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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To go NC with best friend over this?

98 replies

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:08

More of a 'was I being unreasonable' as me and let's call her 'Chloe' have fallen out and have been NC for a year. Only thinking about it again because I got together with an old friend for drinks and she asked how 'Chloe' was and I said we haven't spoken in a year+ and she was so shocked and said something about "how sad you gave up five year friendship over that" and it raised the question did I over react? Because I really don't think I did.

Going to start off by saying although she was my best friend there were some things about her that always hurt me, but she was stubborn and you couldnt argue with her or convince her of anything so I never raised them and just sort of accepted they were parts of her.

After 4 years of it basically always being just me and Chloe, she started to get close with this one girl, 'Natasha' and the two over the course of a year became practically inseparable. I'd still see Chloe as long as I texted first, made the plans, picked her up and dropped her home but that was as far as it went. She'd leave my messages ignored for days but still be fine when she saw me so I kept on trying to see past it.

Natasha and I had been friends once as we were all part of the same friendship group at uni so one night they invited me to some drinks at her place. It was the first time I saw how Chloe and Natasha were together and it made me jealous, and I felt so stupid but it really hurt me. They just seemed so close and had all these inside jokes and Chloe treated her house like her own (when at mine she acts like a guest) and it was just the opposite of how Chloe acts with me. That night we were all in Natasha's bedroom and those two popped out for a cigarette and I stayed in the room. Was looking at polaroid pictures of us back in uni on her notice board on the wall and saw there was a letter pinned up on this notice board handwritten from Chloe. The letter was literally gushing like "you are the best friend I have ever had. Thank you so much for all you do for me." Loads more inside jokes etc and talking about all their memories over the last year of being close. I just shrugged it off but it stung that Chloe cared enough about Natasha to write handwritten letters and I'd never had so much as a birthday card or a thank you for anything over 4 years of friendship and I'd paid to take her on holiday after her boyfriend cheated on her.

Chloe referred to Natasha as the most important person in her life, and these things sound so immature I'll probably get ripped apart but it's hard not to take it personally - Over 4 years of friendship Chloe had never posted a single photo of me and her on her social media, there were probably around 50 of her and Natasha. She also would tweet things like "My best friend is an idiot' and a funny screenshot of a text from her and stuff. I just started to feel really fucking invisible. Chloe would still come over sometimes, but would be constantly messaging Natasha, again it hurt because she always messaged her to arrange plans and see each other but it was a fact, me and Chloe would never see each other or speak unless I initiated contact. I tested this theory to see if I was just making plans before she had the chance and we went nearly a month with no contact at all until I caved and messaged her again.

Birthdays and Christmas' passed and Natasha would post pictures of all her presents from Chloe, again I had never had a present from her in 5 years of friendship. I started to say to Chloe that I feel really insignificant compared to Natasha and she'd say just because we were each other's only friend for 5 years doesn't mean she can't have new ones and would make me feel like a jealous, possessive twat. I admit I was jealous of their friendship but it mainly just hurt me how different Chloe treated her, how appreciative Chloe was of her and how much Chloe cared about her - I'd been a good friend to her and she always just acted fine with me.

The big blow out came when I messaged her saying "I've had enough of feeling anxious, you don't bother with me unless I make the effort, you don't seem to care about our friendship and it hurts to constantly be made to feel insignificant" again it was comments like "you're really going to end our friendship because you're jealous of Natasha" "I'm not your girlfriend stop being so possessive"

All the time she'd make me out to be possessive but it wasn't to do with her having another friend - it was about seeing how she treated Natasha that made me realise how badly she treated me. Never making the effort to be in touch, to make plans, ignoring my messages for days, never asking how my life was, happily letting me spend money on her which was my own choice I know but she'd never say thank you, just overall treating me entirely different. I realised that it was just crushing my self esteem and blocked her off everything and went NC. Haven't spoken since and she never tried to reconcile and neither have I. I feel I behaved albeit emotionally but fairly and cut off a 'friend' who obviously didn't care about me. My friend at dinner the other night more thought I'd been jealous and lonely and acted irrationally.

Was I being unreasonable, or was she?

OP posts:
TheLegendOfBeans · 01/04/2018 10:13

Nah, YANBU.

In her mind Natasha is much more worth the effort than you.

There is a MN term called being "wendied"; where you have two chums, ie Chloe and Natasha and they become BFFFFFs and shun the original friend; in this case you.

Really common

Hurts like fuck

Cut your losses and move on.

Drawing a line under a crappy friendship is actually very freeing and allows you social bandwidth to spend others you feel good hanging out with X

Mammyloveswine · 01/04/2018 10:13

I dont mean to sound rude but how old are you all? You sound very young.

It also sounds like maybe Chloe and Natasha are more than friends but maybe haven't admitted it to others or even themselves. Their friendship seems very OTT with gushing letters etc.

It sounds as though you have moved on and hopefully widened your social circle so keep doing that and don't look back.

Toffeelatteplease · 01/04/2018 10:14

Neither of you really.

She wasn't as fond of you as you were of her.

I'd have gone non contact under the circumstances. Actually I'm not entirely sure you had a choice anyway... sounds like she's already moved on

LIZS · 01/04/2018 10:18

Yabu, sorry. It all sounds rather immature. Jealousy got the better of you and your message was testing the friendship and fishing for her commitment which was controlling and rather weird. Are they close friends or is there more to their relationship?

EphraimLevi · 01/04/2018 10:19

I think people see friendships differently. I’ve never been like this with my friends, I have two women in my life who I count as ‘best friends’, one I speak to every few weeks and see every few months, and one who lives hundreds of miles away but I speak to every day. I’ve no idea whether they reciprocate with thinking I’m their best friend and that doesn’t matter. We’ve known eacher other for more than ten years.

