<p>This thread (or at least your first couple comments in all that brutal beyond-the-point-of-caring-about-embarrassment honesty) made me cry.</p>
<p>I know exactly how you feel. You feel like a “floater”-- someone with a lot of acquaintances, which is nice and all, but not a true best friend. Someone that gives a s.hit and needs you as much as you want them. The best thing I can tell you that hasn’t already been said would be to put some care into how you pick people you want to make friends with. Pick people who are extroverted and social and who would actually make an effort to hang out with other people on a weekend, people who hang out because why not?, people need their friends like oxygen, rather then people who are content to just stay in their room and study all the time. Not that there’s anything wrong with the latter-- I know tons of people like that, and they really are sweet and kind, but they just don’t have the inclination to fulfill any of the meaningful social interaction I desire. They don’t have best friends, and they’re cool with that. But to be frank, you need someone who wants as meaningful and close a friendship as you do. I know you’ve made the effort-- joining clubs and the like-- and we really applaud you for that. Its so great to see self-proclaimed shy people take that step to join a group or something and make their lives happier. So, in my experience, I’d say you are on the right track and now you just need to find people who feed off social interaction and bonding as much as you do.</p>
<p>It will get better, promise. Maybe you’re a just late bloomer just as lilymoon said. But you’re a shy guy with initiative and that’s why you’ll meet that group that really fulfills that pocket in your life, and others won’t.</p>