Reexamining Your Friendships

It’s the day of our yearly exams — the ones that determine which level of classes we go into next year. I get to class to find that my so-called best friend has decided with others to change the seating arrangements that we’ve had all year. I go to sit in my regular seat next to her and find someone else sitting there.

Me: “[Friend #1], that’s my seat.”

Friend #1: “No, I don’t want you sitting here. Go find another seat.”

I am upset, and I turn to sit in the seat [Friend #1] normally sits in.

Friend #2: “No, you’re not sitting here. [Classmate] is here.”

Again, I try to find another seat and am told that they don’t want me next to them, either. I am upset as I don’t know what I’ve done to make them so hostile to me. Finally, I take an empty table at the rear of the class. My old friends glare at me before turning to each other, whispering and laughing. It’s not the best mindset to go into an exam with but I do my best on it.

The next morning in class, we get our results back. I’ve done very well with 92 out of 100. After class, one of the others pulls me aside.

Friend #1: “I’m so sorry about what we did to you yesterday. [Best Friend] told us that you always cheat off of her and that the reason why you got upset was that it meant you couldn’t cheat off her.”

Me: “I was upset because I was basically tossed out of a seat I’ve had all year and then made to feel horrible while you all were laughing at me.”

Friend #1: “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just that she told us you were a cheat and would copy our work.”

Me: “If I’m the cheat, then tell me why I got better marks than she did and why she got identical marks to [Friend #2] and they both failed the test.”

I chose not to associate myself with any of them. At our next class, I made a point of sitting on the far side of the room from them. I was very pleased to go back to school the next term to find that most of them had been put down several levels, so I never had to take classes with them again.