You know exactly who I’m talking about when I say the person that’s always got your back and you wouldn’t question for a second how deeply they care about you. They are someone who’s love is unconditional and who will do anything of you. Everyone needs one of these friends. These genuinely perfect people, and are rare and hard to find. But when you have one, you know it right away. These people are those people are the last of their kind in today’s society, still grateful for the little things and offering help to whoever, and whenever necessary. The people you know will get into heaven right away because their smile will make the sun a little bit brighter. They are the people that make the world go round and make the human race a little bit better.

Death in friendship is hard. It might even be harder than death in real life- you always have the facts looming above you, the fact that they were not forced to go... but they went anyway. You see them and you want to ask them about how they’ve been doing. You reach out to them. They don’t care. They have grown tired of you, kind of how you get tired of an old pair of shoes and then throw them out. No matter how much you beg and bother for them to come back, and reach out to them, they have moved on. You are history to them. Your childhood friend is gone because childhood is over.

There are also your casual friends: the kinds that you say hello to when you see them and you share broad gossip. You have enough close friends in common that you’re kind of friends by default. You know the friendship could blossom into more if you both had the time and energy to really get to know each other, but taking the first step is always too awkward and new. You would rather keep things simple.

Unfortunately, this friend really sticks out to you. The fake friend. Don’t be fooled because a true friend would not do or say some of the nasty things that this un-friend will. You suspect something is wrong, so you reach out to them… only to have them do what they do best- cut you off. They insult you and tell you how annoying you are, then ask you for a ride home. These friends are the ones you need to be careful around. One wrong word could be disastrous, but the right word could have the same effect. You don’t want to be the bad guy and call them out, even when everyone is telling you it is unacceptable, and that it is the right thing to do… Being the kind person that you are, you keep on going. Do not let anyone dull your fire. But it becomes exhausting when they seem to be the one with the bucket of water.

There are also the friends who you know too well in today’s society- the ones that are here for a good time, not a long time. They move from person to person, waiting only until the fun is over to find a different way to be high on life. They know very few limits when it comes to safety, theirs or anyone else’s. It may appear that they just like to party, but they are the kind that will be gone faster than they came.

The friends that you have to cut off is always a difficult decision. The ones that get into the wrong crowd or start on the wrong things. The ones you know cannot be your friends anymore simply because you get a reputation by association. The ones that everyone’s daily gossip is about and you need to get out before you get in too deep… But you still love them. You wish you could text them but your conscience tells you no…

What kind of a friend are you?