Avoiding someone

               I avoided talking to my friend by staying away from her, ignoring her, and getting help from my closest, trusted friends.  My friend was following me around too much, so I decided I did not want her to follow me around as much.  I tried to keep her from following me by asking her nicely if she could try not to follow me around as much.  She said she would try, but over the next few days, I noticed her following me again.  I decided I should just avoid her by using three subterfuges.  First, I stayed away from her as much as possible.  I wasn’t in most of her classes, so I rarely saw her.  When I saw her in the hallways or homeroom, I ignored her.  When she tried to make conversation, I didn’t say anything, as though I couldn’t hear her.  When she frantically kept saying my name, I made an excuse not to talk to her.  When she still clung to me, I desperately asked my closest friends for some help.  They stuck with me more at lunch, and played with me at recess.  Soon, my friend took the hint and stayed away from me.  A few days later, I played with her at recess so that I didn’t hurt her feelings.  I still did not hang out with her much, but we found that we could get along well.  Staying away, ignoring, and getting help from a few trusted friends can help me avoid people.