I really need help making friends. I honestly can't do it. I have a group of people I consider my "friends"(they're not) but they hang out without me. They are some clique that I'm only in by association. I used to always initiate hangouts with people but now I'm afraid to because I didn't want to sound desperate and I kept getting left on read by some people. I have some friends that I like but we don't hang out outside of school. How do I turn a peer into my best friend? I hate being left out and I need help. I honestly need friends. Please help!

I'm a freshman in high school