Urban Dictionary defines a fake friend as, “someone who only acts as your friend when they require a service from you.” Having dealt with a generous handful of fake people throughout high school, I've gotten to the point of easily differentiating between my fake and real friends.
I remember the panic I went into when I finally realized some of my friends were just “faking it till they make it.” I might've gone into solitary confinement from them for a good week until I waved my white flag and surrendered myself to their every need.
So, how does one stray from their fake friends in this wild jungle called “high school?”
You don't.
High school is like a jail - in the sense that you are contained in a certain system for a specific amount of time with barely any control over that system. You are going to be surrounded by fake people every single day for four whole years and there is nothing you can do to distance yourself from them.
The most that you can do is realize and understand who your true friends are and make them last. Pick out the important people in your life, and make them a priority over the temporary people that will come and go.
Focus on yourself, and surround yourself with the people that make you happy and accept you for your true self.
Also, don’t mistake genuinely nice people for fake friends. Some people just need more time to open up or trust others, and that may seem fake to a person who is generally really open about their life. You need to give people time to get comfortable around new friends, and then your “fake” friends may become real ones.
Be cautious of who you surround yourself with, and know that not everything lasts forever. Enjoy your high school years with the people who matter most to you, and don’t worry about those who get in your way. The fake people in your life at the moment will not matter in five years.
Differentiate your fake friends from the real ones, and start accepting that some people in your life are going to be fake. You can still enjoy their presence while it lasts.
