PSA: YOUR THREE PERSON FRIENDSHIP MIGHT BE TROUBLE

During the first week of school last year, 15-year-old Piper R. made a new friend. She met Jamie M., 15, in English class, and the two instantly connected over their shared love of Minecraft.

- BY EMILY LAURENCE

Naturally, Piper was eager to introduce Jamie to her childhood bestie, 15-year-old Berlin F. The three quickly became a trio—claiming their own table in the caf, plan- ning weekly sleepovers and starting a group chat.

But it wasn't all funny memes and effortless bonding. Looking back, both Piper and Berlin admit it was rocky from the start, with one person often feeling left out.

“There were times when I was closer to Jamie and times when I was closer to Berlin. The vibes shifted a lot,” Piper recalls. For instance, when Piper started dating someone, she'd go on double dates with Jamie and her boyfriend, leaving Berlin out because she was still single.

Things got more complicated when Piper and Berlin felt constantly pressured to include Jamie in everything—even their longstanding Saturday morning beach walks. “If we hung out without her, she’d give us the cold shoulder and ignore us when we saw her,” Piper remembers.

Then there was the catty chatter. When one girl wasn’t around, Jamie would talk badly about her. “It created a lot of trust issues,” Berlin says. The growing tension made spending time together harder and eventually led to more awkwardness than fun. Now, they don’t hang out with Jamie at all.

WHY TRIO FRIENDSHIPS ARE SO TRICKY