BFF. Best Friends Forever. Pink plastic necklaces that each hold half a heart, made to interlock when the young wearers bring them together. Having a 'best friend' is an important part of childhood. Girls especially often form very strong bonds with a particular pal which can go on for years.
When that partnership breaks, usually only temporarily, sometimes because the former friends are growing apart, the consequences can, for a short time, be devastating. Any parent knows how tough it is for their kids when friendship ends.
Lauria Bible, typical of many teens her age, of slim build and average height, and Ashley Freeman (a keen sports player) took the girlish term to an extreme. Best friends forever since kindergarten to be exact, they remained so up to their deaths. Sadly, those deaths befell them much, much too soon.