At the weekend get-together, a friend laughed and said, "Clique politics are exhausting."

Someone straight-up asked me "Which faction are you siding with?" and I didn't know what to say.

As a newcomer, all I could think was "I don't want to get caught up in faction politics."

Is my judgment right now colored by fear of the clique?

I read the room and stayed quiet for the faction's sake again — pathetic.