"but seriously, I was reading third wheel, a beginner's guide..."

Sometimes I wonder if some people are just born to be third (or fifth) wheels. If so, I think I’m one of them. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…but wait, maybe there is. When conversations consistently start with, "Oh I went out with my friend and her boyfriend…" you start to really hear what you’re saying. Third-wheel syndrome is very common. Symptoms include but are not limited to: wandering eyes (due to having to avert them from PDA sessions),tendency to walk slightly in front or behind someone (as sidewalks generally are only wide enough for two), and making conversation with yourself (due to…oh, maybe that’s just me). Being the third wheel is kind of like that awkward moment in high school when a couple is making out in front of your locker. Oh, I was that girl waiting and waiting just to get her books. How does this relate? Well, being the third wheel is like an evening of feeling like you're a peeping tom. You're along just to watch a couple be all romanticky. Not fun. Fun to watch in the movies played out as romantic comedies, not so much when it's your friends I have nothing against coupling…ok, maybe something…but lately it seems people are just coupling to couple and avoid being the third wheel. Now, I agree, third wheel is not the best place to be. It’s shakey, it’s unstable, it’s just, plain not fun sometimes. You're like the training wheels for couples and that's not right. Nobody wants to be the buffer or the dead weight. Being single is not the end of the world. It really isn't. Being with the wrong person is worse then being with nobody, in my opinion anyway. I have nothing against hanging out with couples, but there's a time and a place for everything. Valentines day, no. Sporting event, ok. Movies, you have to be careful as romantic comedies can become a snuggle fest on the couch next to you. It just seems like there's this weird kind of segregation between singles and non-singles (daters, not necesarily married). So all of this is not to say that I'm bitter about being single. Quite the contrary. I just don't want to be the third wheel. So couples, please be weary of your single friends. As much as you protest that it will not be awkward...it almost always is.