Hey guys. I went to a party the other night with some of my best friends, feeling conflicted about how they treat me and what to do about it.

One of my longtime best friends has recently changed his attitude towards me to include more 'banter' as he calls it, to be honest I just see it as disrespectful. Examples of this are one-upping me every time i joke or tell a story, giving me the finger and telling me to fuck off when I spoke. When I was leaving he was telling everyone while I was not present that he had hurt my feelings, this is all in front of various parts of our social circle. When we are alone together he is a completely different person.

So for me, hearing him drag my name through the dirt and call me emotional when I was not present to try and impress some woman he has known for years was where I drew the line.

We are in an active and successful band together and have known eachother for many years. Today I went into his work, asked for the $60 he owes me (got it) then told him this band or friendship would not work out if we are not all on the same page. If he does not treat me with the respect I treat him I am done. He responded with 'it's just banter, why are you freaking out' so I just said no and walked out. He has since messaged me 'what are you so annoyed about?'

To be honest, in the last year i've found various new friend circles that treat me much better. I know I don't have to put up with this, but I have known these guys for years and this shitty behaviour is a very recent development. Our band is going somewhere, I would like to continue to be a part of this but only if i'm treated with the respect I know I deserve. What should I do? Did I handle this well?

Thanks

Sidenote: I love this community, have no dad to ask these sorts of questions to so it means a lot