The biggest stereotype of guys and girls being best friends without being in a romantic relationship has been a thing forever. This is a constant battle that creates misconceptions and sometimes awkwardness.
“Me and Jordan have really just always been best friends,” said junior Sophie Erwin. “I would never see us dating. We just kind of automatically clicked with each other.”
Friendships are built on mutual respect, shared interests, and emotional support, which are not exclusive to romantic relationships. Many people have meaningful friendships with people of the opposite gender without any romantic involvement.
“Ever since I moved here she (Amadis Levasa) showed me real friendship and that we have been able to see each other grow up,” said senior Jacob Rumsey. “We had the opportunity to experience some of the best and worst times together without ever feeling judged.”
Having friends of the opposite gender is actually really beneficial. You can see things from a whole new perspective. It can show how the other person thinks and feels. In mature friendships, you should be able to talk openly about your feelings for other people or any personal matters and not feel judged. Good friendships are ones where you have a shoulder to lean on, learn some life advice, or just have fun.
“We can talk about anything with each other,” said junior Jordan Thomas. “I can tell her personal things that I wouldn’t tell anybody else because I know she will understand where I’m coming from.”
Other people are so fast to jump to the conclusion that you have to be dating and you can’t just be friends with each other. They will never understand that the laughs you share, the inside jokes, or even the tough times that you both endure are primarily just out of friendship. Not everything is about being in love.
“We are actually cousins by marriage,” said senior Amadis Levasa. “People used to accuse us of flirting but our friendship is all about joking around.”
Most friendships are often ruined by the one-sided or the unspoken feelings. Not only can mutual (or singular) feelings ruin a friendship, but your other friends are also at fault. The friends that make the assumptions that guys and girls can’t be just friends creates an awkwardness that can present a barrier between you and the other person which ultimately does ruin the friendship.
“It gets very repetitive and annoying sometimes,” said Thomas. “What we (Erwin) have is special. We keep it real with each other and have fun without it being in a flirty way.”
