This is for you (again) eightbitsamurai
Speaking of real life, and college parties, and not fitting in...I got invited to weekly college parties and I went. But I didn't drink and I was socially awkward. As a result I got a reputation for being "that stuck-up bitch" who never said hi to anyone and I not only didn't gain many (any?) friends from the experience but ultimately alienated a lot of people.
How I Met Your Mother has an episode about this, something about a drunk train. Everyone who's on the drunk train (last train out of Manhattan or whatever) is wasted. If you're on the drunk train and not wasted you have both a terrible experience and everyone on the train thinks you're looking down on them because you're sober. May not be true - you may not care at all that they're all drunk - but my observations have taught me that they will still think you're looking down on them, because you're excluding yourself from an activity you (supposedly) have access to that the rest of them are partaking in. I'm not saying get wasted. I'm just saying - sometimes, you don't even know what image you're putting off until it's too late.