She and Her Friends Would be Besties?

Question:

How come Alice is really popular and has great friends? That makes her seem less real to me. I would think that she and her friends wouldn’t be “besties” since the Sixth grade and never have any huge fights that could tear them a part… Just curious.

Phyllis replied:

Really popular?  How?  She doesn’t regularly get phone calls from guys wanting to hang out; she doesn’t run around with the most popular girls at school; she’s not a cheerleader; Jill and Karen think she’s too innocent; she didn’t start out liking Pamela at all in sixth grade; Gwen is relatively new to the group; there have been side issues now and then between the girls, but no big falling out, and the only place she’s received some recognition is on the school newspaper.  She seems like a pretty average, run-of-the mill kind of girl to me.  What makes you think that all groups of friends have to have some big divisive falling out?