The Intellectual Marriage-Friendship

In high school, I had one friend ("L") who succeeded in annoying me to no end. I say friend, but really there is no way to describe our relationship simply. We were always at odds, but for some reason worked very well together. Our friendship was much like that of Bill and Jahren, except no where near as endearing or friendly. Everyone who knew us called us the "old married couple" because we could never agree on anything, but somehow things got done. We had several classes together over the course of four years, and our teachers loved putting us together for group projects. We were a strange combination: always bickering about everything, but extremely efficient and accurate. We were both splitters, but I decided what to do and how to proceed, and he got it done while making adjustments along the way. 
L was the type of person who complained about everything and anything and always started arguments. He was also a know it all and had a strong personality. Therefore, not many people wanted to be his partner. We worked well together because I could direct his energy into the project instead of getting side tracked. At first, I hated that the teachers would always pair us. However, I soon came to realize that working with L was a good experience because it increased my patience and concentration skill. Now, I can work with almost anyone in a group effort. I also know how to tactfully change the subject, when to be strict, and how to make people focus. 

Intellectual friendships are strange because it is much like a marriage. You must be able to compromise and at times fight in order to work well together.