She told TikTok she was lonely in LA. What happened next changed her life

By summer, their friendship had left the chat. The trio attended EDM concerts together and spent nights bar-hopping across the city.

At events, people would stop Osorio and Alba to ask if they're brothers. It happened often enough that the friends decided to play along. Now all three of them tell people they're siblings.

"At this point we've even tried coming up with a last name," Sandoval said. "They're my brothers. It really feels like they're my brothers. "

Over the past few months, the trio has attended raves together, supported one another through breakups and celebrated New Year's on a ski trip in Utah. Recently, Alba surprised Osorio and Sandoval with floor tickets to see Excision, a Canadian DJ and EDM producer, in concert. Next up on their calendar is a Tiësto and Illenium show for Sandoval's birthday in July.

Music also connected self-proclaimed best friends Lili Jacob, 27, Eliana Mata, 34, and Erika Bernal, 33. Their love for musician Peso Pluma sealed their bond. And when they got to talking, they realized they had a lot more in common than that. Each of them was going through a life transition and had joined LAF looking to put themselves out there and form new friendships.

Like Osorio, Alba and Sandoval, the three women met separately on Discord and at various events before Bernal formed a group chat to unite their individual friendships. Now, Jacob and Bernal are roommates and Mata lives just five minutes away.

"People will say, 'If you invite one, the other two will come.' That is how tight-knit we are," Jacob said. "I've heard people say, 'They're a package deal.' I mean, you're not wrong."

Since becoming close friends, the three do everything together — Halloween costumes, college traditions, eating fistfuls of grapes on New Year's for good luck. They've made some of their core memories in the mosh pits of emo concerts across the city. Sprained ankles haven't deterred them yet.

"I cannot imagine going through big things in life without having them," Jacob said. "I am so grateful to have them as my closest friends."

Sometimes, Jacob, Mata and Bernal remember that they met through meetups inspired by a single TikTok and laugh.

"I was just thinking of a comment Lili made after we moved in. We'd settled in a bit and then one day she was like, 'Do you ever just trip out how we just met online and then moved in together?'" Bernal said.

Power in vulnerability

Asked what in particular helped them connect through LAF, all eight echoed one another's advice: Put yourself out there, even when it's uncomfortable. Start with the smaller meetups. Join a Jenga game to break the ice. Be active on the LAF Discord.

"People are afraid of the unknown, but sometimes that unknown is the best choice for you," Sandoval said. "You don't know what's going to be at the end of that, but you just have to [not] be scared and put yourself out there. There's going to be people you might not mix with and then there's going to be people that you do mix with, but that's just the beauty of it."

The future looks bright for LAF. The group has held at a steady attendance of about 150 people, and Avila notices new faces each month. As it continues to grow, Avila has plans to expand the official events. While the monthly park meetups will remain a staple, she will introduce ticketed events to give people other ways to connect. Some in the works include a group yoga class and a night at a local bar.

Reflecting on the past year, Avila said she can't imagine where she'd be without the LAF community.

"I know I've made my best friend and I know that people here have made their best friends," Avila said. "It's honestly like the best thing that I can witness this thing that I started randomly on a Wednesday works and people have found me."