I came out the door, and he was there waiting for me, like he always does. I had just had drama class, and he his art class. People bustled by, always in a rush to get to nowhere. We exchanged an impish smile, made a comment about how bothersome people were, and chuckled in unison. We were best friends, had only met a few months ago, but were now nearly inseparable. He: a guy. I: a girl.

We descended the stairs to my locker, hooting and him giving me a piggy-back ride because of my rather diminutive size. As we descended, a nobody I had spoken to once or twice out of nicety, asked if we were dating. We both glanced at each other, this was not the first time we had been asked this. We smiled in embarrassment, shook our heads, and said no. We had done this, at least a hundred times. Why does this happen time and time again? Can two teenagers of opposing sexes not be best friends and nothing more?

It’s not like we hadn’t thought of such things. We, on a nearly daily basis, teased one another about it. He would tell me I was adorable, I would tell him that any girl would be lucky to be with him. We would laugh. We actually gave each other romantic advice. But neither of us could imagine the other as anything more than a friend. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him, but not in a romantic way. In the sort of way, that I cared enormously about him, but we were more like siblings than a couple.

We were, according to traditional teenage stereotypes, punks. Our favourite pass times were long and heated discussions about music, and playing guitar. We wore doc martens, and the colours red, black, and grey. We were personality soul-mates. And yet, the hounding was constant. “Why don’t you two date?” My friends would tell me that guys don’t hang out with girls unless they’re attracted to them, and his friends would tell him the same thing except the opposite. We ignored it. Our friendship grew, we are still inseparable.
**

I wonder now, why it still is, so taboo to be close friends with a member of the opposing gender. Why, when I tell people about him, explain that we are just friends; they give me this “yeah, right” sort of smirk. He and I talk about everything, and I am so thankful for a second opinion from a guy, especially when it comes to thoughts on how to deal with members of the opposite gender. Our friendship is one of the most genuine and real friendships I’ve ever had. Guy; Girl friendships are not impossible, and are infinitely rewarding.