I have this friend (male) who I was very close to for about 3 years of highschool, but recently in the last 6 months or so, we just haven't hung out as much. He has a new friend group that are more popular than me, however he's not the kind of person that would just ditch his old friends. We're chill and have occassional conversations, but every now and then when I ask him to hang out, he always seems to have to something on already, which makes me think he doesn't really rate me anymore

Does anyone have any opinions? I would still like to be close with him because he's a genuine guy, strong frame, and we've been through a lot together. There's not much advice on male friends on this sub so I thought I'd post