DEAR ABBY: I work with a girl my age. We were kind of close friends years ago, and then drifted apart. She has worked here for three years now. She annoys me because she plays dumb when I know she isn’t, and she constantly nitpicks at things I miss, like putting commas in places where they should be.

She also likes to aggravate the boss to get a rise out of him. I am not one for confrontation, so I grin and bear it, but it’s wearing on me, and I don’t know how to tell her to leave me alone. — AGGRAVATED CO-WORKER

DEAR AGGRAVATED: Scratch the idea of telling this girl to “leave you alone.” By editing your copy and putting in commas where they belong, she’s making you look GOOD.

Her relationship with the boss is none of your business. If he was seriously aggravated, he would let her go.

You do not have to be bosom buddies with your co-worker. In our work careers, there will always be some people we will “love less.” The secret is to find a way to coexist — unless the situation is so terrible that it prevents you from doing your job.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.