There is such a negative stigma around the friend zone. Once you're in the friend zone you can never get out according to some. And according to others, if you feel you’ve been put into the friend zone you need to work like hell to crawl out. But I think that it’s time we start respecting the friend zone.

There’s a ton of reason that you might be stuck in the friend zone, maybe it’s because she has a boyfriend. It could be because she loves you but in a brotherly way. You could potentially just mean too much to her for her to take the risk of losing you.

There are epic love stories of people escaping the clutches of the friend zone but they are far and few between. Most stories about climbing out of the friendzone end in heartache. Most people may eventually try out dating their best friend. That’s the goal, isn’t it? To be married to your best friend? But maybe all that time you spent as friends, you weren’t initially romantically interested because, well, it wouldn’t work out romantically.

My junior year of highschool my best friend was a guy. We had every class together and we did everything together. We mutually broke through the friendzone at the end of the year. I’d said a million times that I would never date him, I said it wasn’t worth losing him as a friend. I was 16, it wasn’t like we’d get married. A couple months later it was like nothing had changed. We were still really just best friends, the only difference was that we kissed sometimes. It was weird, so we ended things. I got scared that nothing would ever be the same and maybe it was my fear that did it but they were never normal again.

I swore to myself that I would never break let anyone break the friendzone barrier again. Not for lack of trying, but no one has since. Having to reject your best friend is not a nice feeling. What’s even worse is when they won't let it be.

If you are currently hoping to leave the friendzone give it one shot. One. Tell your friend how you’re feeling. Here’s the important part though. When they tell you how they’re feeling in return, respect it. While this goes for anyone that you choose to romantically pursue it’s especially important when it comes to friends. Hurting you is going to break your friends heart. Having to do it again, and again, and again is going to hurt even worse. She can’t just tell you to bug off, she wants you in her life but not like this. Respect the friendzone once you’re told that you’re in it. If you don’t, you could end up losing a really good friend anyway.