I've just been reading the thread by ~the_one~, and a situation similar to that which has affected me makes me curious to read your views about it. I'm not looking for sympathy!
Basically, when i started secondary school in year 7, i made friends with a girl (lets call her sophie) and we got on quite well - we weren't like best friends or anything, even though a lot of people thought we were. Anyway, a new girl joined at the end of year 7, (lets call her Kate) and they both got on really well. Anyway, me, sophie and Kate were put in the same class in year 8. I was getting suspecious about them cause they excluded me from everything and i had a feeling they didn't like me. So, at break times and lunch times, i started going to the library by myself instead. With doing this every day, i made friends with another girl (lets call her Liz), and we are still best friends to this day. One day, when i went to school and sophie, kate and me (and others) were waiting outside the classroom, sophie wishpered something to kate, it was obvious it was about me cause she covered her mouth with a piece of paper and looked at me when she did it. That made me feel like ****. From that day on, sophie, kate and the 'in-crowd' of girls they had become friendly with always bitched about me behind my back from year 8 through to year 11, and i did Jack about it. Sophie even spread a rumor about me that i as a lesbian! First i'd heard about it! Problem was, people started believeing it. It was actually her that made me consider moving to a different school, which is where i am now. If i was still friends with her, i'd probably still be at the school studying A-Levels than doing something else at college.