u/Low_Telephone_6583

so accurate

I (F) have been unemployed for 11 months, and honestly, it's been really draining me mentally. One of my close friends works as a sales manager at a salon products company. She knows I've always been interested in this field, and she knows I went through a hard time trying to find work.

A while ago, a role opened up at her company under a different product line. I applied for it, and at first she seemed fine and like there was no issue. But after they asked me to come in for a second interview, the way she treated me completely changed. She said she wasn't comfortable with the idea of us becoming coworkers because there might be "tension." In the end, I got an offer, but then the company pulled the role because they were reorganizing several departments. I was devastated.

Now she's about to go on maternity leave, and the company contacted me to cover her position for 16 months.

When I told her, she basically went completely silent. She started ignoring my messages and told me she "couldn't imagine doing that to a friend" and that she needed space because the whole thing was making her feel like the situation was "awful."

I feel like they're treating me as if I did something wrong, even though I've been trying to find a job for almost a year. I'm not stealing her job. She'll be away for 16 months, and the company was going to put someone in that role while she's gone anyway. Part of me feels like a real friend would be relieved that I'll finally be able to cover rent and bills, while her position is still waiting for her.

Honestly, after being unemployed this long, I’ve been doing everything I can to improve my chances, from practicing interviews to even trying trendy tools like InterviewMan to help me answer difficult questions in interviews more confidently and professionally.

Am I wrong for saying yes to the job even though she's upset about it?