If All of My Friends Jumped Off a Bridge, It’s Probably on Fire or Something
When I was in middle school, there was a loner kid that I felt bad for. You probably know the type. Socially awkward. Suddenly aggressive at times. Always wearing the same camo jacket.
The type of kid that you want to be on their nice list, because you know for a fact they have one and its better than being on their other lists.
While I was by no means a social stud winning popularity contests, I was capable of basic human interaction. It was just very awkward. Regardless, I decided to reach out and try to be this kid’s friend. We hung out a few times. I tried to get to know him.
It turns out he was alone for a reason. Out of nowhere he’d jump on my back or hit me as a “joke.” It was hard to talk with him because the conversation would suddenly take incredibly uncomfortable turns. And before you go judging 12 year old me for not referring him to counseling services by pulling up a crisis hotline number on the smartphone that a) I didnt’ have and b) Didn’t exist yet, you also shouldn’t expect 12 year olds to know the best way to deal with people struggling with behavioral issues.
I stopped hanging out with the kid after a bit because it was incredibly distressing. I have no idea what happened to him. Maybe he grew out of a phase. Maybe he collapsed deeper into it. Either way, some people might assume I’m a bad person because I abandoned someone who probably needed a friend. But if someone mistreats their friends, makes them uncomfortable, or hurts them, that doesn’t mean they deserve friends.
That’s a great lesson for the youth of today. Everybody needs friends, but not everybody deserves them.