trying to find my way.

being 16 years old, i happen to be at a lot of crossroads. and no, not like the crossroads acted out by the "talented" britt spears, but serious life decisions. suddenly i am faced with choice of which college to attend, maybe which colleges? i need to choose which friends to try and stay in touch with..and sadly which ones i would most benifit from letting go. most importantly i need to start scoping out the best path to become the person i plan on being for the rest of my life, and i am stuck sitting in distress while the rest of my friends seem to ignore this need.
one of my very close friends is 18, 2 years older than myself. she just recently became engaged to a 19 year old boy. (whom i will not comment on.) she, now feeling a sense of security in her future with this boy, has basically abandoned her high school career AND the cosmetology training she was depending on to make a living.
another friend of mine had a child last year. not only did she have a child at the age of 15, now the father of this child is not allowed (by his parents) to have anything to do with the baby, and will not even admitt it is his.
and finally, i have a friend who is a total lost cause. she constantly gets high, comes to school intoxicated, and has seemingly given up on life and herself.
what has happened to my childhood friends? how did something like this not happen to me? i know alot of it has to do with how i was raised. both my mother and my father raised me to be a respectful and responsible person, and i hope to do them proud every day. i know that alot has branched off of that, me having a stable foundation even through my parents divorce, being able to find more of myself through the struggle, enabling me to form a clearer view of what i want for myself.
regardless, i consider this position a blessing and a curse. i am confident in where i am going, but i have to sit helpless while my friends seem to lose their way. i know who i am, but cannot show my friends who they could be. i can only hope for the best in terms of myself and the ones i hold dear. cross my heart, bite my tongue, and face the music.