hahaha I feel the same way in my area. I live in a small town, so I don't have any friends that I have something in common with. Most of my friends arn't really friends and if they are they live hundreds of miles away from me and we hardly ever see eachother. Most of the people in my town suck anyway.
yes, take the rubber bands out. and in the words of Soaring Eagle," throw away your brush" and let the dreading begin. if you want to do it nauturall then just let it be, what do you wash your hair with?
i laughed when i read this. Do you really care what they think? kindness kills too. so just be calm and kind and in the end it won't matter what they say or do.
have you tried washing with baking soda? and when you wash your hair don't run your fingers through your hair. what i do is pour the baking soda mixture over my heAD and let it soak about tenminutes. and then when i rinse it out i scrunch my hair up and squeeze to make sure water is getting all through out it and then thats it. its been one month for me and my hair is dreaded already.
wow. i loved reading your story. someone is watching over you, my friend.
took the words right out of my mouth!!! In the beginning I just wanted dreads, and now... not only do i love my dreads, I love who I am becoming. good luck on your journey. keep us posted how it goes for you! 
much love. xoxo
just stop brushing your hair. they will dread slowly and it won't look like you dreaded them over night.
