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You can run your game with your friends because you feel safe around them.
You need to work more on your inner game, big time.
All I can say is go out more often so you'll get a feeling of what people are like. Soon, you'll develop this intuition where you can understand everything going on around you.
Xoved is right.
I have a similar experience, take what you can from it.
I had a friend in my Junior year of high school who was extremely buff. We started working out and because of him I went from benching 90 to 225. The attention kicked in, other students would just comment, gaze, and grope at my body. Keep in mind a short 5'3 kid weighing 108, and benching double his weight was surprising.
It hit me one day that I was only able to bench that high when my friend was spotting me. When he wasn't, that bar become 50x heavier with my arms as noodles.
Currently I work out at my gym by myself, when alone you're not having someone make sure you don't have setbacks, you have to be realistic, and you have to be confident that you can do what you're about to.
Sarging alone is generally the same, the attention is on you and you're the one who directs the interaction. Just build up on your inner game then go out alone and strike up conversation.
Before you know it it'll be natural but that will never happen as long as you're thinking you're only a certain with around friends. In the end, it's all you.
Good luck.