...how did the 3rd party know?
And...why would they tell you? Isn't that nothing but gossip? The last time I told someone that people were talking about them, I was a freshman in high school.
It's messed up that your "friends" did that, but this all seems a little juvenile, from the behind-your-back gossip to the tattling to the say-it-to-my-face response.
Sorry, blue.
I could see it if there were threats made against you by your "friends" in stealth, but if they were just talking about you...I think you should be beyond even caring.
People gon' talk.