It is a typical day and you walk from one class to another, just trying to get through the day. Suddenly you see your crush, walking down the hall and you build up the courage to say hi. You say hi, and he or she replies, “Hey, buddy!” Once you guys have passed each other, you feel your face getting red with sweat coming down your face. You feel embarrassed, it is because you have just traveled to friendzone city. Population – You!

At least in the moment, you might feel that way. The process of being placed in the friendzone first starts when two people become friends. Eventually, maybe one of those friends will develop feelings for the other, but will not the receive the same feelings in return. When the friend that has feelings finds out or notices that the other person does not feel the same way, it may result in sadness and heartbreak. Out of all the students who surveyed being in the friendzone, 60 percent said yes. However, when the question of putting someone else in the friendzone came up, 75 percent of the students who surveyed said that they did.

Students at South High School have explained how it feels to be friendzoned. Junior Nikolas Mersberger said,

“It feels like a punch in the gut… I feel betrayed…  ” Mersberger explains how he felt with his experience of being friendzoned. Many students feel the same way because the feeling of not having someone you have been talking to and liked, not like you back is painful. Others try to forget this pain and tend to be more optimistic about the situation. Junior Lesly Bibiano stated,

“It’s not fun but I don’t really care because it shows the other person would much rather be friends.” She indicates that although the process of going through the friendzone is not great, she gets over it because having the person as a friend would be a much better decision. Although being rejected by a friend may hurt, it may be for the best, and it is nice to have friends.

Many people around the school have gone through a friendzone experience. Some of them were willing to share what happened when they got friendzoned. Senior Ger Xiong explains,

“I liked this girl at the end of 6th grade up until the beginning of my freshmen year. I asked her out a few times but she told me that I was “too good of a friend” and it broke my heart.” It is heartbreaking when someone that you have been waiting for still does not want to be with you. Being called, “too good of a friend,” means that they had no desire to be with the person and they do not want anything more than to be friends. Sometimes, people are friendzoned just because they are creeps. Sophomore, Angel Rincon explains her story of friendzoning someone else,

“I friend zoned this guy, but he wouldn’t leave me alone. He tried to kiss me twice and each time I backed away, after that, I blocked him on everything and out of my life.” Sometimes people put themselves in the friendzone by not making the right decisions when they are talking to someone that they like. Being creepy does not charm most people and it can send someone directly to the friendzone or not allow the person to be friends with you at all.

South high school has shown that there are many students that will have to deal with being friendzoned. To students who have have been friendzoned or are trying to avoid the friendzone, here are some tips to try and stay out from the students of the school. Senior Vinai Xiong said, “Always go 100%. If the other person likes you back, lucky you. Contrarily, if you go 100% at the start and you fall short, you can at least tell yourself you tried your best and move on.” Xiong reminds us to remember that we should not be afraid to try when we are trying to find the one. It is the matter of action over fear and although some may be afraid of getting rejected or being placed in the friendzone, it is okay. Freshman Chloe Tran states, “You can’t avoid it. But you can make it less awkward, by just being yourself.” Tran helps us remember that sometimes the friendzone can’t be avoided and reminds us to not change for anyone. Being yourself is the best way to find somebody, and will put you in a less awkward situation because you are not trying to be someone that you are not.

Overall, although being in the friendzone does not feel great, you are not alone. There are many of us that have stood with you in friendzone city. Eventually, we will all walk out stronger, being less afraid of rejection, and thanking the other person for friendzoning us, because we have moved on to someone better.