I remember I set some rules for myself when I was in school.
1. Never start a conversation by yourself.
I remember during math class, the teacher asked a question. When I stood up and gave the answer, it turned out to be wrong. But when I just sat quietly and said the answer to myself or whispered it to a friend behind me, it was always right. No matter what, it always worked like that.
Something like this happened:
Teacher: "If I do it like this, then the value of x will be?"
I raised my hand to answer.
Me: "17 over 2."
Teacher: "Wrong."
Again, the same thing happened.
Next time, when the teacher asked a question, I didn't raise my hand. I just kept the answer in my mind.
Me (in my head): "2011..."
Someone else stood up and gave the answer.
Student: "2011."
Teacher: "Yes, that's the correct answer."
After hearing that, I realized I already had the right answer in my mind before anyone else said it.
Me: "Again, the same damn thing."
The same kind of thing also happened during lunch.
Whenever I started the conversation:
Me: "Hey, today the teacher fell down like a cartoon character from the chair."
My friends responded:
Friend 1: "I see."
Friend 2: "Ha! lol."
Friend 3: "Poor teacher..."
But their responses felt forced, like they weren't really interested. That's why I stopped speaking first.
Another time, I waited and started with something more reactive:
Me: "Hey, that greedy girl fell off the chair while sleeping."
Me (in my mind): "Yes! Now I can finally start the conversation properly."
Me (out loud): "That girl got what she deserved for the way she talks."
My friend responded:
Friend: "You're right. She always targets me during lunch time."
Me: "It's okay. I'm with you — she got what she deserved."
That's how I was able to maintain my friendships.