Dear Prudence,
I need a script to slowly fade from a wildly unreliable socialite of a friend. She is a delight when we get around to hanging out but … it takes weeks for her to answer text messages. She frequently goes out of town, will stack multiple social events every day, and only makes herself available at bars and other loud settings where it’s hard to talk. She asks to make plans every once in a while, but I haven’t taken her up on it in months. It’s not that I dislike her, I just don’t feel close to her. She’s simply not around. And I would rather spend time with friends who can invest the same amount of time as me. How do I tell an otherwise fun person that I’d rather not entertain a half-hearted friendship?