Collage by Emma D.

Collage by Emma D.

Lizzy and Perrin are best friends and Girl Scouts from Athens, Georgia. They’re also each other’s Hermione Granger, which is maybe the sweetest thing we’ve ever heard.


TO: [email protected]
FROM: Lizzy
SUBJECT: Friend Crush

Words cannot describe how much I love my friend Perrin. She is crazy smart, ridiculously athletic, freaking gorgeous, absolutely hilarious, and a tad insane—not to mention the most awesome friend a girl could ask for. We met on a Girl Scouts trip to the UK two years ago and discovered that we live in the same town in Georgia (Athens)! Unfortunately, we go to different high schools, but we hang out as often as we can, and I can always count on having the best time ever, whether we’re shopping downtown or curled on the couch watching a Harry Potter movie marathon.

Even though we have a ton in common, Perrin is my exact opposite in many ways, which is why we get along so well, I think. She is extremely intelligent and logical (she’s taking AP Calculus as a sophomore; I’m pretty sure that counts as a superpower); I’m more passionate and emotional. She’s also crazy athletic (she did cross country and varsity soccer as a freshman), and I scream whenever the ball comes my way.

Perrin is an automatic friend to anyone who needs one, and is fiercely loyal to those she cares about. Pretty much, Perrin is the strongest, most talented, and most beautiful person you could ever meet.

 


ROOKIE: How did you and Perrin end up going on the trip to England?

LIZZY [crusher]: When we were 14, we were both chosen to represent the state of Georgia at a giant camp in Yorkshire for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides [basically the UK version of Girl Scouts].

What drew you two each other?

I guess it was an opposites attract kind of thing. Perrin’s really calm and composed, where I’m more impulsive. Perrin’s the kind of person that other people just automatically like. I had seen her at other Girl Scouts events in Athens before, and she always seemed really nice, really chill, and kind of go-with-the-flow. On the trip, she actually hung out with another girl more than she hung out with me at first. But when we got home, Perrin and I got closer and closer.

Are you guys both still in Girl Scouts now?

Yep! We’re actually in the same troop. We were in two different troops before, but my troop kind of collapsed, and then her troop collapsed, so we joined together to form a new one.

It seems like by high school, a lot of Girl Scouts troops dissolve.

Yeah, it becomes a big issue. When you get older people don’t think it’s as cool. And there’s the cuteness factor—people don’t really want to buy Girl Scout cookies from you anymore, so you lose funds. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that once you get older with Girl Scouts, you get to do more. If I hadn’t stuck with it, I would’ve never been able to go to England and meet Perrin in the first place!

When did you realize that Perrin was your best friend?

I invited her to my 15th birthday party, and there were about 12 other girls there, but I spent the whole time with her. Everyone else was having a great time, but we kind of paired off by ourselves. I guess it was that moment when I realized I identified with her better than anyone else in the group.

How come?

She’s extremely empathetic and a fantastic listener. I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety for a long time, and she’s someone I can always talk to freely. I can vent and let all my emotions out, and she’s really, really great at calming me down.

We’re both extremely affectionate. We’re always hugging on each other and holding hands and stuff like that. And we cuddle a lot. We both have the philosophy that it’s only awkward if you make it awkward when it comes to affection with your friends. There’s always someone to hug when you’re with Perrin.

What do you do when you hang out?

We usually go to her house because she lives close to downtown, and I live out in suburbia and like downtown better. Sometimes we go for walks, and we go thrift-store shopping a lot. Sometimes we’ll bake or cook together. And we watch a lot of movies, which often means Harry Potter.

If Perrin were a Harry Potter character, which one would she be?

I think she’s Hermione Granger, because she’s super smart and is a brilliant problem-solver, and she has like 10 bajillion books. It’s ridiculous.

Which one are you?

I’d be Luna Lovegood, because she’s unique and doesn’t care what others think. She just does her own thing.

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ROOKIE: How would you describe Lizzy?

PERRIN [crushee]: Lizzy is one of the most amazing people I know. She’s so accepting—she loves anyone for exactly who they are. Even if they don’t like her, she still loves them. And she’s an amazing artist. She’s super creative.

What does she make?

One of the many fabulous things about Lizzy is that she can make such cool things out of stuff you’d never expect to be cute in a million years. She made me the coolest necktie purse ever. And she’s been leading this awesome workshop [for Girl Scout troops around Georgia] called Lizzy’s Tees, where she teaches girls how to take a plain T-shirt and turn it into something really awesome and unique. She also painted this mural on the wall next to her bed that’s a picture of a girl who has her mouth open, and all these quotes from books Lizzy loves are coming out of it in different colors. It’s really cool.

What are some of the books she quotes?

She loves Harry Potter. She’s read all of the books and watches the movies constantly. And she talks about the Weetzie Bat series all the time. Honestly, she reads so many books I can’t keep track.

Do you feel like you balance each other out?

Yes. Even though our opinions aren’t all the same, we’re good at having open discussions about what we believe, and we don’t judge each other. Like, Lizzy’s really strongly Catholic, but I’m more on the agnostic or atheist side. We can talk about how we feel about that stuff without saying, “No, you’re wrong.” Also, she’s really good at art, and I’m really good at math. If you put us together, we’d be a very well rounded person. [Laughs]

She told us you’re in AP Calculus as a sophomore. That sounds intense.

Yeah, it is, but I really love it. It can be really frustrating sometimes, but math is my thing, so it’s cool.

Do you ever help Lizzy with it?

Yeah, sometimes. But I think she likes doing it herself.

What are some favorite recent memories you two have shared?

Well, when I got my driver’s license, the first thing I did—after driving to school because I got my license in the morning and had to go to school first—was go to Lizzy’s house to show her. It was really exciting. We had a combined 16th birthday party, and Lizzy decorated a beautiful chocolate cake. Lizzy loves chocolate. It’s like the highlight of her existence. Her mom was on a health kick a while back and got rid of everything chocolatey, so I made her a secret care package with a whole bunch of chocolate cookies and, like, Hershey’s Kisses. And I put it all in a box with a bunch of T-shirts and sewing stuff on top of it, and then I delivered it to her.

Did her mom find out?

Nope!

If Lizzy were a Harry Potter character, which one would she be?

If you could combine Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood, that would be Lizzy. She loves to read and is really smart like Hermione, but is kind of a klutz and has kooky sense of fashion like Luna. ♦

(Interviews conducted by Lena Singer.)

If you want to nominate a friend you have a crush on for a Friend Crush, send an email to Anaheed that includes both of your names, ages, and pictures, as well as a paragraph or two telling us what’s so fantastic about her.