I met my friend during a course I was taking to apply for a position at an extremely prestigious establishment. To be honest, I struggled with some of the content, and she was a huge help. Time went by, we finished the course, and we kept in touch. She was still financially dependent on her parents, whereas I was married and didnt have that sort of backing.
I was job hunting and, by a stroke of luck, a mate put in a good word for me. The whole process dragged on for ages. Wed meet up every so often, but shed often cancel, saying it was getting late. I was busy enough myself, but we kept messaging until the time came to submit applications and take the exams. By then, I was out of work and saving every penny I could for some medical treatment. She, on the other hand, had her parents covering everything.
She passed the exams on her first attempt, but I didnt. I tried twice more and still didnt get in. I asked her if she could help me revise, but she was always too busy. After that, she disappeared for December and January. I carried on looking for work and didnt manage to find anything until the middle of Februaryit was a tough few months. When I finally started at a new job, I worked weekdays and weekends, just to get by.
At the end of February, she got in touch and suggested meeting up in March. I hesitated, as by then I didnt want to see anyone from that worldbeing rejected still stungbut I agreed, because she was special to me. We set our plans for Saturday, so I asked for a day off from work. I messaged her on Friday evening, but no response. Nothing from her on Saturday either. We didnt meet after all, and I got in hot water with my manager for missing my shift. My friend didnt reappear until Monday, when she finally messaged on WhatsApp with the excuse shed had a family problem.
I was furious and stopped replying for three months. Then I had to go in for an operation, and by chance she rang me. I told her Id just come out of surgery and was feeling vulnerable, but spoke with her anyway. She said, If you want, have a nap and Ill ring later to check in. She never did.
A couple more months went by and then she suggested meeting, but could only do so during the week. By that point, I was studying in the afternoons and couldnt afford to skip classesthey were costing me a fortunefor her sake. At first, I hesitated and agreed, but eventually turned her down in advance.
She started calling to ask how I was, but I couldnt shake the feeling she was taking the mickey. She would ask invasive questions about my family, constantly hinting at whether my parents had finally divorced. It wasnt my fault her parents had split, but I noticed these digs and slowly began pulling awaygiving short answers, even fibbing a little.
Little by little, I removed her from my social media. By March the following year, I deleted the last remaining connection. She messaged me, but I ignored it. A day after my birthday, she rang to challenge me. She said shed always tried to help and couldnt see why Id treated her like this. I told her I never had time for myself but apparently found time to post pictures with others. I said, Be with other people.
She finally told me she just wanted to help and wouldnt contact me again. Honestly, it hurt more than I expected. I feel like I cant trust people so easily now. She wanted the best for mebut not better than what she had. She never truly cared, although Id always shown her kindness and attention.
At times, I even wondered if she fancied meshe made jokes about my partner, wanted me to invite him out, and commented on other womens photos. I was always genuine and open with her; maybe that was my mistake. Looking back, she never really caredshe just wanted to keep me close by. I genuinely thought we shared a true friendship and had so much in common, but I was mistaken.
These days, trust doesnt come easy. I wish I had more friends, but its difficult.
The lesson Ive learnt is simple: not everyone you help will care for you in return, and sometimes, protecting your own peace should come before loyalty to someone who doesnt value it.
