I Met My “Friend” During a Prestigious Job Prep Course: She Helped Me with the Material, but as Time…

I first met my so-called friend during a course I was taking, hoping to apply for a highly sought-after job in London. To be fair, I struggled with parts of the material, and she was a real help to me at the time. As the weeks went by, we finished the course but kept in touch. She was still living off her parents, but I was married and had to fend for myself without any extra support.

I was on the hunt for work and, by chance, an old mate recommended me somewhere, but the process dragged on for ages. We saw each other a few times, but she often cancelled at the last minute, always with the excuse that it was getting too late. I was busy too, so our chats stayed mostly online. Eventually, we were both called in to submit applications and sit for interviews. By that point, I was out of work and trying to save every penny for a few medical bits and bobs. She, on her side, had her parents footing all her bills.

She managed to get accepted straight away, but I didnt. I tried two more times and still didnt make the cut. When I asked her for help revising, she was always simply too busy. Not long after, she vanished for all of December and January. I soldiered on with job applications and heard nothing back until mid-February those were some rough days. When I finally landed a job, I was working all sorts of shifts, weekdays and weekends included.

At the end of February, she reached out and said shed like to meet in March, just to catch up. I hesitated since, by then, Id grown tired of that whole social circle the rejection still stung but I agreed because, despite it all, she meant something to me. The meeting was supposed to be on a Saturday, so I asked my boss for a day off. I texted her on Friday night, but she never replied. Saturday came and went: no word. Not only did we not meet, but I got into hot water at work for missing my shift, all in vain. She only got in touch on Monday, messaging to say shed had a family problem.

Frustrated, I ignored her for three months. Then, after an operation, she rang me out of the blue. I told her I was fresh from surgery and really not up for much, but I spoke with her anyway. She said, If youd like, have a rest and Ill call later to check in. She never called.

A couple more months passed, and she messaged to say she wanted to meet, but she was only free on weekdays. By then, I was studying afternoons the sessions were expensive, and I couldnt skip them for her sake. I hesitated, said yes, but eventually pulled out before the day.

After that, she started calling to ask how I was, but I got the sense she was just taking the mickey. Shed constantly bring up my family, hinting about whether my parents had finally split up as hers had. It was unfair her parents divorce wasnt my responsibility. I began to notice these jibes and started to distance myself, giving short answers or even fibbing about what I was up to.

Bit by bit, I deleted her from my social media, and by the following March, I removed her everywhere. She messaged, but I ignored it. The day after my birthday, she rang to confront me. She claimed shed always tried to help and wanted to know why Id cut her off. I told her I never had time for myself, so it was odd if shed seen me post photos with other friends. I simply said, Go spend time with other people.

She finished by insisting shed only tried to help, and swore shed stop contacting me. Honestly, it hurt more than I expected. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone after that. She wanted me to do well, but not better than her. She never truly cared, despite all my kindness and effort for her.

Sometimes, I wonder if she ever fancied me shed often poke fun at my partner, push me to invite him out, or comment on other girls photos. I was always honest and open with her, but perhaps that was my mistake. It aches knowing she never really cared she just wanted to keep me around. I genuinely believed our friendship was real and that we had a lot in common. Turns out, I was wrong. Now, trusting people isnt easy. I wish I had more friends, but its just not that simple.

The lesson in all this? No matter how open-hearted you are, some people will only take and never give back. Trust needs to be earned, not just handed over, and its all right to let go of those who only bring you pain.