Friends, and not the kind on TV either

I have a friend who, when I haven't seen her in a long time, I remember very fondly. She lives in another city, and when I get a chance to see her, I'm very happy. However, whenever we get together, the first thing out of her mouth is always something that just sets me off. Then we pick on each other all evening. Just when I think I've had about enough of her and I never want to see her again, I say, "It's been so fun! We HAVE to do this again!" The strange thing is, I mean it. [She's Actual Size, Nationwide, Believe]

I have a similar, yet completely different situation. I have a friend back in my home town that I like to see, but we seem to have grown so far apart that there is nothing to talk about. It's always very awkward for both of us.

I know it's mostly my fault because of the way I make friends. I just find the people I want to hang out with, and hang out with them. Eventually they befriend me or tell me to take a hike.

My friendship with this person was no exception. His family moved from back east to California during his junior year of high school. He hated being out here on the west coast, mainly because all his life-long friends were back east. They were running through orchards with BB guns and ski goggles plinking each other, and he was in the California central valley heat wave.

His dad was keen on him having friends, so he was always very friendly to me. At times it was too much, as they would hold me up for comparison as to what he should do with his life. That was never a good time to be around.

We ended up working on the school news paper together. We had some great times. But a part of me wonders if he only put up with me because I had a car I could use any time, cable TV, or that he simply didn't have the heart to tell me to take a hike. I doubt it was the cable TV because we didn't spend much time at my house at all.