The Advice Column I

Twenty-Four

Advice Request
This person had an incident with her friend. Although she did the right thing, her friend is calling her a fake friend and a snitch.

Answered Submission
Hello there. To start things off, what your friend's brother did could qualify as bullying. You were just trying to defend him, which is something any good friend would do.

Nowhere in this situation were you "dumb" or "acting fake." You did the right thing and acted responsibly in the face of a rather difficult time. You also did the right thing by telling the counselor—counselors are only there to help you in any way they can. If you lied, they wouldn't be able to help you, ultimately benefitting nobody and letting the entire situation deteriorate.

But by any means, it wasn't okay for her to "act nice," just for the heck of it. Neither can it be called a friendship at all, much less a fake friendship. Friends are there to support and help you through rough times, as well as be people who you are comfortable with. It can also be said that she was the fake friend, not you.

As for the breaking of friendship, this was nobody's fault. You both acted accordingly, and if not now, this break in friendship would occur later, which would result in more potential grief and confusion overall. If she is really aware of how her brother acts, yet still defends him, perhaps she is a little bit insecure. It is quite possible that she envied you even, that you were able to do the right thing.

People are prone to saying things without thinking, especially in times of difficulty. Ignore what she said. We advise that you distance yourself from her and her brother, and start looking for new friends who genuinely care about you and your wellbeing.

Best of luck,

The Advice Column Team