As soon as I opened my bedroom door, I saw Gray cleaning up our living room. She was erasing the evidence of her core friend group's heavy drinking. The fact that last night was the first time I'd met any of her five best friends (four in person and one online) despite all of us living in the same city for years highlighted how disjointed our social circles were.

Unlike Gray, I didn't have a cool girl group. Instead, I had a large 'squad' of friends I frequently hung out with. All of whom I'd met during my last job, different gigs or miscellaneous work-related events. Which meant we all...