She is a friend who is a girl. Never my girlfriend, an important distinction. More like a big sister - and I needed one. We first met when I was eight and she was eleven, but we became best friends ten years later. Each gave the other perspective without hormones getting in the way.
Barbie. My friend became my best friend when we discovered how much fun we could have playing with our Barbies. I had the basic stuff; she had all of the accessories. We were inseparable through high school.