In kindergarten, children often say things like “I’ll be your best friend forever if you give me your orange Popsicle for my purple one!” or “Hi, my name is Carrie. Let’s be best friends!”

However, as we grow older, we no longer use the term “best friend” so lightly.

Ask a random person at Uni who his or her best friend is. Chances are, he or she will either name several people or will reply by saying, “I don’t have a best friend.”

I think Best Friends are a rare thing. Social circles and friends change so dramatically throughout high school. You can be “best friends” with someone one day and then suddenly stop talking to them the next day.

There are “Frenemies,” those whom you act like they’re your friend to their face and then talk about them behind their backs. There are “So-So Friends” whom you sometimes hang out with. And then there are “Acquaintances” whom you occasionally converse with in class or in the locker rooms.

So what distinguishes a Best Friend from all of these other friends?

I think a Best Friend is someone you can feel completely comfortable around. Someone you can hang out with in your sloppiest outfit and not give a second thought about how you might look. Someone you can act extremely dorky in front of and not have to worry about her judging you. Someone who comes to your house and feels comfortable searching for food in your refrigerator.

A Best Friend is someone who knows about your pet peeves and quirky interests. Someone who will eat the green M&Ms for you because he or she knows that you don’t like them. Someone who immediately switches the radio station when Britney Spears comes on because you think Britney’s trashy.

A Best Friend is someone you can trust. It’s someone you would leave in your room along with your diary, your piggy bank, and your logged-on e-mail, AIM, and Facebook accounts while you’re not in the room.

Most importantly, I think a Best Friend is someone you can talk to. Someone you can gossip with but also have deep conversations with. And finally, a Best Friend is someone you can sit with in complete silence and not feel the least bit of awkwardness.

I’m one of those people who will name several friends when someone asks, “Who’s your best friend?” I don’t think I have one Best Friend because I feel closer to different people under different circumstances.

I guess I just haven’t found my “perfect” Best Friend. But for those of you who can honestly call a single person your Best Friend, congratulations. You have found a very special person in life.