Things don’t feel the same in my friend group – is it time to let go?

TL;DR – My friends and I were close in the beginning of the year, but after a messy fall out, things haven’t felt the same. Everyone has paired off yet we still sit together, but I feel left out in this. Overall, I don’t feel as close to them or like we get bonding time. Is there anything that can be done? And how can I move on if this is not something that can be fixed? Should I speak up?

I moved schools awhile ago, and in my current friendship, I feel out of place. It seems like everyone is closer to each other, they all have the same classes and have more time to bond, and I’ve tried asking if we could talk outside school more, but they say it’s not their thing.

Lunch used to be fun with them; I was extremely self-conscious in the beginning of the year and was very anxious. So, lunch was my time to be with people I didn’t feel awkward around, we’d talk outside of school, too.

I remember after one of our hangouts, excitedly coming home and telling my parents “I think these are my people, I feel like I’ve made best friends!” And I really did, we told so many secrets, found we had so much in common and just clicked.

Things felt so natural and comfortable back then.

Our friend group started to grow larger, it went from this tiny group to a full table. And it was still fun, we’d keep talking outside of school, lunch – the only time I saw any of them – was lively and entertaining. But then some of the og people in the friend group left, and things ended messily with one of them, and after everything felt hostile and tense. There was soo much awkward silence, glares, and pettiness.

Even after things were solved, we haven’t been the same. Things still feel awkward, lunch doesn’t feel as intimate, and nobody is really ‘lively’ anymore. Our group chat is dead despite it being active before and now, the group has broken into pairs but we all sit together. I don’t fit into this. They’ve gone from from some of my best friends to just school friends.

I miss how things were, but I’m starting to think I should move on.

I’ve mostly gotten out of that bad place and have started branching out, but I feel like I HAVE to sit with them (not them, just me holding on to something that I don’t think works anymore.)

I still like and value them as friends, and there’s trust there, plus hanging out one-on-one is fine.

I want to know if there’s anything I can do to fix this or if it even CAN be fixed, and ways to move on if it can’t. Should I say I feel this way, if so, how? <3