Toxic people don't come with warning labels. There are no skull and crossbones plastered on their forehead, warning you how deadly they are. In fact, most of the time you don't realize how toxic someone is until they've already poisoned you.
Toxic friends often come in the perfect package. They're funny and smart and really cool and they're always down to listen to your problems, so it leads you to ignore the little things, that is until all the little things add up. It's a slightly degrading comment here or there or maybe they have an air of superiority that makes you feel small or maybe they put down every other person in your life just to make themselves look good. A toxic friend will play on your insecurities and always or at least most of the time, give you what you seem to need. They're always there and they always listen, well at least you thought they did.
I've learned that toxic friends are never really that supportive of your other relationships, platonic or romantic. They'll even try and put down mutual friends just so they'll look better. It's not easy listening to one person you care about bash another person you care about every chance they get. At first, it seems like they're looking out for you, but then they begin to do the things that they warned you others would do. They'll attempt to ruin your other friendships so all you have left if them. These kinds of friends need you to rely solely on them, they need you to feel alone so they can always be there to swoop in and save the day, when really they just want to control you.
Eventually they'll get tired of you and that's the worst part. After months or even years of controlling, after trying to ruin your relationships and treating you like their inferior, something you do will make them drop you without a second thought. Maybe things in your life got too hard and they could no longer put up the facade of listening to you or maybe they found someone easier control. Even if you realized they're toxic and no good, it still hurts. It's never easy to have someone you trusted walk away for seemingly no reason. That's what makes toxic friends so toxic, they leave when you need them most. Toxic friends get you to rely on them and then they leave you just because they can.
We've all been there, we've all had the friend who makes snide remarks or talks down to us. They leave us when things get tough. They make us feel awful and dumb for allowing them in our lives. Here's the thing, it's not your fault and you aren't dumb. There's nothing wrong with trusting people and there's nothing wrong with you. They hurt you in ways you don't even notice because it's so subtle, until it's not. Just remember you are better than the people who hurt you and who use you. Stay fresh and always watch out for the toxic people.