In the middle of my freshman second semester, I realized I had about twice the amount of guy friends than I did girlfriends. I usually only saw most of my girlfriends on the weekends when we went out; however, when it came to my guy friends, I would see them a few times during the week and on weekends. They never hesitated to call me when they needed someone to go to lunch with or help them with one of their essays.
When we did go to lunch, I was never kept waiting. With my girlfriends, I can show up
fifteen minutes late and still have it be considered early. We all know that girls take a lifetime to walk out the door (myself included) because of that one piece of hair that will just not stay back right. Another thing I’ve noticed is that guys are much more concerned whether you are comfortable or not. Whether asking if you’re cold, doing alright, or hungry, guys actually show some concern in that area. It’s quite possible that they are just hungry, but maybe they still have a little bit of chivalry left in them. Yes, I know this seems a little surprising, but guy friends seem to be more caring than boyfriends at points. Boyfriends fall into a certain comfort zone. They feel as though you will just voice your feelings and opinions, so it’s unnecessary to ask. Guy friends don’t seem to ever reach that level.
Even with these boy benefits, I do get fed up with many of their annoying attributes. I would rather not listen to a debate about whether or not the girl at the table over is attractive (do they not see those highlights?!) or a conversation about who is on their fantasy football team (besides my “I wish Tom Brady was my boyfriend” comment, I could care less). I find myself craving girl time, so I can brag about the new dresses I bought at H&M and the hot guy who I’m pretty sure makes eye contact with me in math class. Speaking of hot guys, guy friends never hesitate to give you boy advice. Similar to a protective brother, they don’t want to see you hurt. Instead of watching you make a mistake from the sidelines, your best guy would rather let you know that it classifies as creepy if you send that second text.
Then there is always the one guy friend, Secret Admirer, who secretly has a huge crush on you. His friends know, the girl on the floor above you knows, your english professor
probably even knows. But you still refuse to admit it, and you make sure to establish numerous times that you two are “just friends.” Of course you know you two are strictly friends, but Secret Admirer is hoping that one day your “just friends” relationship will play out like Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan’s in Made of Honor. You also know you two don’t star in a movie together…and that he doesn’t look like Patrick Dempsey (let’s be honest here—if he did, you might reconsider). Happily ever after will not be happening; therefore, boundaries must be established. If you stay away from flirting, one on one hangouts, and relationship-talk for a few months; he’ll begin to respect the relationship you want, instead of getting angry when Mr. Dempsey actually does walk into your life. By sophomore year, you’ll find that you two will be closer than ever.
Now that my sophomore year has started, I’ve begun to realize who my true friends really are; a few of them happen to be guys. I see them almost every day, and honestly, I don’t think I could have found better friends. Girls and guys have different qualities, which is why it’s valuable to have a few of each. Of course I’ll always be closer to my girlfriends, but I think every girl needs a few guys for good balance.