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ROOKIE: Hi, Maeve! How are you?

MAEVE: Hi! I’m great!

What did you do today?

Today I got my ears pierced for the first time! It’s embarrassing, because everyone I know gets their ears pierced when they’re like six, and I’m only now getting mine done.

It’s not that embarrassing! Lots of people don’t get theirs pierced until they’re older. I still don’t have mine pierced.

Yeah! Well, I figured, You know, I’m never going to get them done if I wait, might as well do it. And now it’s all good! It was painless and really fast, so it all worked out. That’s pretty much all I did today! I took the rest of the day to recuperate. [Laughs] I can only do so many things!

Be strong! So, when I talked to Sarah, she just raved about you. She said when she first met you, she was kind of intimidated by you, but also really wanted to be friends with you. Can you remember your first impression of her?

It’s funny, because Sarah and I have actually discussed this, obviously way, way after we became friends. We were both in the same English class, and I’d been around her before and thought she was the funniest person ever. I thought, Oh, y’know, I’ll never be as funny as her! I can’t even talk to her! I’m not even worthy of her sense of humor! I was so scared to talk to her because she seemed so above my level! I was also really intimidated by her.

Do you remember what she was saying that was so funny?

I don’t know! We’re both in the drama club, and we would be around each other at rehearsals, and she was always so quick to come up with the funniest things. I would overhear her from far away, and I would be laughing but pretending not to be!

What is one of your favorite inside jokes with Sarah?

Ah, wow! Um…we both have such similar senses of humor, so basically everything becomes funny. A lot of things are only funny to us! We love every single version of A Christmas Carol, like every movie version ever made. The Muppets version, the live-action ones, Mr. Magoo’s—that was really what we first talked about when we met! It was around Christmas time, so that’s probably how it first came up. We have a lot of inside jokes regarding that. We also both still think SpongeBob is funny! We take that a little bit too far. But we have so many inside jokes! She never stops making me laugh.

Sarah told me that you are, like, her platonic soulmate. How do you complement each other?

It’s hard to explain, but the best way is that we are each other’s superhero sidekicks! We’re both really strong, and we both have really strong personalities, so it’s not like one person has more impact than the other, we are just perfectly balanced out. I mean, she is a lot smarter than me! She’s just so great, and she inspires me to be better, and that’s probably the biggest way we balance each other out. I agree with the whole soulmate thing; I can’t imagine my life without her.

What kind of a person would you be if you didn’t have her in your life?

I would be sadder. We don’t even talk every day, but always knowing that she’s just a text away, or that I’ll see her in school, is so comforting. We spend a lot of time together, and even though we’ve known each other for a little over a year, which is not even that long, I can’t remember when I didn’t know her and when I wasn’t as close to her as I am. I definitely wouldn’t be the same.

Sarah told me the same thing! She really admires your selflessness when helping her through a hard time. How has she helped you?

By being there! She’s such a comforting presence, and she doesn’t even have to say anything to support me. I always feel so much better around her. Whenever I’m having a hard time, which we’ve had a lot of since we met, she’ll either make me laugh or comfort me by sitting next to me. There was one time when I went to her house and we watched a movie, I think it was Heathers, and we didn’t even have to say anything, and it was lovely. It was great to just…be there. I guess that’s how she helps me: by being that strong presence in my life. She’s a lot stronger than I am!

Do you think there’s anything Sarah sees in you that you didn’t see in yourself before you met?

She believes in me, in all things. She says nice things to me all the time. Even when I feel terrible and that I don’t deserve it, she always has something nice to say and she supports me endlessly, no matter what happens. She probably sees a lot in me that I can’t see, and that’s what makes our friendship so great! When we’re totally caught up in other things, we still take time to see each other.

It’s amazing to have a friend like that, especially when you are a teenager and people can be so immature about their friendships and other people.

Yeah, it’s crazy! I don’t really believe in luck or fate, but something went on to make me so lucky to have met her.

What is one thing you admire most about her?

Oh my god, she’s basically perfect! There are so many things. It’s not like those friendships where [two people] are totally twins, and you like the person because they are so similar to you. She’s so smart and talented, and she does so much, and she does it happily! I guess admiration is really the main thing in our friendship! We are totally…I mean, I’m crazy about her. Everything she does surprises me and makes me really, really proud of her. I don’t think there’s any one thing I can pinpoint, but I really admire how great she is as a person. We support each other to the end. ♦

(Interviews by Lucy.)

To nominate your own Friend Crush, send an email telling us why she’s your superhero to [email protected]. Please include both of your names and ages and a big, clear filter-less picture of each of you. Thank you!