Ryan 
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Dear Ryan,
My friend invited me out to lunch at Panera and said that he had a “gift card to burn.” He was incredibly excited about this lunch and even offered to drive me. I assumed this meant that he was going to pay for both of our meals, but when we arrived at the restaurant we inevitably drifted to separate kiosks. After the meal, he even excitedly remarked, “there’s enough money on here for another full meal!”
Am I overreacting or was this disrespectful of him? Should he still be my friend?
Sincerely,
Deceived
Dear Deceived,
There comes a periodic time in every person’s life where you must take stock of yourself and honestly reflect on the path you have been following thus far. One must carefully examine their nastiest behaviors, their most cherished values, their most beloved daily rituals. I’ve always held the belief that this brand of awareness is the most crucial part of growth. That being said, there is a singular most important life item that often goes ignored in the reflection process: the company you keep, the friends and miscreants you surround yourself with.
Falling in with the wrong crowd is easier than you might expect, and social contagion isn’t a laughing matter; no small amount of research shows that you are constantly at risk of adopting the less-than-admirable habits of your circle. Keeping this in mind, the logical conclusion of your dilemma is that you are underreacting, and my basic intuition tells me that your life would be immeasurably better without this ‘friend’ and his false charity. First it starts with the classic “burning gift card rug pull” scheme, then it quickly snowballs into late gas payments or outright home invasion. If you don’t want to compromise yourself and those you love, drop this friend and run. At the end of the day he left you at your kiosk to go to his own, and this speaks volumes about his character. Never forget how excited you were for the meal, and never forget that there is no such thing as a free lunch. I leave you with the old Fortnite maxim:
“As the circle gets smaller, the players get better.”
Wishing you Strength and Comfort,
– Ryan M
The Case FOR Ventriloquism Being Real