This. I just... FROTHED at the mouth when I read this bit:
But the classic best-friend bond — the two special pals who share secrets and exploits, who gravitate to each other on the playground and who head out the door together every day after school — signals potential trouble for school officials intent on discouraging anything that hints of exclusivity, in part because of concerns about cliques and bullying.
Are they fucking KIDDING?! My best friend in middle school was my only bulwark AGAINST the effects of bullying. I'd have attempted suicide years earlier were it not for her.
no subject
But the classic best-friend bond — the two special pals who share secrets and exploits, who gravitate to each other on the playground and who head out the door together every day after school — signals potential trouble for school officials intent on discouraging anything that hints of exclusivity, in part because of concerns about cliques and bullying.
Are they fucking KIDDING?! My best friend in middle school was my only bulwark AGAINST the effects of bullying. I'd have attempted suicide years earlier were it not for her.