I (29F) freelance in a creative field. The action I want judged is telling my friend she wouldn’t be credited or paid for a project she involved herself in without my permission.
I was hired directly by a client to complete a short project with a fixed budget and deadline. I told a friend of mine (30F) about it casually, mostly because I was excited. Without asking me or the client, she emailed the client using my name as a reference, offered “extra help,” and sent over ideas and edits. I only found out when the client thanked both of us and asked how I wanted to split payment and credit. I immediately clarified to the client that I was the sole contractor and finished the project as agreed. I then told my friend that while I appreciated her enthusiasm, she overstepped, and I wouldn’t be sharing credit or money because she wasn’t invited onto the project and actually caused confusion I had to fix.
She’s now extremely upset and says I used her ideas, benefited from her effort, and shut her out to protect my ego. Mutual friends say I should have just split things to keep the peace and that refusing makes me an asshole since she was “trying to help.”
I can see how it looks harsh, especially since we’re friends, and I did incorporate one small suggestion she made before I told her to stop contacting the client. But I also feel like setting a boundary was necessary.
So AITA for refusing to share credit or payment after she inserted herself into my work without asking?