Being the second choice/third wheel...

There’s nothing worse than feeling like a ghost in your own friend group. You’re there, but not really. Your words go unheard, your presence unnoticed. You try to laugh along, to fit in, but deep down, you know—you’re the outsider in a place that’s supposed to feel like home.

Friendship isn’t just about being in the same group; it’s about being valued, being seen. But when the people you call friends start leaving you out, ignoring you like an afterthought, it’s hard to ignore the truth. Maybe they don’t mean to do it, or maybe they do. Either way, it hurts.

You wonder if you should say something. Maybe if you speak up, they’ll finally see you. Maybe they’ll realize what they’re doing and make it right. But when you do, all you get is a shrug, an empty excuse, or worse—nothing at all. Because they don’t care. Not really.

So what now? Do you keep clinging to something that’s already let go of you? Or do you walk away, knowing that even if it’s lonely for a while, at least you’re not wasting your energy on people who don’t deserve it?

Because the truth is, real friends don’t make you feel like an extra. Real friends listen. Real friends care. And if they don’t? Then maybe they were never really your friends to begin with.