Any loyalty that asks you to betray yourself is a trap wearing a friendship bracelet.

Some demands arrive dressed as closeness. Being asked to lie, to drop a standard, to cover for something you would never do yourself is not a test of friendship, even when it is presented as one. Loyalty that works does not require you to become someone you would not respect. Anyone who needs that from you is protecting themselves rather than the bond.

When a request makes your stomach drop, treat that as evidence rather than as squeamishness. Refuse the act without turning it into a verdict on the person. Watch how they take the refusal, because that part is the actual test.