I don't think anyone understands anything about relationships at all.
Not all people are shallow.
You don't need to be in a relationship to be happy.
Relationships aren't automatically time, money, and energy-wasting, and if you feel like they are, you have no perception of what love really is.
Why do people have such clashing views on them? You guys seem to either be desperate to be in relationship or are appalled by it.
My advice? If you're in high school (or younger), you're likely not ready to be able to handle a mature relationship. And even if you are, which is unlikely (heck, many ADULTS aren't mature enough), almost none of your peers are--including potential girlfriends/boyfriends.
In general, until you grow into a person who is no longer selfish, thinking first and/or only about yourself, you're not capable of loving another person, and therefore shouldn't even worry about relationships. At all.
Not wanting to "waste your time" with relationships is a selfish attitude, resenting "having to give" something is selfish, wanting to be in one because everyone else is and/or you want to feel better about yourself is selfish, automatically doing or rebelling against something that society deems normal/right without forming your own personal outlook is selfish, loathing yourself is selfish.
How do you break selfishness? Start loving others, caring for them, regardless of who they are. Don't think of what they've done for/to you or have to offer you; it's irrelevant. This includes loving yourself.
When you stop focusing on yourself and what you want (that doesn't mean ignore or neglect yourself; notice I said focus), you can begin to love, and when you love, the selfishness melts away. Not to mention you grow as a person. And you know what? When you're unselfish and love others unconditionally, people notice. People are drawn to (attracted to) it, become drawn to you.