Happy belated Galentine's Day, and happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the lovely holiday, I'm sharing some of my favorite female friendships and romantic couples from some of my favorite books, movies, and TV shows. A lot of people often think of Valentine's Day as a day for couples, but I want this post to serve as a reminder that this day is simply about love. It doesn't matter if you're single, in a relationship, married, or engaged. Celebrate the day with people you love, whether it be friends, family, or significant others.
Galentines
Lara Jean and Chris (To All the Boys I've Loved Before)
As the self-proclaimed Filipino Lara Jean Covey, there was no way I could leave my favorite fictional character to ever exist off this blog post. Whether you've read the book or have only seen the movie (if you haven't at least seen the movie, please do ― this is probably like the fifth time I've mentioned TATBILB on my blog), you'll know Lara Jean doesn't have very many friends, but she does have Chris, who's her best friend. (And if you haven't read or watched TATBILB, Chris is short for Christine.) The two of them have been friends since they were kids, but now that they're older and have developed different interests and whatnot, they don't spend as much time together. But that doesn't stop them from being best friends and being there for each other.
As someone who also doesn't have a lot of friends and doesn't spend a lot of time with the ones I do have, I really appreciate and admire their friendship. Lara Jean and Chris don't hang out as much as they used to because of school, different interests, and just different lives (we all know life's much easier when you're 7). But when Lara Jean needs Chris, Chris is there. Chris even goes on the ski trip for Lara Jean ― and Chris doesn't do school functions (or school)!
For me, pretty much all of my friends live in different states, thousands of miles away. So I don't get to see them very often. But if and when I need them (and when they need me), we're there for each other.
Brooke Davis and Haley James Scott (One Tree Hill)
If there's any show that taught me what a strong female character is, it's One Tree Hill. Brooke has always been my favorite character on the show, and while the show begins with Brooke being a character whose story or involvement revolved around her best friend Peyton or the main character Lucas, Brooke grew to be arguably the number one main character on the show by the end. And when Peyton and Lucas eventually left the show, the number one female friendship transitioned from Brooke and Peyton to Brooke and Haley. And while Brooke and Peyton's friendship was definitely special, I've always admired Brooke and Haley's more.
Part of that is probably because they weren't expected to ever be friends when the TV series began. Brooke was the head cheerleader, and Haley was "tutor girl," the nerdy smart girl who didn't have a lot of friends. And while Haley may have judged Brooke before she got to know Brooke, she didn't act poorly toward her despite it. When Brooke ended up drunk on a random assortment of pain pills at the Pickerington basketball game, Haley still helped her get into Peyton's car. And when Brooke started calling Haley "Tutor Girl" instead of her given name, Haley didn't make a fit about it. Fast forward, and Brooke was Haley's maid of honor and later became the godmother of Haley's son.
The two grew closer over the years after finally getting to actually know each other and supported each other's big dreams. Haley went off to be a rockstar on tour with Chris Keller, and Brooke started her fashion line, Clothes Over Bros. And they were nothing short of supportive when those dreams had their ups and downs. And when life was painful, they didn't leave ― not when Brooke was physically assaulted and not when Haley was depressed. They may not have understood or known what was going on, but they did the best they could to help each other. There's so much more I could mention, but I can't even remember it all because I first starting watching OTH in 2005 when it was still airing, so forgive me.
Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom (Riverdale)
If you're not familiar with Riverdale, it's a TV show based off Archie Comics. And even though I've never read a single Archie Comics strip or book in my life, even I know that Veronica and Cheryl don't start off as friends. In fact, they're rivals pretty much the second Veronica stepped onto the Riverdale High campus in the pilot. Cheryl obviously felt threatened by the rich new girl from New York City, so their friendship definitely took time to form and develop.
