And I thought that I had escaped middle school.

Why is it that the some people simply decide that they are not going to grow out of the mean spirited sarcasms of middle school and are even successful in spreading said cynicism to people that had previously been of a pleasant agreeable disposition? Of course it's all in jest. But all the time? After a while it becomes hard to tell if someone is just joking or if they say the things they say because they don't want you to talk to them anymore. Given the latter I have only one question. Why? Given the former: Do they realize that when this behavior is continuous and prolonged it's mean is no longer amusing?

It's one thing for me to not like someone or their company because of the way they act. It is quite another, and much harder for me to adjust to, when their behavior seems to change so. It's almost as if I can't forget that they were at one time nice to me, but I also can't forget the mean spirited remark made after say a simple honest curiosity based question.

Sometimes I wish that I had the balls to ask some people flat out, "Do you hate me?" Of course even if I did, I doubt I'd get a serious response. Likely I'd just be made fun of for asking. Of course, I did build up enough courage to actually type up such an e-mail once, but I procrastinated and soon enough their behavior changed again, which of course did not last. Thusly I'm back into a situation that I thought that I had escaped a couple of months ago.

Then again maybe their all the ones that are well adjusted mature adults and I'm just an oversensitive whining pansy...
...but then I remember that I know some people who can pull off the whole, I'm going to show you that I like you by picking on you thing and I don't know what to think anymore. (I suppose it helps that this latter group of people (well honestly, person) has actually told me that they pick on me because they like me.)