If it’s a person who you know wants to be your friend and you don’t want to be theirs, let them down gently. A good thing to say might be “I think we should have a distance for a while. I really need to focus on school right now. I know you want to be my friend, so I hope you understand. " Say it nicely. If it’s a person who does not want to be your friend and you want to be theirs, make sure you understand their reason. Try to sound sad, but not angry at them for their choice. “I understand,” is a good way to put things across. If you have been through an argument and you both do not want to be friends, you should evaluate this, because the argument may fade and time may heal it. If you’re sure you both want to move on from the friendship, the transition should be fairly easy; accept your feelings openly and decide to “cool it” together. It’s extremely hard to end friendships gracefully, since there are too many emotions involved. If something terrible has happened that warrants you having to end the relationship, perhaps you can simply slip out and stop contacting or connecting with them without “breaking up” with them.
If they want to be your friend but you don’t want to be theirs, it is better to avoid making a big scene or saying “no”. You can be nice to them, but you don’t have to spend all your time with them. Don’t feel bad. You can be polite without becoming best friends again; just keep the distance that you feel comfortable with, without being intentionally rude or off-putting.
