Throwback Thursday

If you’re lucky, you have that girlfriend. The one who’s been there since the days of ill-advised bangs (and let’s be honest, curtain bangs are a bold gamble). She sat next to you on Thursday nights with a cheap bottle of wine — because Cakebread was not in the budget — dissecting every terrible plot twist and every worse-than-terrible boyfriend.

She’s your ride-or-die. The one who coached you through “he’s just not that into you” long before it was a book title. The one who held your hair back when the night got away from you, and your heart when life got even messier. Maybe you even went years not talking because you were pissed about something you can’t even remember now.

These women aren’t just friends — they’re your chosen family. Your tribe. The people who hype you up, call you out, and love you unconditionally. Unlike family — who can’t help but judge or just not get you — your ride-or-dies have seen every version of you and still show up.

So here’s to them. To the ones who survived the bangs, the bad wine, and the bad decisions. To the women who remind you who you are and laugh with you about all the mistakes that turned into your best stories.

“Here’s to the girls who know all my stories—because they lived them with me.”

So raise a glass to the women behind the woman. Cheers, ladies — you’re the real story worth telling.