Aclique is a closely knit group of kids who have some kind of similar interest. During middle school some kids form cliques or are invited to join them. Members have something in common. On one level, they're just friends that stick together. Maybe they like sports, music, or a certain kind of clothes—or making life miserable2 for other kids. Some aspects of cliques are super. They provide a sense of belonging to a group other than your family. They offer a source of friends for hanging out3, doing homework, or gossiping4 on the phone.
Other things about cliques are not so great. They can be like exclusive5 clubs. Clique members get tossed6 if they don't follow these rules. The group may be very selective7 about who can join. Some cliques don't allow members to associate with8 people outside the clique and make outsiders feel like pond scum9. This behavior might make the clique seem like the ultimate10 status11 symbol12 and have outsiders hot to get in.
If you're dying to join a certain clique, don't park13 yourself at their lunch table, or throw a party14 and hope the clique eagerly responds to your friendly overtures15. Follow these guidelines instead:
☆Think about why you want to be in the clique.
☆Decide if it's worth following the clique rules and possibly ditching16 other friends to be part of the group.
☆Befriend17 one person in the clique. See what develops. That person may offer you an invitation into the clique. But the other members may not like the idea, so don't count on getting invited to their next major event.
☆If you don't get into the clique, remain friends with the person that you hoped would get you in. Maybe one day an invitation will happen. If it doesn't, you've gained a new friend.
☆If you don't get into the clique, remain friends with the person that you hoped would get you in. Maybe one day an invitation will happen. If it doesn't, you've gained a new friend.
☆If you do become a member of the clique, make an attempt to treat outsiders like human beings.
“I was in a clique for a while. The girls decided not to be friends with anybody who lived in a townhouse, an apartment, or a small house. So I decided I didn't want to be friends with them.”
—Lisa, age 15
“I hung around with a bunch of 18 guys who labeled everyone who wasn't good at school or in sports with nasty19 nicknames20. One day we trashed21 a kid's locker22 who wasn't in our group because he made the honor roll23. I felt really bad about it afterward and started to hang out with other kids.”
—Jimmy, age 13
The Popular Kids
At most schools there's a high-profile24 clique. Everyone knows who they are. The members of this clique have somehow come to be known as “the popular kids,” “the cool kids,” “the in25 crowd,” or various other labels that denote26 that they're “better” than everyone else.
At some schools the popular kids aren't admired only by kids, they even charm the teachers. They seem to run everything important—sports, cheerleading, and student government. So it becomes painfully important to many kids that they get in.
Think about the popular crowd and the word popular. Popular means “well liked”. Does that really describe all these kids? C'mon27. Are the popular kids really liked by everyone—especially by the kids that they treat like dirt?
In case you're wondering what happens inside the top group, and who gets in, here's the scoop28 from kids who have been there.
What goes on in the popular clique
“We do anything that goes on in a regular clique. We gossip more about people, I think.”
“We have get-togethers and parties. The guest list to everything is always exclusive.”
“We talk about the opposite sex a lot—like who likes who—and who's hot. ”
Before trying to get in with these kids, consider if you really want to always hang around with people who think this way.
The way to feel and to be popular in the true sense of the word is to hang out with kids who think you're awesome29 and whom you feel the same about—people you respect and who respect you no matter what you like, how much cash you have, and what you wear. If you find it essential30 to be in the popular crowd, use the clique-joining techniques.
