dropping plans for your friend. There comes a time where your friend just got fired or broken up with or is just having a supernaturally bad day and needs you. You skip your happy hour work drinks just to hang with them, and know they’d do the same for you.
13. Helping each other with super real life decisions. When you’re deciding between colleges or jobs or whether to break up or not, your BFF is there to talk you through your rolodex of pros and cons for each choice. You always want each other’s feedback, even if it’s just a supportive “YAAAS QUEEN DO IT.”
14. Missing the hell out of them when they’re gone for a while. Whether they leave for a two-week family vacation or indefinitely for a new job, you know life will suck a little more until they’re back.
15. Finally hanging out again and feeling like nothing changed. You have all the time in the world to recap everything that happened to you since, and none of it feels overwhelming or make you think “Wait, EW, who is this person?”
16. Envisioning the rest of your life as best friends. You can see each other growing old, getting married, having kids...and still sending each other memes before you go to sleep.
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