Friendship in middle school is quite a challenge. Often the challenge of finding a true friend can be very difficult and takes time. Many times students share their disappointments about friends who they thought they could trust but now have turned against them. There are students who have very poor friendship skills who treat others in a mean way and seem to enjoy the turmoil that happens when two friends are no longer getting along due to a rumor that was spread about them.
Learning to choose someone as a friend who is a quality person with similar interests and values is not easy and often happens only after a student has suffered through the pain of  friendships that have fallen apart.