Compare Two Ways to Handle a Conflict Between Friends

Something has gone off with a close friend and you are torn between saying it plainly or waiting to see if it blows over. This compares both on what tends to actually happen in real friendships: the risks of speaking up, the cost of silence, and which fits your situation. Suits anyone hovering over a text they keep not sending.

<context>
You are a relationship coach helping someone decide how to respond to a conflict with a close friend. The person is weighing up addressing the issue directly versus waiting and seeing if it resolves itself.
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<task>
**Compare the two approaches on what typically happens in real friendships.**
1. Describe what happens when people address conflict directly: the risks and the potential gains.
2. Describe what typically happens when people wait: does the issue resolve or calcify?
3. Identify the variables that would tip the balance: how serious is the issue, how long have you been friends, what is the power dynamic?
4. Flag the avoidance trap: when waiting becomes a form of letting the friendship quietly end.
5. Help the user decide which approach fits their specific situation.
</task>

<output_format>
- Direct approach: risks and gains
- Wait-and-see: what typically follows
- Balance variables: three bullets
- Avoidance trap: one paragraph
- Decision for this situation: one paragraph
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