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The original was posted on /r/amitheasshole by /u/LegitimateMenu843 on 2024-01-23 21:47:29+00:00.
I (28F) work in an office setting. We recently had a new group of hires including one boy, Jeff (M25). Jeff and I went to the same college. While in college Jeff cheated on a friend of mine Sara (F28). Sara was absolutely devastated by this and it took her a long while to recover. Since then I’ve obviously had a huge grudge towards Jeff and cheaters in general.
So 6 months ago when Jeff started at the company I decided I’d avoid him at all costs. Well, he ended up being placed on a team that works alongside mine. We attend several meetings together and I communicate with his team often. I always see him being friendly and happy with people on his team as well as mine, which obviously rubs me the wrong way. He caused my friend so much pain and now I have to watch him smile and laugh!
Someone eventually asked why I always ignore/refuse to talk to Jeff, and I explained the story and laid out what he did to Sara. This coworker was taken aback and astounded and the information spread through the office quickly. Within a couple weeks a lot of people stopped talking to Jeff or hanging out with him, even if they didn’t stop working with him or cut him out completely like I did.
He definitely noticed and now he doesn’t seem as jovial or happy at work, but everything still gets done so there’s no real harm except to his ego. His boss talked to my boss, who talked to me and asked if I had been spreading rumors about Jeff. I explained what happened and my boss said she understood my feelings but that I was negatively impacting the workspace and after a back and forth I was asked to work from home for the next few weeks. Jeff however was not punished and did not receive any consequences.
I was outraged by this and was talking about it to my friend who told me that Jeff was a dick but I was also kind of a c*nt for what I did and that I should have just let it go. I can’t agree with her. So I’ll ask: AITA?