My favorite moment from their friendship so far is what was likely considered the first moment of their friendship. Cheryl has a panic attack during a school memorial service for her twin brother, and Veronica is the only who goes after her to help her and see if she's okay. They were still rivals at the time, so for Veronica to look after Cheryl and for Cheryl to accept that help is paramount and showed vulnerability in both of them and that they could be bigger than this high school feud they had.
What else I love about their friendship is how accepting and understanding they are of each other. Both come from rather prestigious and wealthy families and know what it's like to be "the mean girl" and why, which allows them to connect on a different level than with other Riverdale characters. They know what it's like to deal with a dysfunctional family and are there for each other when it comes to that. When Cheryl thinks her mom and Veronica's dad are up to no good, she tells Veronica.
And when Cheryl finally accepts who she is and is public with her sexuality, Veronica accepts Cheryl and knows she's not any different from before just because she has a girlfriend. In fact, Veronica even mentions a few times how she supports Cheryl and Toni's relationship when they are at La Bonne Nuit. Oh, not to mention how Veronica helps lead the charge to save Cheryl from "conversation therapy" at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
Overall, they know how to bring out the best in each other and help each other know and find what's important in life, and it's not the money and lavish lifestyles their family brought them into when growing up.
What else I love about their friendship is how accepting and understanding they are of each other. Both come from rather prestigious and wealthy families and know what it's like to be "the mean girl" and why, which allows them to connect on a different level than with other Riverdale characters. They know what it's like to deal with a dysfunctional family and are there for each other when it comes to that. When Cheryl thinks her mom and Veronica's dad are up to no good, she tells Veronica.
And when Cheryl finally accepts who she is and is public with her sexuality, Veronica accepts Cheryl and knows she's not any different from before just because she has a girlfriend. In fact, Veronica even mentions a few times how she supports Cheryl and Toni's relationship when they are at La Bonne Nuit. Oh, not to mention how Veronica helps lead the charge to save Cheryl from "conversation therapy" at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.
Overall, they know how to bring out the best in each other and help each other know and find what's important in life, and it's not the money and lavish lifestyles their family brought them into when growing up.
Riley Matthews and Maya Hart (Girl Meets World)
If you're not familiar with Girl Meets World, it's the spinoff of the 90s TV show Boy Meets World that tells the story of Cory Matthews' daughter Riley. Riley and her best friend Maya are basically Cory and Shawn 2.0. They are two peas in a pod, can finish each other sentences, and are so close that they're more sisters than best friends. Riley is thunder to Maya's lightning. They're always together.
Riley is very happy-go-lucky and optimistic while Maya is more pessimistic, carefree, and rebellious, but they're best friends anyway. They're a prime example of opposites attract, and because they are rather different, they are able to help each other see different perspectives and bring out other sides of their personalities. Riley helps Maya know it's okay to dream, it's okay to go after what you want, and it's okay to change and grow. Maya helps Riley know it's okay to not be okay, it's okay to not be perfect, and it's okay to be unique.
When Riley is being bullied at school, Maya lets Riley take out her anger on Maya but is still there for her when she eventually breaks down and tells the truth. Maya reassures Riley that it's not her fault she's being bullied and that nothing is wrong with who she is and tells her to embrace it. Whenever Maya is scared of getting her hopes up and wishing for things that may be too good to ever become true, Riley shows her that she's missing out by not dreaming. When Riley loses her favorite childhood bear, Maya spends all day looking for it even though Maya really wants to get tacos on a special promotional day. When Maya loses herself and becomes too much like Riley, Riley takes Maya to upstate New York to help Maya find herself.
Even though they're the youngest of any other characters in this blog post, they don't act childish or immature in their relationships but have that youthful quality that reminds them they're still growing up and learning, which is evident in their friendship. They support each other and remind each other that they aren't alone in the tough times of growing up.
Valentines
Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez (High School Musical)
My forever favorites. If you knew me when I was in middle school (or maybe even now depending on who you are and/or if you follow me on any social media), you know I was totally one of those kids who had all the HSM merch: the clothes, the folders, the posters, everything. So it really should come to no surprise that Troy and Gabriella (or Troyella, as I've called them since 2006) are one of my all-time favorite couples in all of entertainment history.
