When I entered middle school, I struggled to relate to my peers. I left the ‘gifted’ program in fifth grade to experience a field trip only available for the mainstream group. When I returned to the program in sixth grade, things had changed. The other students didn’t exactly bully me--they didn’t throw me up against a locker and demand my lunch money. Instead, they simply ignored me when I asked questions and usually acted as if I didn’t exist. I couldn’t understand why then. My prior friendships had dissipated, and I certainly didn’t participate in the spitballing and raucous behavior associated with prepubescent boys. I discovered early on that friendship based on being in the other’s vicinity can be fundamentally meaningless. As an
