Hi Skull&Crossbones. I would appreciate it if someone were to call me just to say "Hi" rather than needing something. That would make me feel loved as opposed to feeling used. So I think you sincerely desire a genuine relationship with people, but unfortunately, you can't control the other person's reaction.

As far as staying in contact with people, you can try the following:

-Pick up where you left off from the last conversation and ask how it went. For example, if someone told you he has an exam, ask, "So how did your exam go?"

-If you haven't seen the person in a while, say you called to "catch up" to see how things are going, or that that person came to your mind.

-Ask when they want to hang out next time, or invite them to hang out. Ex. "I'm going for a bike ride, you want to come along?" "Do you want to get together for coffee sometime?"

-Talk about a shared hobby or interest. "Hey, did you see the album came out this week?" etc.