BS. She sat down and talked to somebody who everybody else understandably avoided. That was better than nothing, and better than most people that age (or any age) would do.
"Befriend" can mean different things to different people, but reaching out to somebody who is scary and unstable and trying to be sympathetic, even if it was in a semi-official capacity, is something that certainly shouldn't be dismissed or disparaged.
> “Befriend” can mean different things to different people
I have never heard that word used to mean “sat down with someone for an hour because I was assigned to do so, while resenting him the entire time”.