So this kind of situation is out of my experience and while I can see how it hurts, I would have been baffled if I was Chloe. I see it as people have different levels of friendship with different people, but that it doesn’t mean there’s any less love and affection there.

I would move on from this but try to be a bit less possessive with your next BFF.

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:19

I'm 24. Throughout the entire time she was close with Natasha if I messaged her and made plans we would still meet up and she'd be fine with me, but that was all. In her mind that was still a friendship but it just made me feel like shit.

OP posts:
Idontdowindows · 01/04/2018 10:21

You are not unreasonable. She was never your friend. You were useful when she didn't have any friends.

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:22

It really wasn't about being possessive - I wouldn't of given two shits about her having other friends if she hadn't been so terrible with me. I just think if you can happily never talk or see someone unless they message you first then you don't care about them - Natasha just highlighted that to me.

OP posts:
StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:22

@Idontdowindows That's exactly what I thought and why I have remained NC. Glad to know I'm not crazy.

OP posts:
TheHulksPurplePants · 01/04/2018 10:26

I think she just wasn't that in to you. Confused This seems very possessive for a friendship. Did you have no other friends?

DeathStare · 01/04/2018 10:27

You misread your friendship. You were not Chloe's BFF, Natasha was.

Given that was the situation you basically had three choices:

  1. Become jealous and possessive and try to force Chloe to have a relationship with you like the one she had with Natasha.
  2. Have a big strop and and leave the friendship altogether.
  3. Accept the situation for what it is - that you and Chloe are friends but not best friends.

Personally I think that option 3 is the mature and sensible option, and it's the one I'd have taken. You took option 1 and then when that didn't work took option 2.

You can't force someone to be closer to you than they feel. Not every friend you have is going to be your best friend.

Oliversmumsarmy · 01/04/2018 10:28

It also sounds like maybe Chloe and Natasha are more than friends

My first thoughts also.

DeathStare · 01/04/2018 10:29

I wouldn't of given two shits about her having other friends if she hadn't been so terrible with me

What exactly did she do that was so terrible? The worst thing you cite in your original post is that she texted Natasha when she was with you. Arguably a bit rude, but hardly terrible.

ChickenMom · 01/04/2018 10:29

YANBU. I’d have done the same and I have done. Been in exactly the same position and am now NC after having my say. Being wendied sucks. I’ll never put up with that sort of crappy treatment from a friend again. You stood up for yourself. Good for you. Get out and about and make new friends who do care about you

4yoniD · 01/04/2018 10:31

From what you write Chloe got a lot from you - lifts, free holiday, a mental lift from you offering everything with no effort on her part... what did she do for you?

IAmWonkoTheSane · 01/04/2018 10:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:32

We didn't really have any other friends for 5 years, and during those 5 years we spent the majority of our time together which all changed when Natasha came along - again I could of gotten used to it and remained friends with her had it just been a case of drifting apart and her making new friends but it was the behaviour differences that made go NC. Over a year has passed and I've got a lovely new group of friends and a fab boyfriend and I'm really happy - was just reflecting. I feel good about my decision but was interested in opinions. I appreciate the whole 'best friend' thing was immature - but bare in mind the friendship started 5 years ago when I was 19 and quite young.

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 01/04/2018 10:32

Chloe sounds like a bit of a user.

You don't need people in your life who make you feel shit all the time.

alligatortoss · 01/04/2018 10:33

There is a MN term called being "wendied"; where you have two chums, ie Chloe and Natasha and they become BFFFFFs and shun the original friend; in this case you.

Yeah that really isn’t the definition of being “wendied”

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:36

Chloe did get a lot from me, I constantly checked in on her, if she couldn't afford to go out but wanted to I'd pay, if I was going to a concert and she wanted to come but couldn't afford I'd pay, I'd pay for food shopping when she was at uni and run out of money, I'd give her lifts all the time, even took her on holiday but she never did anything for me. Not even as much as a text message without me contacting her first - Natasha wasn't the reason I stopped being her friend, it was what Natasha made me realise. Is that possessive? Reflecting now I think I tried to buy her friendship a little too much because I had no other friends, she was never that interested but I was useful to her and I was too naive to realise she didn't really like me. So when she made a new friend and I saw how they were, it made me finally realise what I had been so blind to.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 01/04/2018 10:36

You are coming across as younger than you are so I’m going to assume it’s just immaturity. I understand that being a part of a close knit intense friendship group is important to some people and there’s nothing wrong with binning something that doesn’t make you feel good whether it’s because of jealousy or not.

Tbh as you get older that sort of schoolgirl hand holding bessie mates 4 eva ... friendship does disappear and get replaced by more mature less emotionally charged friendships so it would be a good idea to seek those out instead

This ^^ I have friends I’ll see maybe once a year and it’s like we pick up where we left off. But we’re still close friends.

StubbornOrSensible · 01/04/2018 10:37

Also I never in five years heard her say thank you to me, not even once.

OP posts:
sonjadog · 01/04/2018 10:38

YANBU to walk away from a situation that was causing you sp much hurt, but Chloe didn’t do anything wrong either. Yes, it hurts when people we like don’t feel the same way about us, but they can be friends with whenever they like however they like.

Slartybartfast · 01/04/2018 10:39

perhaps you were possessive op, over bearing?
she prefers Natasha.
You didnt accept the situation.
try and accept it now op and get in touch with her, if you can stop the jealous feelings the hard done by feelings. just go with a friendship.

gamerchick · 01/04/2018 10:39

Well then you know if ever asked again why you fell out you can say ‘she kept me around because I was useful but gave nothing back so I ditched the friendship’ nobody can argue with that.

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