We were in college. Broke, but ambitious. Always talking about dreams, success, and how we'd make it big together.

Or so I thought.

One day, I landed a small freelance gig. Nothing major, but enough to cover a few meals and celebrate. Excited, I told him.

His response? A forced smile. A half-hearted "Nice, bro." Then silence.

I brushed it off—maybe he was having a bad day.

But then it kept happening. Every win I shared, he downplayed. Every struggle, he magnified. When I failed, he was weirdly comforting. When I won, he disappeared.

The final straw?

I overheard him at a party. Telling someone I’d “just gotten lucky” and “wasn’t that smart.”

That’s when I knew. He never wanted me to succeed—he just wanted me to stay small.

I left that night and never looked back. Best decision I ever made.

And here’s the crazy part… Once I walked away, my life leveled up fast. New opportunities. Better people. More success. It was like I had been carrying dead weight for years.

Some people aren’t your friends—they’re just keeping you from becoming who you’re meant to be.