How to Tell Your Friends You're Upset With Them

Sparkler xXx_lola_xXx wrote a post for everyone seething silently about an irritating friend. Enjoy! —SparkNotes editors

We all have that one friend, the one who bugs the flamme out of us (pardon my french), but who we don't do anything about. She has her annoying habits, and now it has gone too far...

The Type: The Copycat

She copies your haircut, even though it doesn't suit her. She dresses like you, but doesn't pull it together because she never grooms herself properly. She crushes on your boyfriend, and when you two break up, she asks him out as soon as she hears. When he rejects her, she comes crying to you!

How to Deal

Method 1: Tell her straight out to stop copying you. Tell her to live her own life because it isn't cool to live someone else's. She needs to find out her own style and stop imitating you. Tell her that you aren't flattered, but annoyed.

Method 2: Tell her indirectly how much she annoys you by criticizing someone who's similarly derivative ("Look at Amber. Don't you think it's so annoying that she does everything Lily does? I do. I think it's sad. She needs a life").

Method 3: Avoid her. Not the best advice, I know, but if she isn't around you, she might get a life of her own. Either that or she'll become someone else's leech.

The Type: The Brown-Noser

He sucks up to the teacher, turns in all his homework on time along with an essay for extra credit—even though he doesn't need it—and brags every time he gets an answer right.

How to Deal

The Only Method: Ignore his faults. No matter how hard you try to get him to stop, he will bounce back with just as much enthusiasm as the last time, if not more. The only solution is to ignore him during class and let him waste his time on extra credit he doesn't need.

The Type: The Snob

She is the one who has a mirror out every period. She checks her hair before, during, and after class. She talks about herself all day long. "I like so-and-so. Does my hair look okay? I did my homework for English already. I think I'm getting a tan. My parents got me a car! Can I have a stick of gum? My breath is horrible and I don't want so-and-so to notice."

How to Deal

Method 1: Tell her to get over herself. Flat out tell her that you think that she is wa-a-a-a-ay too obsessive about her hair, that it is not the end of the world if a few strands are out of place or if she talks about somebody other than herself for ten minutes. She may not want to nominate you for Friend of the Year but you'll feel better and she'll know how you feel.

Method 2: Leave her a note saying her hair is messy and walk away. Secretly wait for her to pull out her mirror and check her hair. Then run back and snatch the mirror saying, "Addict! You are too obsessed! You need rehab!"

Method 3: Write a journal and leave it out for her to see. Okay, yes, that's probably too passive aggressive. But potentially hilarious.

The Type: The Friendly But Yucky

You love this guy, you really do, but he's got some hygiene issues. He never cleans out her ears, wears deodorant, shaves, or brushes his teeth, and his hair is very, very, very, very, very greasy.

Method 1: Offer to give him a makeover. Buy him some hair products, debate the merits of stick and spray deodorant, and ask him if he'd like to keep one of your brand new disposable razors.

Method 2: For Christmas and his birthday, or any other holiday for that matter, give him the proper gifts to get him looking and smelling presentable.

Method 3: Tell him. Not the easiest choice, but it's worth a shot. Tell him that you think that he is super nice but it's impossible to see that with all the dirtiness and smelliness. He may be grateful that you were honest or he may hate your guts, but you might be able to sleep better at night knowing that you told him.

Have you ever encountered one of these friends? How did you deal with the situation?

Related Post: Auntie SparkNotes: Lying Liars Who Lie

Wanna write for SparkLife? Send your submission to contribute@sparknotes.com for consideration.