A good friend is a priceless treasure that should be treated with a lot of love and respect. Would you continue to associate with a friend if you discovered that they were talking behind your back? Would you confront them about it or just disappear from their life?
Confront them and easily pick up my toys and leave. Maybe the situation is not as I think it is. I always leave room for a "hello" once in a while even if we are not seeing each other that often now.
I would confront them and depending on what the situation was, perhaps drop them as a friend too. In life I have found that it is much easier to have a couple close friendships than many that do not mean much. As you grow up you realize that life is not a popularity contest and your life can be just as full and meaningful if you have a handful of very close people in it.
Personally, I would drop them. I have cut out a lot of people in my life that don't want to do anything but cause drama. If I want drama in my life I will turn on the television...know what I mean?
I think it is better to drop them than take your time to confront them. It is better not to waste time on them when they have already messed with your life.
A good friend is one who never will do something that they wouldn't do for themselves. Do unto your friend what you would have him/her do for you is the credo friends should live by. Anyone who falls short is not a real friend and should be off-loaded as fast as possible. I for one, would not stand a 'friend' who talks about me behind my back.
Sadly, a good friend is hard to find today. Most of them are from childhood, but if someone lost touch with childhood friends, then it's kinda hard to make new ones.
Confrontation is so high school and so full of drama, just an utter poof disappearing act befits me well, i'd rather leave you fixing the puzzles of what you did wrong than point it out to you at which point you'll defend yourself and say you did no such thing {that defense tactic irritates me to the core}...even the friends that i get nowadays, i try to keep them at arms length...i came to find out 'Familiarity Breeds Contempt!'
Well said Rosyrain, plus with life itself, having a relationship, maybe married, having children, some herds ought to be thinned out real fast and quite tactfully...or else one may end up with an overflowing plate and no tricks on how to handle it.
If I ever feel like I am being taken advantage of I will just stop talking to them. I don't have many friends, but the friends I do have I can trust.