Sunday, August 1, 2010 (3:37 AM)
Your back, Her knife.By: Nur ‘Ain Bte Zainuddin
Everyone has at least a friend whom you love to hate. The kind of friend who you think is your best friend but then stabs you in the back. The kind of friend who, deep down inside, you do not like her at all but still pretend to be friends with her because you know she’s doing the same thing. Simply put an enemy disguised as a friend. Sounds familiar?
Yes. Everyone has a friend like that. Everyone has a frenemy, a friend and an enemy at the same time. Ever heard of the phrase “the wolf in sheep’s clothing”? It’s the same. Just that the person did not get killed (unless you had it arranged!) as the wolf did.
My friend once told me that everyone needs a frenemy. Not only do they make you work harder to achieve something to ensure they don’t get it, but also, let’s admit it, sometimes, you need a little drama in your life! I thought about it and I think that she’s right. I mean, what would our life be without some drama right?
All hope is not lost, yet. There are ways to deal with a frenemy. You can still be friends with them but just don’t share your secrets and keep conversations light-hearted and fun, as a frenemy is most likely to talk behind your back, so you won’t be offended. Do not treat a frenemy as your best friend and if they were to treat you like one, be aware of their actions and intentions. Try not to be hurt by whatever the frenemy says because that is their whole motive! The most important thing to remember is to not introduce your real friends to the frenemy, so your friends will not be hurt or the frenemy would be unable to talk to them about you.
So, if you can’t tell whether you have a frenemy or not, there are plenty of clues. That one person has been bringing you down “unintentionally” or she’s fiercely competitive with you. Do they vent their drama and frustrations to you but never have enough attention span to let you do the same to them? What about that time when you have a crush on the new cute guy and she made a move on him first instead? And whenever you meet that person, you feel like slapping her but refrained yourself and put a big fake smile instead? Yes. These are signs of a frenemy. So stop being in denial and deal with it! But relax, don’t be paranoid and think all of your friends are frenemies now because remember, not everyone is a b****! @