Okay, I’m breaking the ice here. Inspired by the new MTV show, appropriately titled “Friend Zone,” I’ve decided to share my thoughts and expertise on the extremely complicated subject. We’ve all seemed to be in this awkward situation and there’s no escaping the fact that in any aspect of life, “putting yourself out there” is easier said than done. So why is that the hardest thing to do when it is with your best friend, someone you should be entirely comfortable sharing your feelings with?
Simply put, there are two sides of being in the friend zone. You are either the one hiding your big time crush for your friend, and have to live knowing that your friendship could easily end if you do tell the truth, OR you are the one who has to say no (or yes!) to that overly-in-touch-with-their-feelings friend of yours. I’ll be the first to admit it; I have been both of those friends, and to put it this way, no relationship has formed from either. I have come up with a couple ways to ATTEMPT avoiding these horrendous situations. Unfortunately, you don’t have brain controlling powers, forcing people how to feel. At least I don’t, but it may give you a little perspective.
To the one with all the feelings: Look at your friendship with this kid. Evaluate how he acts around you compared to how he acts around his other friends. Use this observation to help you decide if you want to tell him what’s been boiling up inside of you all this time. If you think you guys have something different, then go for it. There’s no harm in being real with someone you care about. Most importantly, prepare yourself for the worst. He could say that he only see’s you as one of the guys, nothing more. Painfully brutal, but you should have no reason to regret saying what you think.
To the one who doesn’t feel the same: Now for you, the one who’s about to break you best friend’s heart. You never saw it comin’. You think of him as your best friend, your go-to when you are having guy issues, so you can get a sense of what really goes on in guy’s (sometimes what seems to be non-existent) brains. When he has the guts to tell you how he feels, (and this one happens to have a brain) keep in mind that this guy is a good one. Whether you like him back or not, make sure you let him know the truth. He deserves it, the poor guy!
To the couples that “make it”: And now, to those exceptionally lucky couples who started off as friends and suddenly both felt something different in the exact same way at the exact same time, your life is now being compared to a rom-com movie by every girl whose friend zone experience failed. Choose your flaunting accordingly.