Okay, so I'm going to try to explain the situation as well as I can. I've been friends with one of my best friends, I'll call her Kelly, for about 9 years now. We met in kindergarten and back then i was EXTREMELY shy. She became my friend and talked to me, probably because she was a social outcast without many friends too. We became better friends because we were next door neighbors and were usually in the same classes. I am a pretty girl, as I've been told and I think so too. Back then I didnt wear good looking clothes, my hair never looked good (and this isnt just my opinion, not that people were mean and bullied me about it) and I just plain didn't look that great overall.
Well I've changed my looks a LOT since elementary school, and now I'm in 8th grade. I've upgraded my looks a LOT and gotten my braces off this year. Let's just say I look really pretty now overall. :] My friend, however, has always been pretty much the same. She has always been extrememly skinny (not because of an eating disorder, but some other syndrome), wears glasses, a tiny mouth, very long limbs, and just looks a bit awkward. I used to be very shy and to myself, and now I am very outgoing and fun-loving. Kelly is very energetic and hyper and crazy most of the time.

I HOPE YOU ARE NOT BORED TO DEATH AT THIS POINT! Sorry, but I don't think I can summarize this really.... Ok! So moving on..! :cool:

WELL, 9th grade (high school, freshman year) is coming up soon, in about a semester. I don't know if I want to continue being her bestfriend, or even good friend. I'm leaning more toward just being old friends that still keep in touch. Kelly and I aren't that popular, we're not unpopular (i mean we have a large group of friends) but still not cool.. And Kelly is geeky (she even says so herself) and I'm, well, not.

In high school, I know I could be popular if I made all new friends. I'm good looking and very friendly and outgoing. I want to be popular so I can have lots of fun in high school and have a lot of friends. My problem is that Kelly is probably not ever going to be popular...But I am a really nice person, even though I might not sound that nice because it seems like I just want to ditch her for new cooler friends. But that isn't the whole situation at all. I mean yes, that is one big reason, but there is a LOT more that I have considered.

I made a PRO, CON list of the good and bad things about our friendship.
PRO: She has always been one of my best friends, we have fun/a good time together, she truly cares about me, even though we have fought a lot, she has always remained my friend when we forgave each other. I can also always be myself and not worry about what she thinks when I hang out with her.

CON: We are 1 year apart, in the same grade. She is very immature and I am MUCH more mature than her. She is very bossy, everything always has to be her way or else she pouts. In general we are growing apart. We are just too different. She gets angry and starts fights for no good reason at all. We have almost nothing in common. She is WAY too clingy! Kelly also seems to be very jealous of me, and puts herself down when she compares herself to me. She doesn't like it when I do anything to make myself look even a little bit better. She ruins my good moods with her negativity, for example when I'm in a fantastic mood she will talk to me on AIM and be really negative. She tends to make me feel bad. She absolutely HATES when I hang out with other people and not her. She gets mad at me if I do, unless she isn't friends with them or doesn't like them. Whevever we fight, she has almost NEVER been the one to apologise and fix things. Her unsocialness towards new people besides her group of friends causes me to not go to some things such as dances, festivals, and school sports games. She has a LOT of mood swings, too many to be just caused by hormones in my opinion. And that can only get worse as we get into high school. I just don't want to deal with that. Kelly also hates when I hang out with some of my "cooler" or "new" friends and she also doesn't like them.

WELL......If you actually read all this, THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE AN AMAZINGLY NICE PERSON! ILY :] haha So if anyone is so kind as to read this and give me some advice, that would be SOOO GREAT!!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

Yeah, she's definately controlling! She plans things in extreme advance, for one thing. Like for example she asked me what I was doing for new years more than a month in advance! I'm like "I dont know..That's in a long time.." And yes, I'm completely serious-no exaggeration when i say she really dislikes when I hang out with other friends. For example when I went to my cabin and took my other best friend (because she went last time) she was all upset and kept nagging me about it.

I don't know how I'm going to stop being good friends with her anymore though, because like I said, she's clingy...I was thinking somehow I will try to become more distant as the school year is ending. Then kinda loose touch more over the summer...But this is A LOT easier said than done because she always wants to hang out with me! She almost never hangs out with anyone else unless its in a group of ppl and pretty much always there....

oh and THANKS AGAIN 4 givin me advice

Yeah, I know. I do want to stay her friend, for sure, I just don't kno how to become at that level of friendship with her-not best friends. Because i mean, did you see that PRO, CON list? That really opened my eyes to our friendship. But her PRO qualities are also very strong, so then again i do not at all want to loose her as a friend.

I want to make lots of cool friends next year, but i feel like she holds me back from that. Since she hates when I hang out with some of my "cooler" friends or if I hang out with some people without her. And if you are wondering, no, I do not leave her out purposely even. I always invite her to basically everything. But for example, twice at two different times, I invited her to the mall with some friends, but she couldn't go. Then she commented on some pictures from us hanging out at the mall. She was mean and rude about it- she was jealous. Then she was saying things like "I hope you are happy. I dont fit in with you guys."
But since elementary school, she doesnt stay mad long. She always acts all normal at school if it isnt a very big fight. Which sometimes is nice, like she is trying to forgive and forget, but then again sometimes it is annoying because we were "JUST" really fighting a lot.

You know what? YOU ARE BRILLANT! I can't believe I haven't thought of that..! Wow..haha
The only thing is that I'm going to want to sit with lots of cool friends, and i dont know if they will want me to if she comes with me....

All i can say about Americans in school is that they are VERY judgemental! There are TONS of cliques too... :[

no i was actually being completey serious! I LOVED her idea! and i definately will hang out with both groups, its just that since we only know a few people that are going to the same high school as us next year, i dont know who else she would sit with. And i dont want to leave her alone at ALL.

and i know with this whole thread i do sound kinda mean. and in reality i promise i am not at all. its just you dont know how my life really is. not that my life is bad or anything, i really do like my life most of the time. just right now my self esteem is pretty low.

and im not actually a judgmental person at all. i hang out with people that arent considered cool, but i love them soo much as my friends. I wish the world was different. People are judged by how they look and what they do.