Bring Him, Leave her

     I can't think of anyone who doesn't like getting together with friends. The invitation list is usually where the trouble starts. What happens when you want a friend to come, but not their girlfriend? Suddenly, the social waters become murky.

     The majority of my friends are guys. Usually, their girlfriends are just as fun and amazing as they are. However, the opposite sometimes occurs. As we all scroll through our phone contacts to call up more friends, we occasionally hit a wall. If we call him, we get her too. The problem is: no one wants her. The women range from being anti-social to full frontal obnoxious. Sometimes you even get the socially awkward ones who can't seem to tear themselves away from their boyfriend's side. They never interact with the rest of the group and only speak in indistinct murmurs to him.

     A few summers back, my friend, Cameron, was dating a girl I'll call Bethany. She was several years younger and several shades anti-social. Every time we would all hang out at his apartment, she would call from her apartment, which happened to be across the street at the time, to say that she wanted to come hang out. We all agreed only to regret it. She'd come from across the street and pull down the gathering's morale. She was Buzz Killington. She would smile from time to time and barely speak. She would even cause random arguments with Cameron or storm out in a snit over some imaginary slight she felt. He would try to excuse her behavior by saying that she was only socially awkward.

    "Michael Cera is awkward, but at least he's funny. When's the last time she told a joke?" I countered.

    Cameron isn't the only one. When my good friend, Parker was dating one of my sorority sisters, Samantha Jo, we were often faced with the dilemma of what was to be done with his girlfriend. She was overbearing and more clingy than static on a silk dress. Very few times was she a pleasure to be around. In spite of the fact that we knew she would be a disaster, we knew if we wanted Parker, she was tagging along too. The thing is; Parker's so awesome to be around that we were willing to endure her presence. Trust me; it was indeed a test of endurance.

     Hanging out with friends is one of the best parts of life. You can only hope that they couple themselves with people who match their own radiance. If not, you will have to put on a happy face and enjoy the party. After all, isn't your friend worth it?