I think if a person doesn’t want someone stolen from them, they’d probably poison the well after they see that someone else has a new interest in their friend.

This is so confusing.

“. . .when you don’t want one of your friends to get too close to someone that you hang out with but don’t really like too well.”

Are you saying you don’t like the friend too well, or the person you hang out with?

I think people would even give a negative opinion on someone they do like because they don’t want another person “stealing them away.”