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Keep your friends close and your frenemies closer.
By Christine Schoenwald — Written on Apr 21, 2017
Do you know if someone is a real friend or if they’re a frenemy?
If you aren’t sure what a frenemy is, it’s a friend who really isn’t a friend. They may call themselves your friend but they don’t wish you well or cheer for your success. They give you backhanded compliments — the kind that when you hear them it takes you a minute to realize how hurtful and off-putting they are.
Frenemies are underhanded, sneaky and shady, but it’s probably better to stay friends with them than to alienate them entirely. You need to be aware of what your frenemies are up to.
They treat gossiping about you behind your back as if it’s a rare talent and it never crosses their mind that what they’re doing could be interpreted as mean. If they criticize you, they believe that they’re helping you to better yourself, not undermining your confidence.
They live for eroding your confidence and causing you to doubt yourself. When you’re not feeling strong and confident, they’re able to swoop in and cause even more trouble.
They think nothing about stealing your friends, breaking up your relationships, and just generally being an assh*le to you. But if you call them out on their behavior, they’re hurt and don’t understand how you can possibly be so wrong about them.
When you’re struggling to make a positive change, they won’t support you; instead, they’ll tell you that smoking isn’t so bad and that it makes you seem sophisticated. Or, when you want to lose weight and get healthy, they’ll bring over that box of Krispy Creme donuts.
Frenemies are insecure and jealous and they want to have what you have. And instead of working towards having those things in a positive way, they think it’s easier to sabotage you to get them.
If you do have a frenemy, it’s probably best to cut them out of your life but if you can’t, try to be aware of what they’re doing so that they don’t do anything damaging to your life. Here’s your number one zodiac frenemy, according to your zodiac sign.
ARIES: Your frenemy is Capricorn.
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Both Aries and Capricorn are extremely hard-working and will do almost anything to be recognized for their efforts. Promotion is the name of the game, so don't be surprised when Capricorn sets you up to fail. Yeah, they have no problem throwing you under the bus or setting up a bunch of booby-traps to help guarantee your failure. You don't want to look like you're not a team player so be sure to keep tabs on what they're doing and planning so that you don't get blindsided.
Read: The 13 Brutal Truths About Loving An Aries, As Written By One
TAURUS: Your frenemy is Gemini.
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Gemini comes off as so free and easy, but Taurus, you're right not to trust them. Gemini tends to have a dual personality so it's not surprising that they can be two-faced. They'll tell you one thing and mean another and that doesn't work for you at all.
It takes you a long time to trust someone and when you finally start trusting Gemini, they're just going to throw that trust right in your face. Gemini is a fair-weather friend and won't have your back when things get tough. It's much better to keep Gemini at arm's length before they do any real damage.
GEMINI: Your frenemy is Pisces.
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You think because you're so similar that you'd have a friendship made in heaven, but the truth is you're very different. Gemini, you want to talk about everything and Pisces would much rather avoid any subject that can be thought of as painful. They're going to interpret your honesty as hurtful and it's going to escalate from there. They probably don't mean you harm, they just want you to shut up. How can they think if you're going to be constantly talking?
CANCER: Your frenemy is Aries.
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At first, Cancer thinks they found the perfect friend in Aries — they're always up to do something fun! But the longer you know them, the more impatient they'll get with you and all your feelings. They'd rather do than talk and feel things.
You know you absolutely need to express everything you're feeling, but at some point, Aries is going to mime the "speed up" sign or just bluntly tell you to "get over it." They're too impatient and insensitive to be a good friend to you. Once they're over you, they're going to challenge you to things they know you'll fail at so they can feel better about themselves. Avoid Aries.
LEO: Your frenemy is Taurus.
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Yikes. When you two get into an argument and dig your heels in, it becomes a stand-off of epic proportions as neither one of you is going to give an inch. Honestly, Leo, you think Taurus is kind of boring because they don't seem to be all that impressed by you. What's that all about?
Taurus will want to teach you a lesson and that's where the real frenemy part comes in because this lesson is sure to be painful and not what you think you need. They want to show you how they're stronger than you are, which will backfire and get ugly.
VIRGO: Your frenemy is Aquarius.
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You can admit it, Virgo: Aquarius is kind of your opposite. You aim for perfection and want those in your inner circle (and yourself) to be as perfect as possible, and Aquarius is just so accepting of people and their flaws. You and Aquarius tend to be competitive with each other especially where technology is concerned.
What happens when two know-it-alls are frenemies? Lots of psychological one-upsmanship. Aquarius will try to get you to chill, saying that you need to remove that bug out of your butt. But in reality, they're just trying to take you down.
LIBRA: Your frenemy is Scorpio.
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You're intrigued by Scorpio because they're extremely passionate, but honestly, they're too intense for you, Libra. You like to be fluid when it comes to the truth as you'd much rather make someone feel good with a lie than sad with the truth, and that doesn't go over well with Scorpio.
Once you piss off a Scorpio, which you will no matter how much you try not to, they're going to make it their life's work to teach you a lesson and/or take their revenge on you. You just don't have what it takes emotionally to take on a Scorpio, so it's better to not get involved in the first place.
SCORPIO: Your frenemy is Aquarius.
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On the plus side, you do find Aquarius fascinating, but on the downside, they tend to get on your nerves. You like one-on-one and commitment and they like to be independent and socializing. They will talk about you behind your back and not even think twice about it, and the things you take so seriously aren't even going to register for Aquarius.
If Aquarius wants to impress a group of people and it means embarrassing Scorpio, they're going to do it. You know you don't react well to being humiliated by a friend (or anybody else for that matter) and you're going to get increasingly angrier until you do something you regret.
SAGITTARIUS: Your frenemy is Cancer.
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Sagittarius, you like to see the world, have experiences, do new things, and meet new people. And Cancer would rather stick with what they know. Cancer is not only going to try to tie you down; they'll unintentionally drag you down. You have an optimistic attitude whereas Cancer can be a bit of a downer.
It isn't that Cancer wants to cause you harm but that they want to tame and change you into their idea of how you should be. You're not a good friendship match and any relationship you have won't end well.
CAPRICORN: Your frenemy is Leo.
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Leo wants to be the center of attention and that doesn't fly in your book. If you've earned praise and adulation, then you deserve to have it; you shouldn't get it just because you're you. That's not fair, Capricorn.
Leos are too flashy and superficial for you and because they're so self-centered, they don't care who they destroy trying to get all the prizes they think they deserve. Basically, you just don't get what all the fuss is about Leo, and the fact that they care so little about your achievements and feelings makes them a danger to your own well-being.
AQUARIUS: Your frenemy is Libra.
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Everything you dislike in yourself, you see in Libra. They're flaky, flirty, impetuous, and sometimes it seems as if they're very shallow and lazy. Aquarius and Libra are too much alike to be good friends. There would be a lot of gossiping behind each other's back and rumor-spreading. You don't trust Libra because you think they act fake. You also don't appreciate how needy they are and how they want to try to prevent you from being your independent self.
PISCES: Your frenemy is another Pisces.
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You're extremely sensitive, sometimes to a fault, and you imagine all kinds of slights and jealousies that aren't even there. You think you know exactly what's going on in the other Pisces head and you try to out maneuver them. Bad idea because by not trusting your fellow Pisces, you hurt them and make them act out in their own way, causing the cycle to continue.
Once your imagination goes into high gear, trouble will escalate and where there were no problems, there will be massive issues and problems.