If Charisse has ever made you a handmade card... or given you a thank you note, or drawn you a picture... it's because It aaaaaaaall started with Marisa.   The story of their meeting -- though she proably does not know it, actually goes like this:

Marisa was "new" (think Buzz Lightyear's first day in Andy's bedroom).  One September day, Katie said "let's all go to Melrose to secret-shop for Marisa's birthday!"  So, they piled into Charisse's Mom's van and collected a bevy of teen-birthdaygirl loot.  At the end of the spree, Melanie, asked "what time is the party?" Charisse was devastated -- Marisa was throwing a party, but she was not invited!!! She spent the rest of weekend sulking and plotted to come back to school  to "out-pretty and out-popular" Marisa.   The plan quickly backfired when that Monday, Marisa handed Charisse (and only Charisse!) a note with something awesomely funny written about their teacher's ridiculous outfit.
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After an unstobbable urge to laugh was realized, the note-passing just "flowed".  At break, Charisse then gave Marisa the present she was going to return (cowprint shoelaces and two belly chains from Claire's.)  Marisa replaced her shoelaces on the spot... and they were not cool!  Charisse said, "you don't have to use them, they're too short and they look horrible!" to which Marisa replied "nah, they're great, cus' they're from you!"  ...and Marisa wore those ugly, short shoelaces on her pretty shoes for the rest of the year.
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The rest of that year (and in the years that followed) other aweome things happened, too -- the two agreed to be "pretty and popular *together.* they passed notes, talked on the phone, vowed to marry non-existant blue and green eyed twin brothers who were dead ringers for Leo diCaprio, they played in LA's only 90's all-girl "garage-but-really-it's-a-basment" alternative rock band, elles parlaient en français avec l'autre, they rode bikes around Burbank, traded their food at lunch (mmm ... pasta), volunteered to read for the blind, and regularly went to Disneyland with their group (which includes Catherine, above).
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Marisa wrote awesome letters and drew stuff and made books and collages and cards and took photos that Charisse has, still today... and she invited Charisse to every one of her birthday parties, after. They took different paths in life and now Marisa is an incredible artist (you might even own one or a few of her creations and not know it!) on that note, Charisse considers Marisa to be one of her dearest, oldest, (prettiest and propular-est) friends and when she got engaged, she couldn't wait to invite Marisa to be a part of her wedding <3