February is recognized as a month of love. However, love is a general term. In addition to romantic relationships, the word includes familial, self and platonic love.

Juniors Charlie Marshall, Gavin Kirwan, Nathan Ponnuru and Ben Dalton and senior Madison van Ophem are a prime example of platonic love.

The group has been friends since freshman year — sophomore year for van Ophem — but some of them have found their friendship surprising.

The group of friends hung out for the first time at someone’s house, meetings they now refer to as “gang bombs.”

“Being in band, I would expect to become friends with people my own age, but we’ve gotten pretty close.” said Marshall.

Ponnuru’s friendships in the past had been rocky, but he’s found security in this new group.

“I was a very switchy person in middle school friend-group wise,” he said. “In high school, there’s friends that last.” said Ponnuru.

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Sophomores Shivam Singh and Valerie Lu have known each other for eight years, ever since they were in second grade.

“We were in the same class, and I started to talk to her,” Singh said.

Despite their long relationship, they haven’t always been close.

“I thought he was annoying and slightly hated him in second grade,” Lu said. “I slapped him.”

Like most friends, Lu and Singh share many inside jokes.

“We have some that carry on from middle school,” Singh said. “We’ve got jokes with certain people.”

The pair loves to talk about a variety of topics: boys, people and shows.

“[We have] laugh attacks together at school,” Singh said. “We go to the park and have laugh attacks.”

Lu and Singh sometimes hang out at their old elementary school, where they first met.

“We go to the Sunrise Point playground and hang out for a little bit,” Lu said.

Throughout the years, the two have seen each other grow.

“She’s gotten a lot more brave, a little louder [and] a little less shy,” Singh said.