‘I let Karma do what she does best’: Jealous coworker Barb plots to steal her trainer's job and gets her fired, only to end up jobless herself while the former friend is rehired to a higher position

Author image for Etai Eshet
Etai Eshet • Editor
Dec 6, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Like many other office friendship stories, this one is truly a slow-motion train wreck waiting for applause. A new hire, a quick connection, a splash of shared hardships, and suddenly it's a two-woman drama about envy, rent money, and emotional bankruptcy. The 26-year-old escrow professional becomes the villain in her own story, accused of crimes as absurd as being more complimented and more employed,  when she's assigned to train 29-year-old Barb. 

Barb, the "friend", once compassion in heels, grabs her chance, gets her mentor fired, spreads rumors, and then spins out into a trilogy of poor choices. Eighteen months later, the universe restores balance: the protagonist is thriving again at the same company, now several rungs higher, and the ex-friend is home, broke, exhausted, and haunted by diapers and bad decisions.  

Jealousy smells like cheap perfume in stories like this. It starts fragrant, a little sympathetic, then turns to vinegar the moment one woman realizes the other's highlighter blends better with success. Barb wanted the spotlight, but forgot that envy does not come with benefits or paid leave. The trainer gave kindness, rent money, patience, and her trust, while Barb offered betrayal in return, wrapped in Facebook posts and sad emojis. People like Barb crave proximity to competence until it reminds them of their own mediocrity, and then they bite the hand, the job, and the reputation that fed them.  

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  • Jealous best friend wanted my job and got me fired, so I let Karma do what she does best

    Two women sit side-by-side at their laptops. The woman on the left looks annoyed and resentful, resting her cheek on her hand, while the woman on the right smiles calmly and focuses on her work. with a quote:"I now work for the company she got me fired from again, and she is at home"
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • TLDR; met best friend while training her at work, she developed a jealousy over my looks compared to hers and wanted my job after a couple months of our "friendship".
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  • Karma may move slowly, but she keeps immaculate records, and in this case she signed the termination paperwork herself.

  • She got me fired after a big blow up argument between us, a year and a half later, I now work for the company she got me fired from again, and she is at home, with 3 kids, got fired after her return from maternity leave and is a loveless relationship.
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  • A little small back story, I have a special needs daughter, stroke at birth, later diagnosed autistic, ADHD, and a global developmental disability, this is relevant I promise.
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  • I (26f) worked for a title and escrow company from 2022-2024. In August of 2023, we hired, let's call her Barb (29f).
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  • Barb and I got close super fast. Like we were long lost sisters, platonic soulmates, the type of friendship that you feel you knew them for years type of thing.
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  • I was who trained her for the job (a position lower than mine). She took the job great!
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  • Two women sit at adjacent desks, each working on a laptop. The woman on the left looks irritated and suspicious, glaring sideways with furrowed brows. The woman on the right stays composed and focused on her screen, her expression cool and unreadable.
    via Antonio Guillem