Why, you ask? Well, first, I just love HSM. Second, what's not to love? Honestly, though. Troy and Gabriella are Danny and Sandy but better. (Yeah, I said it. I mean, did Troy and Gabriella try to change who they were at the end of any of the HSM movies just for the other person? No.) They instantly connect when they meet and quickly become comfortable with each other, even though it was an awkward forced karaoke duet. They sound amazing when they sing together, and their chemistry is undeniable.
The best thing about Troy and Gabriella is that they are constantly learning and growing together. After they meet and become friends in the first movie, they realize they aren't entirely the people they want to be and help each other reach the full potential of the multi-talented people they really are. Next in HSM 2, Gabriella helps Troy learn that how you treat those who really care about you is more important than the people who give you attention for their own benefit. In the final movie, they mature and learn that when it comes to big decisions about the future and who you want in it, you need to do what's best for you but still make an effort to keep the people you care most about.
This is sort of random, but one time Lana Condor did an interview and said the first time she experienced heartbreak was when Troy and Gabriella broke up in HSM 2, and that was 100% me as well. So obviously I couldn't leave them out of this blog post.
Being heartbroken by Troy and Gabriella's breakup in HSM 2 and crying about Crazy Rich Asians? Wait. Am I Lana Condor?!— Amanda Wijangco (@amanda_carmela) August 19, 2018
But for real, LOVE THIS. LOVE @alltheboysfilm. CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE. https://t.co/fpkYpOzaUL
Lara Jean and Peter K. (To All the Boys I've Loved Before)
Speaking of Lana Condor, here's her character and her boyfriend! So far, their basics of their relationship are the same in the book and the movie, but I've got to say, book Covinsky (Lara Jean and Peter's ship name because her last name is Covey and his is Kavinsky) is definitely cuter. There are just details and other little things in the book that didn't make it to the movie that are just too cute. Then again, there are also things in the movie that don't happen in the book that are cute, but I still think book them wins.
For example, in the book, there are these doughnuts Peter brings on a little road trip he takes with Lara Jean for his mom's store. What's so special about the doughnuts is that you have to get up early to get them because they're really good and there's only a certain amount, so once they're gone, they're gone. Now that I think about this detail, it sort of makes it to the movie, but not exactly. Anyway, later on in the story when they're going on the ski trip, Lara Jean doesn't sit with him, so she doesn't get to have the doughnuts that Peter brought for her.
In the movie, this is basically what happened with the yogurt drink that he drove across town to get, but I still feel like the doughnuts are more special and different than the yogurt drink. Maybe it has to do with the little road trips he and Lara Jean go on a few times in the book because those road trips are cute memories that don't happen in the movie. Surely there are other things that happen in the entire book series that I could mention, but I don't want to ruin it for anyone, and we don't know what they're going to put in the next movie.
Anyway, back to why they're one of my favorite couples. Since the book series is finished and the movies are not, all of this may not entirely apply to movie Covinsky. Peter brings Lara Jean out of her shell but doesn't push her too much so that she's uncomfortable and doesn't feel like herself. Lara Jean helps Peter with his relationship with his father, who's out of the picture. Peter goes above and beyond for Lara Jean. I mentioned the doughnuts in the book and the yogurt drink in the movie in the previous paragraph, but there's more.
This isn't really a spoiler to anything paramount to the plot of the entire series, so I think it's safe to say. When there's a class trip to New York City, Peter knows Lara Jean has been trying to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and she mentions that a bakery in NYC makes the perfect one. So Peter sneaks away from the group just to go to this bakery (it's very popular and crowded) just so he can get a cookie so Lara Jean can try the perfect chocolate chip cookie! Like how sweet (literally and figuratively!) is that!
