Condescending and arrogant “friend”

Me and her met in chemistry and from the beginning she came across as arrogant. Shes really intelligent and smart but the way she speaks to me is starting to make me feel stupid and insecure about my grades. When we are in class she often tries to shove her arms over my book to look at my answers just so she can correct them and tell me I’ve done things wrong. If I ask her for some help on a question she sighs and speaks to me like I’m a stupid child. Recently she was texting me about how bad one of her tests is gonna go and how she has “barely revised” even though she always says this and gets straight As and it’s just starting to feel like she’s fishing for compliments. When I was texting her the other day I wrote your instead of you’re and she condescendingly replied that I barely spell anything write and that my grammar is bad while writing “it’s actually YOU'RE”. Another time we were discussing an email she got from one of the teachers discussing an opportunity that I was also interested in and I asked how I could get the emails- she responded with “oh this teacher only deals with high achievers like me”. Then just the other week I was really happy with myself for getting a B in a chemistry assessment and she almost sneered at my paper and didn’t say anything. I don’t know whether to distance myself from her cause it’s making me feel really bad about myself.

Sounds like a tricky situation. Is it a friendship you want to try and keep? If so it is definitely having a chat with either someone in your Sixth form team, maybe your chemistry teacher if you guys are currently sat together, or even an actual friend about the situation. If you want the relationship between you guys to improve then you would have to have a conversation with her about how you will not put up with being treated. I know this might seem scary so you can always ask a teacher to facilitate a conversation.

If you don't care all that much about the friendship or if the above fails, then don't waste your time with someone who only ever makes you feel bad about yourself. That's something I wish I learned sooner, because nobody deserves to continuously put you down, you are worth so much more.

Good luck going forward with this "friend" (she honestly doesn't seem like a very good one), and well done getting that B in chemistry <3