I'm well on my way to becoming >17. Even the friends I had been close with since I was 8 I lost touch with as soon as high school ended. And again in college, I instantly lost touch with all of my new friends the moment we walked across the stage.

The friends I have now I speak with, at most, once a month. I'm actually afraid to call them up to see if they want to hang out, because they'll probably be busy and I'll just be bothering them.

That same mentality carries over to meeting new people. I'll go to the bookstore thinking "Boy, I hope there's a nice girl looking through the comics by herself so I can start a conversation and take a stab at the whole socializing thing." I'll get there, and there will actually be a girl there alone (this happened just a few days ago) but I shy away because I think "Ya know, she came here to shop, not to talk to weirdos. I better not bother her."

As for the suggestion about talking to cashier girls, I could never do this. I remember being a cashier to keep the bills paid during college. I hated every second of it, and I especially despised it when people tried to make small talk with me. I'd feign a smile and reply politely so as not to get in trouble, but I was always thinking "give me your fucking money and get out of my fucking store you retarded hillbilly." I'm sure they're the same, except from the female perspective, being talked to by a guy (which can only mean he's trying to hit on her) must be doubly creepy.