Jenny, Alfonse and Mangela

Jenny was like "I love your shirt!" to Alfonse.
Alfonse was like "Oh thank you so much!"

But Jenny was lying, she secretly hated the shirt but couldn't keep her mouth shut and had to say something. Alfonse also hated the shirt, but had been working hard at being a good sport, and just taking a compliment instead of contradicting anything positive in his life. They should have just both been honest with each other in that moment.

Except right after that moment Mangela came up and she was like "Alfonse, I think that shirt is ugly."
"Oh, hehe, well looks like you two have a difference of opinion!" said Alfonse, while pointing over to Jenny. He was doing a good job restraining the urge to agree with Mangela's insult.

"Oh, I think it's great." said Jenny, through her teeth. Jenny was now extra pissed, because she actually agreed with Mangela's opinion, but now had to pretend that she didn't. She also really wanted Mangela to like her, so she would have normally agreed with anything Mangela said. What Jenny didn't know was that Mangela always had people kissing her ass and agreeing with her.

"You really think it's great?!" asked Mangela, incredulously, with a faux-judgemental tone. She wasn't actually judging Jenny. She was just testing Jenny to see if Jenny would hold her ground. The secret way to Mangela's heart was to disagree with her and tell her her opinion sucked. Most people didn't know that.

"Yes, I love everything about it." said Jenny. Jenny's scalp was getting hot, for fear she would have to come up with some bullshit about why it was so good. Alfonse and Mangela would be hanging on her every word for different reasons. Alfonse, to hear a compliment, which he didn't actually want to hear because they were hard to take, and Mangela, to be told her opinion was garbage, which she secretly loved to hear.

"You love everything about it?" questioned Mangela, once more.
"...uh" said Jenny, as her eyes shifted from left to right.
"Please. Tell me why?" said Mangela. This was Jenny's worst nightmare, what Jenny was fearing most.

Then, just as Mangela took a breath to prepare to open her mouth to say the words: I'm just kidding! I totally respect your opinion, you're an original. Jenny beat her to the punch by blurting out, "I actually completely agree with you and think the shirt is awful!"

Mangela was taken by surprise, and her eyes made a slight bug-out expression. Alfonse was taken by surprise too, and made a slight brow-furrow expression.

"Oh," said Mangela.
"What a phony bitch." thought Alfonse, in his head.
"That's lame and rude," said Mangela, then she immediately lost interest in Jenny and said "Gotta go, see ya." and walked away.

Alfonse and Jenny stood there uncomfortably for a moment.

Jenny didn't get what she wanted, which was Mangela's approval, and to be phony-polite to Alfonse. Mangela didn't get what she wanted, which was to have someone be rude to her, or at least disagree with her highly regarded opinions. But Alfonse got what he wanted, which was to refrain from insulting himself.

The whole situation turned out to be pretty good for Alfonse, actually. You could say rather than expending negative energy toward himself he was able to funnel those negative feelings toward Jenny, who had embarrassed herself and thrown him under the bus. She was the clear cut bad guy in his eyes. Not him. And that made him feel a little more positive.