About friends, you should really focus on few, good ones. Choose one-two or them, the ones you care the most about, and just get them to know you better like you said you did before. It takes time anyway to build friendships, being able to speak well doesn't substitute that. You could also try reaching them out via texts or facebook. I mean, you don't have to prove you're a genius, but only that you're able to compose some sentences and express your thoughts. Any casual conversation may be enough