Ode to the Sidekick: A Shout Out to the "Other" Friend

Every time you go out with your friends, you are convinced you are there for two reasons: Comic relief and to keep them out of trouble. You are the voice of reason, and the one who is nice enough to not constantly throw their screw ups in their faces. You are the sidekick. It is a dubious role, but every friend group has one.

It is a thankless role. Your job is to observe the group drama, help your friends out of bad situations, stop them from doing dumb things, and make sure everyone gets home in one piece. You are the reason wingmen were created. Yes, you are the fatty to the right...or the left. Directionality aside, the theory still applies. Someone has to glare at the guy hitting on your good looking friends, and you glare so well. You are the one who babysits the pretty people when they are drunk. You do your best to keep them from getting into trouble.

No one knows that every time someone tells you that you have a "great personality," you die a little on the inside. Let's face it, who wants to be known or remembered for having a "great personality?" It isn't exactly an honor people vie for. You know that even if you take those diet pills, starve yourself and work out until the end of time, it still won't be enough. You know that you will never be the one who gets the attention. You will never be the one who does stuff just for the attention, and the things people remember are the things you wish they would forget.

You fight the urge to cry each and every time you go out because you want everyone to think you are having fun. Your fake smile usually keeps people oblivious to what is really going on. Well most times you are having fun, but reality always has a way of coming back to haunt you.

When you are "off the clock" and you choose to pretend or forget your role within the group, you will wonder why no one stopped you. Well, that is because that is your job. Since you weren't there to stop yourself, you were out of luck.

This is the way it has always been. Every friend group you have been in it has been the same story. You know you are loved, you just wish it weren't such a rough road at times. When things are really rough, you are thankful that you at least have friends and try to get over it. The best thing you can do is know that you friends really do appreciate you and your sidekick status. They might not tell you enough, but if you weren't there to fill the role, they would miss you.