Ladies, don’t we love our besties? They’re our BFFs, our confidants, and sometimes the sisters that we never had! Through thick and thin, they’re by our sides for our most exciting and our most heartbreaking moments. We have our fair share of disagreements, but we get through them, realizing that they make our friendship stronger.

From 1994 to 2004, I spent my Thursday nights with the ladies from Friends, Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), and Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow). Not only were they friends with one another, they were my friends, too! It was comforting to know that they would always be there. No matter what I was going through in my teen years to the age of 23, Rachel, Monica and Phoebe were with me during the good times and the bad. It doesn’t matter that I’ve literally seen every episode at least ten times -- the show never gets old. Their diverse personalities and constant love and admiration for one another displayed what the true meaning of being a friend is. Sadly, the show came to an end, and since then I’ve never seen a group of girls that have such a strong bond with each other.

Why you need a friend like Rachel: Beautiful, caring and fun-loving Rachel Green is the girl next door. She doesn’t judge, lets you cry on her shoulder and would do anything for a friend. You can go to her for a good laugh, but when you let her borrow your earrings, she has a tendency to misplace them. Unlike Monica and Phoebe, she’s the calm, confident one, and seems comfortable in most situations. Whether it’s out for a girl’s night or a slumber party at home while lounging in your pajamas, she rolls with the punches. If she’s in a relationship or isn’t “on a break” from Ross, she splits her time between the man she’s with and her best friend. You know that if you ask her to be there, she will -- especially when you need her the most.

Why you need a friend like Monica: Control freak, funny and sassy Monica Geller used to be the fat girl who is now thin. She’s supportive and loyal, and while you might not always like her honest opinions, she’s the one who’s going to say it to your face and encourages you to do the right thing. She’ll help comfort you when you break up with your man, and will even bake you a batch of Toll House cookies! Even if she’s in a relationship with a man half her age who is in high school, or with Richard (Tom Selleck), her eye doctor who is the same age as her dad, she’ll be there for you no matter what. When she loves, she loves with her whole heart, and that’s a great quality to have in a best friend.

Why you need a friend like Phoebe: Wacky, carefree and childlike, Phoebe Buffay is your quirkiest friend. She doesn’t know how to ride a bike and runs like a child, but she doesn’t care. She believes in honesty, and encourages her friends to be that way towards others, no matter what. In her world, the glass is always half-filled, and she always looks on the bright side. Her relationships take a backseat to her friends. Even if the love of her life comes back to town and wants to take her to dinner, she’ll say she can’t because she’s already made plans with one of her friends.

**This article was coincidentally written while watching Friends. (I love that reruns are still being shown!)

Isabella Louise Anderson is a member of the RWA, and she is the owner of the website Chick Lit Goddess. She resides in Dallas, Texas, where she’s a housewife and mother to 12-year-old cat, Thorndike. A regular contributor at Good Humor Girl, you can learn more about Isabella here.