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • We started hanging out outside of work. She had 2 daughters (11f & 6f). This was great because I had a daughter (4f).
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  • Our girls became very close very quickly, but there was a bit of a language barrier due to my daughter's special needs.
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  • Barb grew up in my home town, but married young and her husband was in the military so they lived all over the place.
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  • They decided to get a divorce and Barb moved back to our home town with her daughters.
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  • I was a single mother at the time and my daughter's dad is never around. We went on trips together (I paid for), we'd go out to dinner and I would be complimented on my makeup, or my hair.
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  • Or something, but if Barb wasn't also complimented, it was my fault. I also helped her with her rent, utilities, food for her and her daughters, literally anything she needed help with, I would help.
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  • Being a single mom myself, I knew how difficult it can be to try and get on your feet.
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  • I never asked for a penny back. I didn't want any money back, making sure her girls had a roof over their heads and food was the most important to me.
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  • During the short friendship, I had my heart broken, and being young and dumb, I began sleeping around.
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  • Now, not my best decision, but it was harmless. Nobody knew except for Barb. It then became a regular occurrence that Barb had to know the conversations I was having.
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  • Who I was talking to. If she didn't approve then she would berate me until I stopped talking to whoever it was.
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  • I've never considered myself attractive but I've never thought of myself as ugly, just average. And it was a pretty normal thing for me to get complimented on my looks, my dress, anything you could think of.
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  • This became a hard conversation with Barb. One she'd regularly shut down and get angry with me about, but if I didn't tell her about anything going on, I wasn't being a "true friend".
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  • Odd, I know. Due to my daughter's disability, she doesn't talk. She has no way of expressing if she's uncomfortable or if she feels unsafe, except for becoming aggressive.
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  • Now, I say aggressive lightly because she was never aiming to hurt anyone. She was just wanting to express that she wasn't okay in her body at that time.
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  • This led to Barb's oldest getting her hair pulled (with some strands ripping out) and scratched.
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  • In April of 2024, the anniversary of my first child's passing and Barb's brother's passing came.
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  • They're only separated by a day. Being so close, we decided to have a weekend with just us and my daughter, but it became a weekend of my daughter, Barb's oldest, Barb and I.
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  • That night, after my daughter fell asleep, Barb and I had a couple of drinks, Barb more so than I.
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  • Barb had been in a toxic relationship when her and I first met. He ended up going back to his kid's mom.
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  • Well that night Barb decided to message him and Barb's daughter ended up trying to get Barb's phone from her, begging her not to bring this man back into their lives.
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  • I was trying to keep the peace by telling Barb how she deserved better than him, and so did her girls.
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  • This caused her to basically blow up on me, in front of her 11 year old.
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  • The following is verbatim what she screamed at me. "But it's not fair! It's not fair that you get all the compliments, the attention, and the bigger eggplant emoji" than I do!
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  • Why can't that happen to me??? I'm skinnier than you. I don't have a Red daughter!!
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  • I just for once want something to happen to me! I don't get why you have the better job, a roster 8 miles long, and all the sympathy in the world because of my daughter's name*" I fell silent and was astonished.
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  • It's one thing to have this said to me, but it's another to do it in front of her daughter.
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  • At this point her daughter grabs her phone and runs. Barb then goes after her and in the mix, her daughter's glasses get broke.
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  • We all went to bed shortly after. Heightened emotions were definitely a factor. The next morning, she woke me up and asked if we could talk.
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  • During this conversation she laughed about my daughter's "t*rd" strength and how we'll all laugh about it later.
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  • I wasn't laughing though. I quickly went and packed up my daughter and belongings and left.
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  • I later text Barb and tell her how my daughter and I won't be returning as what she referred to my child as was not a joke to me.
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  • Then the argument happened. Back and forth of defending our children (I want to add. I loved her girls as if they were my own.
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  • Kids have disagreements and things happen). The next morning she texts me and says how she "still loved and supported me" but needed to take a step back from the friendship.
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  • I agreed. That was that, or so I thought. I was then sent a screenshot of a Facebook post she posted that didn't directly name names but context enough I knew it was about how my daughter was a menace and should be locked away in a sanitarium if they still exist.
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  • I sent her the screenshot and said I wouldn't be returning to the friendship. The following Thursday at work, I was laid off.
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  • She then sent (and I'm not exaggerating) every single person I had been with and talked to about how I had an STD (I didn't) and was spreading it around.
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  • Thankfully none believed her, and some even went and got tested and sent her the proof that they were clean and that she needed to grow up.
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  • A couple of months. pass and everything was silent, or so I thought. Then overnight I had 7 girls add me on Snapchat, I accepted not thinking anything of it.
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  • Then I get messaged about how I was sleeping with their boyfriend (yes. 7 girls thought a man was their boyfriend) which I hadn't.
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  • I didn't even know the guy. One girl sent me a screenshot of their group chat, and in the group chat, there was Barb's phone number.
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  • I knew immediately that she wasn't done trying to run my name through the mud. A few months later (Nov 2024), I'm working as a makeup artist, and I run into Barb's old friend.
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  • We get to talking and as it turns out, Barb flipped the switch on this person as well.
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  • I'm told about Barb's new boyfriend and get caught up on Barb's life. New boyfriend is a notorious woman ab*ser.
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  • Had apparently already traumatized Barb's daughters, and already had 3 children that he didn't see. I then, get a series of messages from random numbers who then decide to put me in a group chat.
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  • They mention they're friends of a guy I had hooked up with during the friendship with Barb.
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  • Then one of them had the smart idea of calling me, caller ID is a wonderful thing though.
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  • Caller ID was Barb's boyfriend. So I texted the group chat saying that she needed to leave me alone or I was filing harassment charges against her.
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  • Around April of 2025, I learn from Barb's old friend, that Barb is pregnant with that boyfriend's child.
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  • During this time, I had started work with a different title and escrow company, getting back into the field of work that I love.
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  • July 2025, Barb gives birth to a healthy baby girl. But is using her child support from ex husband to pay current boyfriend's child support.
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  • September 2025, I accept a position back at the original title and escrow company I was laid off from, a year and a half earlier.
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  • Back with the company I love, in a remote position, and a higher ranking position than our branch manager at the local branch.
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  • To put it lightly, I'm my old boss's, boss's boss. My position is for a different state though so I don't have to tend to the local branches, unless absolutely necessary.
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  • This position has given me the freedom to tend to my daughter's needs without the worry of leaving my team hanging while I take a day off to travel for appointments for my daughter.
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  • In June I started dating a man who not only, accepts my daughter for who she is, but also takes incredible care of us, a man who is a traditional man in the sense of opens the doors for me, drives just to bring me flowers (he lives about an hour from me).
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  • He's incredible and I'm so lucky to have found him. I then learn from Barb's old friend that after she returned to work from her maternity leave, she had be fired and was living as a single mom again, with 3 different dads of her girls, and struggling to make ends meet again.
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  • In the end, I feel karma has done her work, and I've quite enjoyed watching it unfold.
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  • Never imagined it would be this great but it is. I worry and my heart aches for her girls.
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  • I miss them so much and want nothing but the absolute best for them. I want to add, I never went out looking for updates on Barb's life.
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  • I was good with leaving things at saying I'd file harassment charges if she continued to try to defame my name.
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  • My now 6 year old daughter has been doing great in school! We are planning on moving in the summer to a town near my boyfriend.
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  • Near him there is a campus of the Children's hospital my daughter gets care from. There's also so many resources for her.
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  • It took a while but I'm so happy with the little life I've built. And I hope one day, Barb can also find happiness and peace in her life.
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  • I miss the friendship I thought I had. But I'll never allow a toxic friendship in my life again.
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  • Thanks everyone if you got to this point. Again, sorry it's a super long one.
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management terrible coworkers workplace discussion friendship employment issues workplace-stories bad friend hr best friends work coworkers friends girlfriend friend mean girls colleague workplace work-life balance
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