Amanda discusses several of her close friends in her life. She has known her boyfriend Jarad for over three years and he encourages her to better herself while also understanding and caring for her. Kara has been her friend since preschool and is always cheerful and comfortable being herself. Kristina helped make Amanda's first job enjoyable with her sense of humor and laidback personality. Dejah also makes Amanda laugh but provides thoughtful advice from her experiences. Overall, Amanda values her friends for their loyalty, honesty, humor and support.

1. best FRIENDS By: Amanda Burris

3. JARAD<3 Jarad is my boyfriend and the best friend that I have ever had. He is the person who understands me the most out of anyone. We’ve known each other for over three years now, and have liked each other ever since him and my brother first picked me up from the gym my freshman year of high school. He has always watched after me, whether I was aware of it at the time or not. He is the nicest guy and will do anything to help a person in need. He makes me keep my grades up and truly pushes me to strive for excellence and encourages me to be the best person I can be. He makes me a better, stronger person which is why my relationship with him is so important. Not only do I have fun with him, but I also learn so much about him and even myself when we are together.

5. Kara Kara is one of my friends who I have known the longest. We’ve been friends since preschool and have still been able to remain close. She is someone who can always cheer you up and bring a smile to your face. She does not care what people think, and has no problem being herself in any situation. That is one of her many admirable traits. She stands firm in what she believes in and is always there to back you up. Kara is truly one of a kind, and also an amazing person to know.

7. Kristina! I first met Kristina when I began my first job at Dominos in Albemarle. We found out that we lived about five minutes away from each other and we began to hang out. She, along with my other friend Ashley, made my first job so enjoyable. She is one of the funniest people I know, and she is hilarious without even realizing it. Whenever I am with her, I enter this “carefree” persona which truly allows me to have so much fun with her. Most conversations with Kristina are funny, so even a serious conversation turns out to be fun and light-hearted. She is very laid back and easy to talk to, which is one of the many reasons why being friends with her is so easy and so fun.

9. Ashley I first met Ashley in elementary school, but we did not really talk until I entered high school. After she moved about three minutes away from me and I began to take her to school, we became very close. We then began to work together, so we hung out all the time. Ashley, like many others, is a fun friend to have. We have shared many laughs, but we do also have serious conversations. She does give pretty good advice, and always makes me think about what I am about to do.

10. DEJAH I first met Dejah my freshman year of highschool. We were both in Algebra with Mr. McCollister. It was a very fun class and Dejah’s presence in that class made it all the more interesting. Dejah, like Ashley and Kristina, is someone that I have so much fun with. She always makes me laugh, but she also gives me great advice by using her own experiences and never holds back her true opinions of anything. I find that quality very admirable and it is one of the things I love most about her wonderful personality.

12. erika I have known Erika most of my life. Her great-grandpa is my grandma’s brother, so Erika and I are cousins. We went to different elementary and middle schools, but we saw each other at family reunions. We then began going to the same high school. We had no classes together freshman year, but had biology class together sophomore year, and then got the chance to get closer. Erika is a friend that can definitely be trusted, and a friend that has great insight and gives good advice. She is also very funny, so it’s always fun to hang out, but you can also be serious around her, too. She is very dependable and would do anything for a friend. Having her as a friend has been great, and I plan to be friends with her forever because friends like her are not easy to find.

13. Emma I first met Emma my freshman year of high school, but did not really talk to her much until my sophomore year in biology class. Emma is truly one of the funniest people I know. She has a great sense of humor, and always makes me laugh. She also has strong opinions and will always defend what she believes. Emma always tells the truth, and never holds back. That is sometimes very hard to find. Not everyone can be as honest as Emma and as unafraid as she is to tell what is really on her mind. I admire that about her and hope that some of her qualities will rub off on me.

15. KENZIE I’ve known Kenzie most of my life. She is my cousin and we first got to know each other in kindergarten at Little Red Schoolhouse. She left after a couple of years, and I did not get to talk to her again until my freshman year of high school. We’ve been close ever since. Kenzie is always very truthful with me and is respectful of my opinions and open to me stating them. We can have very serious talks, or we can joke around for thirty minutes. To me, Kenzie is very easy to talk to and I feel that I could tell her almost anything without being judged, which is hard to find in most people.

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