This is the story of Mark a guy who recently “lost” his best friend. Mark blames his friend’s new girlfriend, Cecilia, but it seems not all is black and white in this story.
High School Friends
Mark was part of a tight-knit friend group that formed during their time in high school. The group comprised most of his graduating class, along with a few sophomores. They were typical of any friend group, with a lot of intergroup dating, pranks, and occasional drama, but they manage to remain close over the years.
One of their group members, Archie, was often the butt of their jokes due to his struggles with women and his tendency to be a bit slow at times. Archie never complained or asked them to stop. If he had, Mark and the others would have stopped immediately, but he always laughed along with them.
Archie’s New Girlfriend
Things changed when Archie started dating Cecilia. When Mark and his friends met Cecilia for the first time, they kept up their usual jokes, including some about Archie’s past dating experiences. However, Cecilia did not find them amusing and thought they were being disrespectful to both her and Archie. Mark and his friends tried to avoid hanging out with Cecilia to prevent any further conflict.
However, ever since Cecilia entered the picture, Archie stopped responding to the group chat and even blocked a few people. This behavior was new and strange as Archie had never acted like this with his previous girlfriends. A friend revealed that Cecilia had helped boost Archie’s self-esteem and made him realize that he deserved respect.
According to her, Archie had always hated the way the group treated him, but it wasn’t until Cecilia that he realized he could put an end to it.
She Was Great for Archie
Since Cecilia entered the picture, Archie never messages back to the group chat, messages any of them individually, and has actually blocked a few people. This never happened with previous girlfriends. When Mark asked another friend who was close to Archie what was up, she said that he seemed happy with Cecilia.
The last time they talked, she joked about how many girls shot Archie down in high school. Cecilia replied, “You know you guys are 26, and he’s in a healthy relationship now? I don’t see why you guys have to keep making fun of him and disrespecting him over things that happened almost ten years ago.”
He Accused Her of Controlling Archie
Mark was furious with this response. He believed that Cecilia was controlling and toxic and was behind Archie’s sudden change in behavior. In a fit of anger, Mark messaged Archie and told him that he was afraid for him and that his girlfriend was toxic and controlling. Archie responded by telling Mark that he was overthinking things, and Cecilia actually helped him with his self-esteem and made him realize he was either the group’s therapist or the butt of their jokes.
She taught him that he deserved to be treated with respect. He was now saying that he always hated the way they treated him, but it wasn’t until he met Cecilia that he realized he could put an end to it. And If Mark kept talking like this, he was going to get blocked too.
Mark was livid at this response. He couldn’t believe that Archie was okay with his girlfriend controlling his friendships and deciding who he could and couldn’t talk to. He felt like he was losing his friend to a manipulative person and couldn’t do anything about it.
Was He Losing a Friend?
Mark was hurt and angry, and he realized that Cecilia had succeeded in driving a wedge between him and his friend. He couldn’t help but think that she was the real jerk in this situation, and he was the one left to pick up the pieces of a broken friendship.
So, was Mark the jerk in this situation, or was Cecilia? Should he have handled things differently, or was he right to call out his friend’s girlfriend for her toxic behavior?
The comments on Reddit were brutal. They said Mark was the jerk and that Archie finally realized he doesn’t have to put up with being insulted to have people in his life, and that’s not Cecilia being controlling; that’s Cecilia helping him get away from their toxic BS. One person even said that Mark and his friend group were a bunch of toxic jerks!
Archie is Setting Healthy Boundaries
Many Redditors related to Archie’s situation and how he had been the butt of the joke to stay included in the group. They commended Cecilia for helping Archie realize his worth and setting boundaries. They also criticized Mark and his friend group for their toxic behavior towards Archie and their lack of growth since high school.
Mark’s behavior towards Archie was not okay, and Cecilia was not the problem. She helped Archie see his worth and boundaries, which Mark and the group failed to recognize. Instead of being happy for Archie’s growth and newfound confidence, Mark was angry and defensive.
It’s essential to respect and support your friends, even if they don’t fit in with your group dynamic. High school was a long time ago, and it’s time to let go of old jokes and behavior that no longer serves you or your friendships.
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like a friend was pulling away from you because of their significant other? How did you handle it?
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The post He Thought His Bestie’s New Girlfriend Was Toxic, but It Turns Out He Was the Problem All Along first appeared on Wealthy Living
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Damir Khabirov. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit