Best friends come in all different shapes and sizes, but some of the best friends you’ll ever meet don’t live anywhere near you at all. It’s likely that you met your long-distance bestie online, over the summer, at college, or one of you moved away from the other. No matter, there are certain things that come with having a long-distance best friend that other people will just never understand.

1. You’ve never met their friends and possibly never will, but you know every person in their family/school/social group AND all their dirt.

You know exactly who’s fake, who’s dating, who’s cheating, who’s annoying the living daylights out of your friend and the real tea on what snake-like things they’ve been up to. You know the exact hierarchy of their friend group and are more than ready to call it out when that hierarchy is VIOLATED.

2. You probably know each other better than most people you both see regularly.

Does their roommate know about the exact magnitude to which they detest their ex-best friend from middle school? Maybe not, but you sure do and you detest them just as much.

3. You don’t need to talk every single day.

Sometimes you’ll go three days without talking and sometimes only three minutes. No matter how long it’s been since you last talked, the strength of your relationship never changes as a result. You’ll always be there for each other.

4. FaceTime is a must.

If you can’t be together in person, this is always the second best option. It’s one thing to hear how your friend has been doing, but it’s so much better to get to laugh with them and hear their voice again after a while. These FaceTime sessions will probably last hours, but they feel like just minutes.

5. And you count down the days until your next FaceTime session.

It’s too hard to explain that your roommate’s cousin’s boyfriend cheated on her with your uncle’s friend over text. After a while, those crazy stories start to form a long queue that can only be released via your next FaceTime session.

6. You fully utilize the messaging function on every possible platform.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, GroupMe, iMessage, Pinterest, Skype, Pictochat...doesn’t matter the platform. You WILL have a simultaneous conversation going on just about on all of these platforms. They will all be about different topics and somehow you will miraculously be able to keep up with all of them.

7. You’re basically the same person, just hundreds of miles away.

You like all of the same things, get excited about all of the same releases, listen to the same music, and somehow manage to go through all of the same life events at the same time. It’s almost like you’re watching yourself live an alternate life in a different location. You’re very similar, but you still appreciate all the unique talents and quirks that you individually have.

8. You don’t see each other often, but you count down the days until you get to again.

You have to plan your visits in advance so you definitely try and get the details about spring break in 2034 before it’s too late to get a good discount on plane tickets. And once that date is set, the countdown app gets set right along with it. Sure you’re counting down from the thousands now, but soon enough you’ll be in the hundreds, then the tens, then the ones, and then you’re there.

9. And when you do, you take A MILLION pictures.

The last time you saw them was probably when you were still in your awkward phase and you need pictures where you both don’t look grimy as the day is long for their next birthday post. You will definitely document every little thing you do, just for the memories.

10. And you spend every waking moment with them.

Going to the dentist? Yep, I’ll be in the lobby. Grocery store? Yep, I’ll make the list. Taking out the trash? I’ll say hi to the garbageman. Going to the bathroom? Don’t take more than a few minutes or I’m coming in with you. This time is sacred and you can’t waste a minute of it.

11. You miss them always.

There is always a part of you that wishes they could live near you and experience your life right along with you.

12. You’d never trade them for the world.

Life has a funny way of making you appreciate the people in your life and you appreciate the daylights out of your long-distance best friend. They’re one of the absolute best people you’ll ever meet and you appreciate them always