“快乐死党联盟”是指有着相似爱好的孩子们组成的结构严密的团体。中学期间，一些孩子就自发结成或应邀加入“快乐死党联盟”。它的成员都有着某些相似之处。一方面，他们是形影不离的朋友，也许他们都喜欢体育运动、音乐或者是某一款式的衣服，或者合伙捉弄其他孩子。当然它也有挺棒的一些地方，它可以提供一种不同于家庭给他们的归属感：有很多朋友可以一起出去玩，一起写作业，或者煲电话粥。
“快乐死党联盟”也有一些不好的方面，他们就好像是具有排外性质的俱乐部。成员如果不遵守其规章制度的话，就会被踢出去。他们对成员的挑选也很挑剔，有的还禁止成员和其他人交往，这样使联盟以外的人感觉自己如草芥一样卑微。这种情形使“快乐死党联盟”看起来是一种最高身份的象征，吸引其他人踊跃加入。
若是你急于加入某个“快乐死党联盟”，不要在他们的午餐桌前驻足，或者举办派对，期望它会急切地回复你的友好提议。你应该遵循如下规则：
☆仔细考虑你要加盟的真正原因。
☆成为其中的一员，就要遵守规则，而且有可能要放弃其他好友，你要想想这样是否值得。
☆同联盟中的一个人交上朋友，静观其变。那个人也许会邀请你加入，但是其他人可能并不同意，所以不要指望他们会邀请你参加他们下次的重要活动。
☆如果加盟失败，就和那个你希望能介绍你加入的人保持朋友关系。也许某天一封邀请函悄然而至，实在不成的话，你至少有个新朋友了。
☆如果你有幸加入，一定要友好对待联盟以外的人。
“我曾经在一个死党联盟里呆过一段时间。里面的女孩规定不和家住排屋、公寓房或小房子的人交往。因此我决定还是不要与他们为伍。”
——莉莎，15岁
“我曾经和一群男孩交往，他们给学校里每一个成绩不好，或者是不擅长体育运动的人起很恶心的外号。一天我们捣毁了一个联盟外男生的带锁抽屉，原因是他上了光荣榜。我感觉这样做实在是太恶劣了，就开始和其他男孩来往了。”
——吉米，13米
人气少年
大多数学校都有一个人气旺盛的少年组合。人人都认识他们。他们被冠以“人气少年”、“耍酷少年”、“时髦一族”或者其他各种称号，表明他们“高人一等”。
在有的学校里，“人气少年”不只令孩子们仰慕，甚至还吸引了老师的眼球。他们似乎主宰了学校所有重要活动——体育运动、啦啦队和学生会的活动。所以让很多孩子发愁的是怎样才能加入，因为这的确对他们很重要。
想想这群“人气少年”和“人气”这个词语。“人气”意味着“深得人心”。他们真是这样的吗？还有，“人气少年”真的被每个人喜爱吗——尤其是他们视如草芥的孩子？
如果你想知道“人气少年”组合内部的情况，以及谁可以加入之类的事情，看看以下的最新消息，它们来自曾经的“人气少年”的亲身体验。
"人气少年"组合内幕
“别的死党联盟做什么，我们就做什么。我想，更多的时候我们是在说别人的闲话。”
“我们举行聚会和派对，但不欢迎外人参加。”
“我们谈论异性很多——比如谁喜欢谁啦——谁炙手可热啦。”
在你想要加入“人气少年”之前，想一想你是否真的要和有这样想法的人总是泡在一起。
感觉受人拥戴，而且做到受人欢迎，从真正意义上讲，就是和那些认为你很棒，你也认为他们很棒的人交往——你们相互尊重，这和你的爱好，你的贫富，你的着装没有根本的关联。假如你认为成为“人气少年”对你来说的确重要，那么就尝试一下上面说到的一些加盟技巧吧。
1. clique n. 小团体，派系
2. miserable adj. 悲惨的
3. hang out 出去玩
4. gossip v. 闲谈
5. exclusive adj. 排外的
6. toss v. 扔，踢
7. selective adj. 有选择的
8. associate with 与…交往
9. pond scum 卑贱的人，渣滓
10. ultimate adj. 无法超越的，最高的
11. status n. 身份
12. symbol n. 象征
13. park v. 停留
14. throw a party 举行宴会
15. overture n. 提议，提案
16. ditch v. 放弃
17. befriend v. 和某人交朋友
18. a bunch of 一群，一帮
19. nasty adj. 恶心的
20. nickname n. 绰号
21. trash v. 捣毁
22. locker n. 带锁抽屉
23. honor roll 光荣榜
24. high-profile adj. 知名的
25. in此处指“明髦的”、“时尚的”
26. denote v. 意味着
27. C'mon=come on 〈口〉（用于祈使语气）真的吗；得了吧
28. scoop n. （新闻）最新消息
29. awesome adj. 令人敬畏的
30. essential adj. 基本的，必要的