"I'm friends with my co-worker, not in the way where we naturally grew close after being forced to spend eight hours a day with each other. We were friends before we became co-workers. When I heard she had applied for the same company, I was excited, but grew wary. I secretly didn't want her to get it. I was scared of what it would do to our relationship."
"I've done my best to form boundaries between my personal and working relationships with her-distinctions between the person she is in "real life," and the person she is at work (as if work isn't also "real life"). But as time has gone on, resentment has built, and to be honest, she's a terrible co-worker. She talks about me behind my back to my boss, and has a really competitive spirit I don't understand."
"It seems like she cares more about corporate brownie points and promotions than our friendship. I'm starting to really dislike her. I decline to hang out as often as we once did, and I try to limit our communication outside of work, but when I think about our relationship before all of this, I wonder if I'm making a mistake. She was-still is-one of my best friends."
A longstanding friendship became strained after both friends worked at the same company. Anticipation turned into secret worry and fear about the impact on the relationship. The writer attempted to set boundaries between personal and professional roles but experienced growing resentment as the colleague displayed backstabbing behavior and competitive ambition. The colleague appears to prioritize promotions and corporate recognition over the friendship, prompting reduced social contact and confusion about whether to preserve or end the relationship. The writer is considering leaving the job and is unsure how to continue or end the friendship afterward.
Read at Slate Magazine
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