Should I Be a High School Hermit?

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Friends are an almost vital part of surviving your teen years, but having them around also has downsides. This reality sometimes makes me consider becoming a high school hermit, even if that means having everyone wonder aloud "who's that?" instead of clapping for me on graduation day.

To clear things up, I've weighed the pros and cons of having amigos:

Pro: The company, obviously.
Without friends, you could be that invisible kid at school who no one really knows the first name of, but whose mom is their top friend on MySpace.

Con: Your enigmatic persona's blown.
Ever wanted to be that dark, mysterious stranger from TV? Easy. Wear a brooding, contemplative expression. Don dark clothes. Sit alone. Of course, friends will get in the way of the last—and most important—step.

Pro: Complete honesty.
How else will you find out whether Sally's step-cousin's little sister and her on-and-off boyfriend are currently on or off? Who else will tell you that your skirt should be taken under custody by the fashion police?

Con: Complete honesty.
I probably realized already that I'm having a bad hair day, and that my clothes are crinkled. (Mom's ironing strike is starting to get a tad tiresome.) Having these facts pointed out every few minutes isn't helping.

Pro: No judgment.
Strangers look at your stripey knee high socks and sandal combination and laugh. Your friends look and don't immediately put you in the "hopeless fool" category. Strangers will avoid any contact with you, and your friends will only back up, like, two feet.

Con: Feeling predictable.
Friends know so much about you. Your clothing style, your chronic tardiness, your favorite quips (which aren't as witty as they used to be). This doesn't seem so bad until one day...
Friend #1: "She's not here."
Friend #2: "Nope, she's just late. Any minute, we'll see her Converse-clad feet round that corner."
Friend #1: "Not to mention hearing her boring, overused excuses. 'My dog ate my alarm clock' was hardly funny the first time."
Both: *snicker*

So what do you think? Is it better to love (like a friend) and occasionally lose at life than never to love (like a friend) at all?

Related Post: When Friends Fight

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