Life from school to through uni through the early naughts felt like everyone was angling to get in the in-group.

Euphoria is extremely funny to me. Everything about it is terrible, but what really makes me chuckle is how “inclusive” the portrayal of cliques seem to be. Some way, some how, every weirdo and dork manage to congregate at the same events and parties.

In a way it’s realistic because I can attest to it. I was never popular, but also not at the bottom of the “cool” hierarchy. I was like Bart Simpson in terms of my placement in the hierarchy. Kind of an odd ball, but people from both ends of the spectrum were friendly to me, although most of the people on the “nerdy outcast” side of the spectrum kept to themselves and I was never part of their clique. I had several cliques and acquaintances and the people ranged from weirdo, weirdo who pulled, nerds, popular by association, popular, gang and cartel members, drama queens, and hot people. As such not everyone clowned on me for being me, but i wasn’t exactly their first choice of interaction - I just happen to be at the right place at the right time sometimes.

Elementary was kind of funnier. We had “crews” that formed naturally between close friends, it had arbitrary, unwritten rules, and people were purged (or “fired”) and accepted back for smallest infractions. If we got spiteful enough we would splinter into a rival crew, only to disband it because the original was usually always superior in terms of cohesiveness (we were friends, whereas the splinter groups were made up of random kids who were recruited out of opportunity lol). I was the de facto leader because 1. I was the tallest and 2. Most of my friends didn’t take initiative on our activities.

I spent my 20s and 30s repeating the same cycle: meet a group of people, feel accepted, try really hard to be part of the group, then get burned from said normie group for various reasons. The older I got the harder I tried. Like guys, I GOTTA make this group work because I'm running out of time.

I’m in my 20s. About to be in my mid 20s. I’m still trying to find the right group of friends and a girlfriend while I’m college because lord knows it’ll be miserable in a work place. And I’ve wasted half a decade with nothing to show for it, and I have less a few semesters left.

*Sorry I know that "typically attractive" can be problematic and arbitrary. In this story, I'm referring to the irrational standard enforced by the mainstream culture and media.

You don’t need to put a disclaimer lol. You dated this person presumably because you’re attracted to her right? So they’re attractive. All attraction is is arbitrary.