AIO by blocking a friend I'd known for 17 years (minor update/adaptation from r/AITAH post)

I (18M) and my friend (17F), who we'll call Rachel have been practically family since the day she was born (she's only a couple months younger than me). Our mothers were friends, our fathers were best friends, we shared a cot at times, we were practically inseparable for years.

When I was 9, we moved to the opposite side of my country, and her and I fell out of contact.

We re-connected after 5 years when my family was moving back during a time of grieving, because Rachel's father was terminally ill. By the time we all came over, he had already passed.

At 14, I didn't know how to properly comfort her, but we were going to the same school, so I just tried to be there for her. Luckily, we went back to being insperable instantly, however I soon found myself bending to her every whim.

She'd dragged me away from my year group to be with her group, which included some people I didn't particularly like, and would grow to hate. She also made a strange habit out of biting my pokèmon cards in half for fun, even going as far as making me choose which ones she would and would not eat. To put it bluntly, Rachel was being a manipulative douche. But I didn't want to upset her, and at the time I'd developed feelings for her, so I continued to be her doormat.

Skipping over some stuff, I lost feelings after being rejected, Rachel dated a person in our group who we'll call Isaac, and they introduced me to their best friend who we'll call Melanie, who I ended up dating 3 months later, and who is my current spouse of 2 years and counting.

Now, in the first month of me and Melanie dating, Rachel was rather supportive, when out of nowhere it's like a switch flipped.

Rachel didn't like that Melanie was shy, and thought she was childish despite never holding a conversation with her. In short, Rachel didn't like that we were dating, and she decided to make it everyone else's problem. She'd complain about it often enough that I can't remember a time she's spoken positively about Melanie.

I didn't realise at first, but this should've been my first sign that Rachel wasn't concerned with how I felt, and only with herself.

Needless to say, me and Melanie continued to date, and Rachel's rude behaviour made itself more and more apparent. Melanie tried really hard to be Rachel's friend, but nothing she did was ever enough, and she eventually gave up trying, which I encouraged, because seeing it eat at her that my best friend was so disapproving was hurtful for me too.

Over time, Rachel developed a saviour complex over the group, because we were the people with "no friends" that she'd credited herself with "gathering together". She always played "the mature one", but would never admit when she lost an argument and would often be at the epicentre of the drama.

Eventually, Isaac and Rachel broke up, and I thought it was on good terms since we were all still apart of the same group and they didn't seem bitter. However, when hanging out with Isaac, they explained that Rachel hadn't spoken to them in months. When I tried to apologise, Isaac explained they were "kind of relieved". I didn't understand why at this point, but I've come to realise this was another sign to step back from my frienship with Rachel, and better analyse how much I give and how little I recieve.

Rachel claimed we were still best friends, but would hardly hang out with me, and said she "didn't have time for me", but made time for others, and everytime we talked, it felt like she was being rather condescending.

This was around where the shit-talking started. She'd make rude comments about me behind my back (including negative remarks comparing me to my parents) oftentimes directly to my girlfriend Melanie, and then would proceed to get mad at Melanie for telling me what Rachel said.

And that's where the falling out truly began.

For context, this year I'm on a jobseeker allowance during my gap year, and searching hard for a job. Rachel made a nasty comment to the group about my unemployment (even though she's only on an unpaid apprenticeship under her mother at the local library, mind you), and Melanie, as always, came and told me.

All I texted Rachel was "I'm trying really hard to find a job btw, and I'd prefer if you'd stop talking about me to my girlfriend".

She replied, almost immediately, "Can you actually rack off? I'm at my sister's girlfriend's birthday right now, I don't want to deal with you right now".

Upon reflection, I should've left it, but Rachel often put off arguments like this, and I was, quite frankly, pissed, and was not going to be silenced.

I text back "I don't fucking care, you're making Melanie uncomfortable and I'm telling you to stop."

She replies "mabye you should tell Melanie to stop betraying other people's trust, especially because I wasn't even talking to her"

At this point, I was fuming. The hypocrisy and outright childishness was unfathomable, from someone I considered my equal, my confidante, the person I never struggled to speak with.

I replied "you're one to talk about trust, considering the amount of shit you say about me behind closed doors. If you have a problem, come say it to my face, stop being your mum and making snarky comments when I'm not around."

I went to bed after that, because it was late, and woke to find she'd blocked me on Snapchat (and later Facebook and Instagram). I reached out later through direct phone number messages, apologising for my immediate need for resolution, and she's said, and I quote, "I don't want to talk, please don't contact me".

In the aftermath, Melanie was blaming herself for telling me what Rachel said, and I tried my best to console her and assure her that our fall-out was inevitable.

Since then, I've taken her demand rather directly, and blocked her on everything I can, including her phone number. I don't even go to the bus stop anymore, cuz I know she'll be there some days, and I really have no interest in talking.

Rachel's behaviour has divided our friend group into those who side with her and those who side with me, and the more I think about it, the more I see that Rachel may not have been the friend I thought she was. I know I had my part to play in the intensity of the argument, and I know stooping down to her level wasn't the way to approach the situation, but I think it's better this way in all honesty. My parents are telling me I did nothing wrong, but a tiny part of me does feel a gnawing guilt for messing things up, and even more guilt for blocking her and avoiding any chance to apologise.

What do you guys think? Did I overreact?

TL;DR Childhood girl best friend was neglectful of our close friendship, and blocked me when I called her out for making nasty comments behind my back, so I blocked her on everything and went complete no-contact.