I have a friend (let’s say Rachel) that I made that I noticed was engaging in manipulative behavior towards me. At first I thought it was the influence of one of her friends (let’s say Ann) who was extremely toxic towards both her and I. I decided to go NC with Ann, but Rachel wouldn’t respect my boundaries and kept trying to bring Ann into my life. During this time I noticed that Rachel was trying to manipulate me into her belief system, as she couldn’t respect my religious beliefs. If we had conversations about politics she would immediately get hostile since things could only be black or white, where I’m all about nuance and detail. This led to her giving half truths to another mutual friend about my positions on certain issues in a way that made it seem like I don’t care about a big issue at the time.  I finally stopped hanging with Rachel after she tried to gaslight me regarding being NC with Ann, while complaining to me about Ann using threats of suicide to keep their friendship. 

I made a mistake and messaged Rachel while I was messaging others one night while drinking. Which is my fault. Now I do want to meet, but only explain why I found our friendship toxic. And how I think it’s best if we go our separate ways. Do you think I should meet up? Some friends suggested I ghost or act busy, but I personally feel like everyone deserves the truth.