I concur with Oak, that office politics are the worst. When I was teaching, I did socialize with colleagues outside of work, but in my last teaching job, I really pared that down. There is one person that I still see. And while I actually have more in common with the other therapists I work with now, it's strictly a professional relationship. A lot of them are cyclists, hikers, etc, so we have stuff to talk about at lunch. But, everyone has their own life and friends outside of work.
It feels awful to be rejected or feel left out, and from my vantage, if VBC said something, I am betting they would be surprised and confused, and perhaps angry. People generally are not used to open, honest communication. And women seem to have a herd mentality with this kind of stuff. I am not going to generalize, but I would say hold your head up high and find friends elsewhere.