Dear Prudence,
I am queer and currently share a one-bedroom apartment with my stepbrother. (We tradeoff who sleeps where—this will be relevant in a minute.) Our new neighbor, “Bee,” is lovely, pretty, and very small-town Southern. She loves to bake and knocked on our door around 7 p.m. with fresh bread and introduced herself. Bee comes by every other week with treats. I don’t think she’s lonely, just likes to bake, and she’s good at it.
My brother’s girlfriend, “Em,” has a chip on her shoulder and is as paranoid as a junkyard dog. Em saw Bee deliver us some sourdough and got her hackles up. She started staying over a lot and hung off my brother if Bee came by.
Well, Em tried to “confront” Bee, and Bee was very confused. Apparently, she had thought my brother and I were a couple, and she got red when I laughed and told her the truth. Then she asked if Em wanted to come over to look at the clothes she was giving away since it was better to give to friends. Em was offended by the offer because Bee is taller and bigger than her. And they aren’t friends? I laughed even more and told Bee I would take her up on her offer. I several nice sweatshirts out of the deal.
Em continues to be pissy, my brother wants me to lay off hanging with Bee, but despite her funny mistake, I like her. She is genuinely sweet and kind and this would be a funny story if Em wasn’t such a sour puss. She doesn’t pay rent, but thinks she has the right to tell me go away in my own apartment. So what should I do? I’d like Bee as a real friend.