My best friend is a girl who brightens up a room when she walks in. She never takes anything to seriously, especially herself. She is egotistical in a way that makes her likable and relatable. Yet, her most amazing quality is her determination to keep those she loves close to her.

My best friend is a girl who refuses to let go of anyone. This past year, her dog passed away. She keeps a picture of her dog in a locket to keep her dog close to her heart.

My best friend is a girl who had her heart broken multiple times by the same guy. She started dating a guy with a reputation as a heartbreaker, but she did not care. He treated her like royalty, paying for everything and surprising her with ice cream and coffee, the way she wanted to be treated. But her boyfriend had secrets. He was not loyal or trusting, and always accused my best friend of cheating and lying, but the only one who was unfaithful was him.

This guy verbally abused my best friend to the point where she believed every word he said. He would play mind games with her, breaking up with her just to watch her be engulfed by misery and despair. She would beg for him back with a hand written letter and homemade cookies that he would mock at with his friends. Then, he would get back with her just to start the whole process over again.

After eight months of on-again off-again torture, he officially ended their relationship, just before his freshman year of college, and it destroyed my best friend. She refused to get out of bed most days. She was not eating. She was not sleeping. She was not living.

I watched my best friend's world fall apart, and I was determined to fix it. Tirelessly, I tried day after day to cheer up my best friend because that was my job, but I was failing. Finally, I forced her to get some coffee with me. I brought her to a local coffee shop, sat her down and confronted her about her understandable, but unacceptable behavior. As our senior year is approaching, I was not going to except anything less than the best in regards to memories and attitude. I expressed my support of all her decisions, but I also told her she was wasting her life because of some dumb boy. She chose to be stuck in the past instead of moving on with her life.

After our talk, my best friend realized she needed to let her ex go. And she did let him go. She let go of his insults and his disloyalty. She let go of any memories of him, the good and the bad. Most importantly, she let go of his influence he had of dictating her life.

My best friend is a girl who has overcome heartbreak and is now living life for herself. She still lights up a room when she walks in. She has more friends than I can count. And she is a girl who as fragile as the rest.