Jamil explains to Najma that the group of Cater, Trey, Malleus, Grim and the Prefect are just “upperclassmen and underclassmen” from the school, saying outright that they are not friends.
Jamil introduces them around his hometown as Kalim’s school-friends rather than just as Kalim’s friends.
When Kalim says that the NBC social will be a chance for Jamil to make friends from other schools Jamil responds, “I doubt one single social would be enough to form any meaningful friendships…” so he and Kalim may have different definitions of the word “friend.”
When Kalim reminds him that they agreed to “treat each other as equals” Jamil responds, “That has nothing to do with being friends.”
When Cater encourages the group of Grim, Jamil, Malleus, Trey and Malleus to take a photo with a melon that is “supposed to make friendships last forever,” everyone including Jamil refuses.
This surprises Najma who asks if they had a fight, but Jamil explains, “That’s just how we are.”
Kalim is constantly referring to himself and Jamil as friends and Jamil is just as constantly telling him no, they are not. Jamil also comments to Azul that he “made the right call not making friends with (him),” and says he will be perfectly content never doing so.
Given how important friendship seems to be to Jamil, it is intersting that there is one and only person that he has ever referred to as his friend: an unnamed person from when he was in middle school.
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 