There's a quote out there that goess something like this:

Women get together to be with each other, what they do is secondary. Men get together for the activity, and the comradery is secondary.

From my observation, that's largely true. But men don't lack depth. Women often complain that men won't be just friends with them. When I ask what women want from a platonic relationship with a man that they don't get from women, they often can't say. Though I think you hint at it when you say guys "weren’t bullying me like my female classmates."

Women frequently do things for each other that I would never do for my male friends, nor do I want them to for me. Guys will build a deck or help a bud move, but they don't generally rescue each other. This last, it seems, is what a lot of women want, and that's boyfriendy/girlfriendy shit, not platonic friendship.

And lastly, whenever women talk about not being able to be friends with guys, I'll say this... I've been on both sides of that. When feelings come up and they're not reciprocated, there's really only one cure; distance. Additionally, I have a number of female friends that simply don't get back to me. I won't endlessly text, and they won't pick up the phone. But I'm not sad about it, I just look elsewhere, and am glad to see them when we bump into each other.