I remember reading a review of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie that really ticked me off. The male critic said that it was all well and good, but it didn't really mean anything. Besides the fact that I loved that movie (not so much the sequel), I was annoyed. What, does female friendship matter so little? Are the relationships between teen girls so inconsequential? Did you say the same thing about Band of Brothers and all those boy-bonding movies?


Best friends are the coolest. You can't buy them, you can't earn them, you can't win them off of eBay. My BFFs have travelled all over the country with me, forced me to watch The Village, made me mad, and even endangered my life when we came out of the mall at 9:30 on a Saturday night and discovered a gang war in front of us (sooo scary.) They made up for that by saving my life when I moved away from them and was depressed for six months (not clinical, but close. You should see my diary.) Thank God for cell phones.


But this whole close friendship thing can backfire, too. It's awful when a girl deserts another for a bigger, better crowd a la Gossip Girl, or when something goes sour and your BFF gets you to do stuff you really shouldn't. Then there's all the scary bits, like when you think she's bulimic or she's rip-roaring mad at you or you're afraid everybody's bored with you and you'll sink into quicksand faster than Wesley from Princess Bride. Yes, I have made my best friends cry.

How do best friendships happen? After pondering the subject, I can only say that people surprise you and that these friendships take a lot of time. That's the millionth reason to hang out to your favorite people: your closeness is built out of lots of tiny moments, of funny lines and silent hugs, of adventures and rainy days. Never abandon a friend because of a passing whim. She is your best friend, remember?

Gabrielle wants to know... how did you meet your best friends, and what's the funniest thing you've done together? Oh, and has anybody read Queen Bees and Wannabes?

If you can't wait to read my dulcet words, come over to http://www.innovativeteen.blogspot.com/ and see what's chilling.