Sometimes people enter your life for a reason, and sometimes they simply teach you what you don’t want in a friend.

This young woman learned that after a complicated friendship became even messier when a new man entered the picture.

Her friend immediately took an interest in him, even though she already had a long-term boyfriend.

Meanwhile, the man made it clear that he was only interested in her, which left this young woman stuck in the middle.

Before long, she felt caught between two people who constantly wanted her time and attention.

But the more time passed, the more she started questioning whether either relationship was worth the effort.

Read on to see what she decided to do.

AITA for hanging out with a boy my friends likes even though she has a boyfriend?

My friend and I have known each other since high school, but we were never really close. We were just friends who occasionally hung out, like once a year, to catch up.

At the time, I was living with my ex-boyfriend, who had a certain medical condition, and we had pretty much just become roommates since we split everything 50/50 and shared responsibilities. So my situation was also complicated.

We met this guy, and she instantly claimed him, even though she had a long-term boyfriend, because she knew he had money from mutuals. But he said he liked me.

At first, they were both demanding of her time.

I didn’t know what to do because I was stuck in the middle. Eventually, they both kept asking for so much of my time, and in the end, I got drained.

He would ask me to hang out, and I would always ask her to come along because she liked him. Then I felt bad for him because he kept paying.

It went on for a while, and then I became super busy with work. He was just easy to talk to and also made my life easier, while my friend would constantly drain me and belittle me every time.

Frustrated, she dropped both of them.

So I just stopped talking to her and kept him around. But then he eventually got draining too, and I ended up cutting both of them off.

I am a people pleaser, and I also had issues with setting boundaries clearly. Both of our situations were complicated, but I think it was unfair for her to claim him instantly before either of us really got to know him.

I feel like I could be the ******* because I ended up dropping her for him, but then ended up dropping him too.

AITA?

Wow! It sounds like she’s actually pretty good with going no contact with people.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man whose celebratory post-grad school vacation is being ruined by his family’s insistence he’s being lazy.

Let’s see what the readers over at Reddit think about it.

This person is actually suspicious of her.

This reader sees her side.

You sure can’t.

Yet another great point.

To be honest, cutting both of them off was probably the healthiest decision she could have made.

Relationships shouldn’t leave someone feeling constantly drained or caught in the middle of other people’s drama.

But if the guy is truly meant to be part of her life, he’ll find his way back without all the complications and outside pressure.

Until then, it sounds like she’s better off focusing on herself instead of pouring energy into a friendship that took more than it gave and a situation that left everyone exhausted.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who doesn’t want to go to the amusement park with her friend anymore, because the friend can no longer ride most of the attractions.