That happened to me in high school actually. I'm a rather snarky person and K and I just got stuck. Eventually we moved past it but it took actual talking and a willingness to listen that we weren't ready to deal with in the beginning. I was in her wedding last summer, so obviously we got past it. Heh.

The thing is, I know exactly how you feel about the distancing. My automatic reaction to people who push me away, even in the slightest, is to let go and walk away. Not healthy, per say, but certainly rather terribly pragmatic. They can't hurt you if you've already let go. And yes, it's selfish, but when it comes to keeping ourselves safe, I have to say that it's almost silly to expect anything else.

*wry grin* Then again, I'm a mite fatalistic about these kinds of things, so take me with a fair amount of salt.