What do i do with this "friend"?

So this kid, whom I've befriended earlier, and wanted to get closer to has really been pissing me off. So after about two months of sucking it up and trying to still be nice to him I deicide to ignore him. Now we don't talk anymore which I'm glad... but here's the catch. In trying to be better friends with him I gor him and my friends closer and now all my life is just revolving around things they talked about or did at some point and they keep trying to get me to apologize. Like for one thing I didn't do anything it was all his doings. So now what do I do? Find new friends? Or should I apologize? I already tried convincing them to drop him... but they won't. Bytheby he's never mean or like that to anyone else, just me. And there have been a few rumors about him being gay over me.