best friends

hello,
my good (he was considered a best) friend and i were talking tonight and the subject of best friends came up. we always disagree when this comes up. and let me tell you how. he says you cannot have more than one best friend and i disagree. so i came up with having a best "church" friend, a best "school" friend, a best "provo" friend, a best "guy" friend, and so on. then he made a point that did get me thinking. he said something along the lines of "having more than one best friend defeats the purpose of best". which best does mean above the rest so i almost agreed. i don't want to use the term "best friend" loosely, but i still have more than one. i could never choose between courtney and michelle, so how do you explain that? they are my best friends...both of them. they are the best, above the rest. and then there are my friends in provo. i have the most wonderful group of friends in provo. but i guess they can't be my best friends because that spot is already over booked. i really do think i am not going to use the term "best friend" so loosely. i want it to be special. but still i have to say it about more than one person. just something for me to think about.
goodbye
ps: the good friend i had this discussion with is still considered a best :) haha