She told me that you are one of her favorite people to talk about feminism with!

She’s the first person who got me into it. She sent me a link to an article, and I was like, “What’s this?” She told me it was an article about feminism, and I was like, “FEMINISM? We’re all equal!” And she said, “You need to read this.” So I did, and I was like, Wow, there’s some serious inequality goin’ on. She leads me through all the stuff that’s wrong. She’s good at finding articles about social justice stuff. She’s a real smartie.

Do you remember what that first article was about, and why it struck you?

Up until that point, I had assumed that men and women were pretty much equal, and there was something in it about unequal pay. I was like, Wait a second, that can’t be right. So I searched it up, and it introduced me to this whole plethora of information saying that the social status of women is not what it should be. And I was like, This sucks, but I was also mad that I didn’t know about it. It made me want to learn more.

What’s one of your favorite memories of hanging out with Perah?

One that immediately comes to mind happened just yesterday! We were eating at a sushi place, and when she ate something, she was throwing her head back. I was like, “Why do you do that?” She said, “Because I’m a dragon and I’m throwing food into my gaping maw.” I was like, “That’s actually awesome,” and I did the same thing, and we started laughing really hard. We were throwing food into our gullets through our gaping maws!!

You guys could totally pass for dragons. What special things about Perah set her apart from the rest of the world?

She’s unique, and special, and one of the greatest people I know. No big deal, or anything. She’s always available to talk on any level that you want. If you want to talk about the weather, she’s down. If you want to talk about the universe, she’s hecka down. We’ve had so many midnight conversations. She’s also super bubbly, warm, awesome, and loving. She’s the greatest friend ever. She has amazing talking abilities.

Are there things that you confide in her that you don’t really tell other people?

Yeah. She’s so empathetic. She totally gets my point of view, and it feels amazing to have someone who just really understands you. I’m a little bit of a private person, but I can always trust her. A few months ago, my girlfriend of a year and I broke up, and I was pretty down. I talked to Perah a lot throughout the whole process. Whenever I felt like I really missed my ex, I would text Perah, and she’d write back, “It’s all right, bb,” and I’d go, “Thanks, mahm.”

Has it been tough to go to different schools?

A lot of the friendships I’ve had at my old school have disintegrated, but Perah and I just text each other all the time. Our relationship used to be based on just seeing each other every day. We talk more. We can’t exactly talk about stuff at school anymore, so it’s more friend-based—we discuss a lot of different stuff now. She helped me adjust [to my new school], too. She was totally there for me, and it helped me with my confidence. She’s like the best friend ever. You don’t even know, man.

It sounds like it. Everyone should have that kind of friendship in their life! In closing, what’s the coolest thing about having Perah in your life, besides everything?

The greatest thing about getting to know Perah is how she talks to me. It’s not like anyone else—not like any old friend. It’s, like, friend-soulmate. It’s pretty weird to describe, but it’s cool. She’s someone that I know is really intelligent. If we want to have a discussion about a book, we can. If we want to have a discussion about a food, we can! She’s, like, everything.

Anything else I should know before we go?

Everyone should know that Perah’s about to get a surgery that will make her into a real dragon. We’re going to breathe fire. It’s going to be awesome, and the world should know.

I’m so happy for both of you about this, and in general.

Thank you! It means the world to us. ♦

(Interviews conducted by Amy Rose.)

If you want to nominate a beloved companion (this sounds like I mean a pet, but Rookie only accepts human friendships at this time) on for a Friend Crush, send an email to Anaheed that includes both of your names, ages, and BIG, CLEAR pictures of the two of you, as well as a paragraph (or more!) about why that person is a hero.