Hi, enajmil, I think you are concentrating on what your friends and acquaintances might be thinking and feeling (and we can't know that without talking to them) versus what you want and how to get that? If you want to spend time with someone, you have to call them and set that up; it doesn't work waiting for other people to notice us and want us because they can't read our minds and hearts any better than we can read theirs. You see they have other "best" friends and are together and happy, etc. but that's observation from afar instead of being with them and enjoying what you all are doing or not.

How did you become friends with each person and why are you still friends? It could be you're not as interested in what they are interested in anymore and need to find new friends to go with new, different interests? I have two "best friends" from high school (we're 60 years old this year) but I was never really best best, we've just sort of hung together all these years and consider each other as best as a result. But one of them was into sports and I was not and I could get my mother's car and drive whereas she did not have a car so she'd call me and have me come drive her and her friends to sports things! I wasn't invited or part of the event, I was just a convenient driver. I didn't have the wherewithal at the time to try something else to get friends, was only a teen and still living at home, etc. and mistakenly thought that "something" was better than nothing. Our friendship has weathered through the years and there is more to it than just those instances where she used me but I think it is necessary to rethink who our friends are and actively work to surround ourselves with those we enjoy being with and who share our values and interests.

The high school friends were made because we lived "near" one another and could walk home from school together, talking along the way. We were all the same age/year and the other two knew one another from childhood. How did you make the friends you have now and what would you change? Make sure you are not just settling for what's "easy" and tagging along, instead, engage others for yourself and things you'd like to do.