I think this section is already the longest one so far, so I won't go on much longer. But I think for me, it's a no brainer I included Lara Jean and Peter. After all, I'm a self-proclaimed Lara Jean, and Lara Jean is a dreamer and hopeless romantic, so adoring fictional couples seems exactly like something she would do.
Sam Evans and Quinn Fabray (Glee)
And if you knew me in high school, you probably know I was a total Gleek. I watched every single season (yes, even the ones without the original characters), and I still have my pink Glee T-shirt that I bought at Target.
Even though Glee was definitely all about Rachel Berry, she was never my favorite character, and she and Finn were never my favorite couple ― not that I didn't like her or them, because I did (well, I usually liked Rachel). They just never stood out to me. I never felt drawn to them. Who did stand out to me were Sam Evans, who first appeared in season two, and Quinn Fabray, who was an original character.
I'm so glad that Chord Overstreet, who plays Sam, and Dianna Agron, who plays Quinn, have such great chemistry because otherwise, Sam and Quinn literally wouldn't have been a couple. Because they have such great chemistry, it was easy to see and believable that Sam and Quinn were drawn to each other from the start. It made it so that even though the first song they sang together was a love song, it wasn't weird that they didn't know each other that well. They just had a connection.
Sam was always kind to Quinn but wasn't afraid to tell her the truth. He wasn't there for the drama she went through in the first season but he didn't judge her for it and accepted her for who she was. Later on in the series when she was having a tough time and not being the authentic girl he knew, he told her. Quinn was one of the first people to be nice to Sam when he got to McKinley High. She helped him clean up when he got slushied for the first time. In the next season, she helped Sam take care of his little brother and sister when his family wasn't doing well and had to live in a hotel.
They definitely had their ups and downs in their relationship, platonic and romantic, but overall they were good for each other. It's a shame they just ended up being a pawn in the Finn and Rachel storyline, though. Regardless, their version of "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" are still two of my very favorite Glee songs.
Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott (One Tree Hill)
I don't know if this is true, but I feel like most people prefer Lucas with Peyton and Brooke with someone else but not me. I've never felt that way. I've always been a Brooke and Lucas fan.
Brooke and Lucas did what a few other pairs in this blog post did: they brought out other sides of each other. Brooke helped Lucas find his more adventurous side, and Lucas helped Brooke find her more serious side that ultimately led to Brooke becoming a girl boss. They both showed each other they were more than what other people thought of them. Lucas wasn't just "the other son," the kid many people weren't friends, really know, and/or hang out with because his rather prominent (for a small town) dad wasn't in his life. Brooke wasn't just the pretty and popular head cheerleader. They were both more than the people who doubted them, and I don't think they would have known that to the same extent if they hadn't been together and become friends. Yes, the people who were already in their lives before they met knew this, but it took someone outside their circle to show them that.
When Brooke's best friend Peyton gets drugged at a party, Brooke has no one to turn to but Lucas, who comes to their rescue. Brooke's decision to ask Lucas for help is monumental in the entire series, as it forms the building blocks of Brooke and Lucas's relationship. From there, Brooke and Lucas get to know each other and eventually start dating. It's when they start dating when Lucas learns it's not just his mom who needs him in life, that he can be funny and sociable. It's when Brooke learns how vulnerable she is, how much she cares for those she loves, how determined she can be when she really cares about something.
For some reason, I can't think of many specific examples of their scenes or moments (probably because I haven't watched OTH in forever and there are a lot of seasons), but there is the time when Lucas gives Brooke this speech about how much he loves her, mentioning a bunch of little things about her, while they're both standing in the pouring rain, and it's just a very heartfelt and romantic moment that makes you want to root for them. And when someone can remember and list a bunch of details about you and all your little quirks, that's how you know that someone cares because it's the little things are often overlooked but can mean so much.
Brooke helps Lucas find his faults so he can become a better person, and Lucas writes that Brooke is going to change the world someday. And if those two things aren't indicators of love, care, and wanting to help the other person, then I don't know what is.
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