Woe Is Me! is a series in which The Swaddle team indulges your pity party with advice you’ll probably ignore.

"My best friend hates my other friends. By that, I mean she hates the very fact that I have friends other than her. She wasn’t like this when I first met her. But after about a year and a half, she started fighting with me over trivial things whenever I'm spending time with someone that isn’t her. These fights became very frequent, and no matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen to me. She expects me to apologize for seeing other friends. What should I do?"

-- Best Friend Politics

SA: I'm going to take a guess and say that she likely doesn't have many close friends other than you and is feeling left out. It's mostly jealousy and not hatred. But you can obviously have as many friends as you want and choose who you spend your time with; no need to apologize for that. Take a quick look at your behavior just in case you've inadvertently been ignoring her recently, and if yes, make an obvious effort to fix that. If not, then try talking to her and assure her that she isn't going to lose you as a friend simply because you have some new friends.

NY: Seems like your friend has subscribed to the "No New Friends" club, and you're caught in the crossfire! Seriously, though, it feels like your friendship has gone off the rails, and you definitely shouldn't be feeling guilty for having a life beyond her. You are not her emotional punching bag!

She needs to realize that this is pretty much what codependence sounds like; she may have some deep-seated attachment issues. Plus, if the thought of someone else stealing her spot in your life makes her so unsettled -- maybe next time suggest that she spend some time introspecting over her actions, instead, and seek some professional advice in processing her emotions of insecurity. And after all that, if she still can't handle you having a life outside her orbit, it might be time to bow out of this friendship.

AS: You meeting other friends is probably triggering some insecurities in her, and putting you in a tough spot. It’s possible that she’s viewing your relationship with others as some kind of a betrayal of your friendship with her. This can be incredibly tricky to navigate -- especially if you’re her closest friend, and if she doesn’t have many other friends she can turn to. Of course, you shouldn’t have to apologize for your friendships. She might need to be constantly reminded that your friendship with others doesn’t change your relationship with her, which can eventually become a bit burdensome for you.

I think you might need to address this with her and encourage her to express when she begins feeling insecure, so that it doesn’t balloon into a fight. Mending this friendship would also require your friend to introspect, and come to terms with her own insecurities.