My (F26) friend (F28) completely paved a story I wrote. Did I overreact?

For context, this was a <br>short story I wrote a few years back. <br>I included the link to the story, but it’s a bit long, so here’s a <br>short summary: <br>It’s a story about a person’s first day of work as a <br>security guard. Things are a bit off, everyone seems to want to open the doors <br>to a certain room, and the person tries to find a way to get out of there <br>without getting fired.<br><br>I posted this story on my friend’s Facebook wall, but I completely forgot <br>about it after a while. I did ask her if she’s read it a few months later, but <br>she told me she was really busy at the time. We’re not that close, so I didn’t <br>bring it up again.<br><br>A few weeks ago I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a post of a <br>different friend, completely paved a story I wrote (he gave me credit though <br>and even sent me a DM to ask if it’s okay). I wrote a comment under this post, <br>something like “cool post”, when my friend noticed me. <br><br>She then commented under my <br>post and asked if I’ve read a new post of hers. I told her yes and that I <br>liked it, not knowing that she’s replaced the post. She then sent me a DM with <br>the link, telling me to read it again. The moment I opened it I felt <br>uncomfortable. It was basically the same story I wrote. Same premise, same <br>ending, same plot, and I think they were even the same <br>characters. <br><br>For example, in my story the main character is a young girl with long <br>red hair, and my friend basically kept the same description. I mean, I guess <br>you can’t copyright a character’s physical appearance, but it was very <br>recognizable. <br><br>I asked her if she was inspired by the story I shared and if so, I <br>would have appreciated a shoutout or some kind of credit. The DM got a bit <br>awkward at this point, as didn’t seem to like my question. She said that she <br>never read the story I shared, and that her story is completely original. I <br>asked her how she didn’t notice when I posted it on her wall, and she told me <br>she only post things on her wall, she never reads any of them. I was a bit <br>disappointed, as I thought I was a lot closer to her than that, but I was also <br>trying to stay neutral and not jump into conclusions. <br><br>I pointed out the fact that the themes of the two stories are similar, <br>and she just told me that it’s a coincidence and that writers don’t own <br>concepts or ideas. I was ready to give up on the conversation at this point, <br>but then she said that she doesn’t like the tone I’m giving her, and that it <br>feels like I’m accusing her of something (which I wasn’t, at least not at <br>that point). I told her that I was just trying to have a conversation and that <br>I hadn’t even suggested she stole my story. <br><br>She then said she’s going to end the conversation and I was like “fine <br>bye then” but then she sent me a voice message telling me that she’s disappointed <br>by the fact that I think she would steal my work. I told her the same thing I <br>told her before, that I wasn’t accusing her of anything and that I was just <br>trying to have a conversation, but she completely ignored it. <br><br>She then went on and on about how hurt she was that I didn’t appreciate <br>the fact that she shared my work. She told me that she could have easily <br>blocked me and not told me anything, but she still shared the work because she <br>appreciates me as a friend. I was honestly a bit confused about what work she <br>was talking about, I didn’t know if she’s talking about the story I posted or <br>the story she posted. <br><br>I then realized that she didn’t even notice that I posted a link to the <br>story, and that she probably thought I didn’t appreciate the fact that she <br>posted the new story. I told her that I appreciated her post and that I wasn’t <br>referring to it when I said I posted my work. I then asked her if she <br>remembered the message I sent her when I posted a story I wrote. She told me <br>she doesn’t and that I should refresh her memory. I was a bit disappointed, <br>as I already told her in my previous message. I told her again and she <br>apologized, but then I started thinking that maybe she didn’t remember because <br>she <br>never actually read the message. <br><br>I then decided to give her a parting gift. I told her that the reason I <br>was upset was that I was surprised she didn’t like the work I posted enough to <br>read it. I told her that as a writer I put a lot of myself into my work, so <br>the fact that she didn’t even care enough to read my work made me feel <br>unappreciated. She then apologized and told me that she was going to read it. I <br>then told her that’s it’s okay if she doesn’t want to read it, and that I <br>appreciated the apology. <br><br>She then sent me a voice message telling me that she was going to read the <br>story anyway. She then spent the next few hours reading the story and sending <br>me messages and voice messages telling me how much she liked it. It was <br>actually a bit weird, as she was sending me voice messages with her thoughts <br>while she was reading. She then sent me a message telling me that the story was <br>great and that she’s going to read all my work from now on. <br><br>At this point I was a bit speechless, as I didn’t know what to say. I <br>then realized that she was completely paving my story, and that she had been <br>doing it for a while. The story she posted a few weeks ago wasn’t the first <br>one, and I’m pretty sure she had been doing it for months. I was a bit <br>disappointed, as I thought she was my friend, but then I was also grateful <br>that she was still a fan of my work.<br><br>I then decided to play along and completely gas her up. I told her how <br>happy I was that she’s going to read my work, and how much I appreciate her as <br>a fan. She then spent the next few days reading my stories and sending me <br>messages and voice messages telling me how much she liked them. It was actually <br>a bit weird, as it felt like I was talking to a different person, but I guess <br>it was worth it. <br><br>At this point I’m completely done with her, and I’m not going to talk to <br>her again. I feel <br>bad because we were friends for a while, but I’m also glad I caught her <br>before she did anything worse. I’m just wondering if I overreacted, as I’ve <br>been thinking about this a lot lately. I feel bad because I completely cut <br>her off, but at the same time I feel like I did the right thing. I <br>appreciated her apology, but I still don’t think I overreacted. <br><br>Thanks for reading the post, and I would appreciate any feedback.