ness doesn't like your friends. he's smart enough to know you don't need to choose between your friends and him. but he's too greedy for that. you must spend more time with him he believes.
"tell your friends you're busy"
"do your friends not have other things than hanging out?"
"soccer practice is canceled today. what d'you mean you're going shopping?"
him joining you with your friends would be the worst. you crack a joke and your friends don't understand, he's gonna get irritated like hell. "what's there to not understand? see now the joke's not funny. babe, your friends are really fucking dumb."