But with all that said, I can't say that any of them can be my new best friend. You might be thinking why I need one in the first place. Certainly there have been successful people who didn't have best friends back in high school.

Truth is, having a best friend's all I've known. It's weird walking down the hallways during lunch and break without a purpose. I'd occasionally look around for mine. Now I just trot after Megan to Mrs. Shiroma's class during break or linger around Elisa's locker. During lunch I stick with my close group of friends and almost never leave Red's side. I don't mind really, but I just want to have a single person to always be on the lookout for.

Then again, maybe this widened social life just needs some time adjusting to.

Yeah, that's probably it.

Why are none of the friends I have now eligible for best-friendship? Elisa is probably the best candidate. She recently had a fight with her best friend, and things aren't looking too nice between them. She thinks they will never be best friends again. Being Elisa's best friend might mean long, uneventful phone calls and stuff. I hate talking on the phone.

Red's too . . . You have to understand that she's a social butterfly. She can't be manacled by a best friend bond.

Manny gets on my nerves too often. And I feel like the meanest person in the world around him because I treat him so unfairly.

Tori and I were best friends at one point, but we've moved on so well since then. I enjoy this casual relationship we have now.

Francisco and I aren't that close.

Megan has offered to be my best friend on more than one occasion. At first I thought she was kidding around. Then I realized she wasn't. I tried to tell her that I'd be a hypocrite if I had more than one best friend. Haha, but I didn't have a best friend anyway, so that excuse was ruled out. Plus, she has a couple of best friends already, and I'm just not up to being one of them. At least, for now. But she'd make a really good friend. She knows and understands so much about me, it's scary.