I'd say take it on a good test run before deciding whether to get one or not. If you are happy with the way your hearing is and it doesn't negatively impact your life then you can always chose to carry on without one. Do allow yourself to fully test and get used to it though. It will be a big change to get used to and often something new can seem totally wrong, but you might surprise yourself and grow to enjoy having it too! I'm not speaking from the point of view of someone with an aid..but one of my good friends has one and we chatted quite a bit about how she hated it at first! Now it's just part of her and she doesn't even seem to know it's there.
As for the friends..I know it's the big old cliche but if they have problems with you getting a hearing aid or they treat you weirdly then they're not really your mates. If you don't want to lie or bring it up, how about just wearing it? That way you're not making a big deal over it and they probably won't either.